Chapters 5 & 6 by Allison

The Grace of Silence; Chapter 5-6

sonjap17434 — 2014-08-28 16:48:16 UTC

Chapter 6 Summary

allisons17379 — 2014-08-28 16:49:07 UTC

Michele's uncle reveals to her that her father had been shot in the leg once, while in his 20's, right after returning from his service in the navy. He is reluctant to offer more information, and she finds that this is true for the rest of her family, too. She searches through numerous public records, desperate to find someone that can explain the situation to her.

sonjap17434 — 2014-08-28 16:49:36 UTC

Chapter 5 Summary

brennag17113 — 2014-08-28 16:49:47 UTC

Her father grew up in Birmingham, Alabama with six brothers. She

would visit her grandparents in Ensley every summer during her

childhood. She noticed a strong sense of community in Ensley. Her

Grandfather would take her with on trips to the grocery store, and

she later realized he brought her with to prevent hostile or violent

encounters with the Irish or Italian men who lived in a nearby

neighborhood.

Chapter 6 Quote

allisons17379 — 2014-08-28 16:51:08 UTC

"I have come to the conclusion that when people start a sentence with 'You know,' they’re trying to take the edge off unsettling news. Think about it. All those times you’ve heard 'You know, I hate to tell you this' or 'You know, this relationship has not been working out.' Or even 'You know, I love you.' 'You know' suggests a seed of doubt; maybe you don’t really know, after all. I was certainly in the dark when Uncle Joe surprised me over breakfast one morning a few years ago. At breakfast that morning Uncle Joe blurted out a secret: 'You know, your father was shot,' " (ch.6;55). Norris, Michele (2010-09-21). The Grace of Silence: A Memoir (Vintage) (p. 55). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Allison S, Sonja P, Fahima O, Brenna G, Meghan R

sonjap17434 — 2014-08-28 16:51:33 UTC

Outside Link

allisons17379 — 2014-08-28 17:38:12 UTC

http://www.historybits.com/civilrights.htm

Chapter 5 Quote

allisons17379 — 2014-08-28 17:43:55 UTC

"Until the end of his life, Dad was an infernally cheerful man, always smiling, always trying to make others feel at ease. I am now ashamed to say that there were times when his demeanor made me uneasy, moments when he would smile at, and joke with, salespeople or waitresses who had shown disdain or disrespect. His manner may have suited him well for his job as a window clerk at the post office, but to a kid raised in the sock-it-to-me seventies, his penchant to please struck me as submissive. Only here’s the thing: years later, I now see the same trait in myself, and it no longer makes me cringe in quite the same way, for I now understand that his aversion to conflict and his compulsive need for calm are what got us through the roughest patches in our lives. What I did not understand until recently is that it also got him through his own darkest days," (ch.5;53-54). Norris, Michele (2010-09-21). The Grace of Silence: A Memoir (Vintage) (pp. 53-54). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Outside Link

allisons17379 — 2014-08-28 17:54:11 UTC

http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1580