Jason Clay's Autobiography Research Project by Jason Clay https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem en-us 2023-03-29 20:45:38 UTC 2023-04-09 08:07:41 UTC hello@padlet.com The autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou describes her childhood experiences as an African American woman in the 1930’s. The novel begins with Angelou and her older brother Bailey being sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas, after their parents' divorce. Angelou's early life is marked by poverty, racism, and violence, including the rape she experienced at the age of eight. She exclaims that being discriminated against at a young age and being aware of her displacement was, “the rust on the razor that threatens the throat” (7). Despite these challenges, Angelou finds comfort in books and in her close relationship with her brother. The novel also explores Angelou's relationship with her mother, who comes to visit the family after several years of absence. Angelou struggles to understand her mother's behavior and feelings towards her, but ultimately comes to a greater understanding and forgiveness. Throughout the book, Angelou grapples with issues of identity and racism, as black women not only face the common struggles of nature, but they’re, “caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice, white illogical hate, and Black lack of power." (131). These struggles ultimately helped Angelou to find her voice as a writer and a black woman in a predominantly white society. The title of the book is drawn from the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar, which speaks to the plight of the caged bird who longs for freedom. 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2540313578 2023-03-31 21:01:15 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2540313578 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2540314225 2023-03-31 21:02:47 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2540314225 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2540314978 2023-03-31 21:04:28 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2540314978 Summary 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2546484775 Throughout the autobiography, Angelou brings awareness to the struggles of body image she went through because of the continuous racial injustices in her society which lead her to feel that white people were superior to black people. She described her situation as being in a, “Black ugly dream” (7). This shows her expressing her internalized belief that her physical features and race are undesirable and inferior to those of white people. She also talks about how being young specifically affected how she reacted to the racism as she was already “trained to sit quietly and listen to charges brought against [her] color with no chance of defense” (89). The multiple examples of how she was negatively affected by racism made me wonder how racism affects our youth. Most studies and books I have read in the past do not talk about the direct trauma and self imagery problems brought upon black children due to constant discrimination of their skin color. These ideas made me ask the questions: how are children affected by discrimination of their skin color? How do they cope with it?]]> 2023-04-06 17:17:45 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2546484775 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2546553042 2023-04-06 18:43:30 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2546553042 Racism is a health issue; How it affects kids, what parents can do 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2546554224 This source adresses my first question of how children of color are affected by racism. It focussed on both the different kinds of challenges that racism causes for children but also how parents can support their children through these challenges. The website describes that children take acts of racism much more personally and more harsh than the average adult, as Erica Lee, a psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital desribes that, “Children can internalize harmful setereotypes… Over time experiencing or witnessing discrimination can negatively impact a child’s identity and slef-esteem” (Lee). The website also goes into great detail on how children experiencing racism have much higher rates of depression, anxiety, and behavior problems. The continuous discrimination of childrens’ race and the stress that it brings cand damage their physical and emotional health. ]]> 2023-04-06 18:45:12 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2546554224 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547856518 2023-04-09 06:19:07 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547856518 Talking to Kids About Racism and Violence 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547862225 This is a website called, "Child Mind Institute" which is dedicated to making sure that all children are taken care of both mentally and physically. This article describes what steps parents can take to help support their children which may have experienced racism and cope from it. It also provides examples as to how different children deal with racism. It describes that when children experience or witness acts of racism, they often get confused and feel unsure what to think about other races as well as their own. The article encourages parents to talk to and support their children so that their race and other peoples can be respected as unique and a good thing rather than something to look down upon. It also talks about the fear and anxiety that racism can bring to children. The article describes that many children, "may mistakenly believe that whatever they’re seeing or hearing about is an immediate danger to them and their loved ones" (CMI). The website describes that in these instances where children feel like this, parents are needed to assure their children that they are safe and to help understand the situation. These examples answer my question of how children cope with racism, as they need a guardian to help them interpret and overcome the confusing and awful action. ]]> 2023-04-09 06:41:26 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547862225 Summary 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547868795 In Angelou's biography, it discusses instances in which Angelou, a black female child, had dealt with Sexual Abuse. No one should ever have to face these challenges, but Angelou's description of these events made me realize the horror, confusion, and guilt a child must feel after these actions. After one of these instances Angelou describes, "I thought I had died"  (41). This shows the awful feelings Angelou was feeling after something as horrific as rape. She also describes her emotions after those events as she, "was crazy with shame and despair" (43). This shows the terrible events Angelou went through as a child and only some of the emotions that she was facing while going through this. Her experiences and emotions made me ask the question, How does Sexual Abuse effect minors? How do they get through these events and cope with them?]]> 2023-04-09 07:10:44 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547868795 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547869369 2023-04-09 07:12:52 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547869369 Effects 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547874008 This website describes the emotional and physical effects that Sexual Abuse can play on minors, and how guardians can help or detect signs. The website describes that young children often react from the trauma with a range of emotional and behavioral reactions. They often have an increase in sleeping difficulties or nightmares, sudden changes in behavior, more tantrums, anxiety, and depression. Children who experience this also have tendencies to engage in traumatic play which re-enacts some aspect of the experience. The website encourages guardians to look out for these signs and teach kids body safety and to have open communication to ensure safety. It also discusses that as these children grow up, these reactions and emotions will likely get much more serious, as teenagers who experienced these actions, "might be more likely to abuse substances or engage in high-risk behaviors" (NCTSN). This shows the awful effects that Sexual Abuse can have on minors. ]]> 2023-04-09 07:29:53 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547874008 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547876137 2023-04-09 07:36:03 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547876137 Parenting a Child or Youth Who Has Been Sexually Abused 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547878824 This is an article meant as a guide for Adoptive parents to help guide and help their children overcome and grow from the events of Sexual Abuse. As it talks about the need for a guardian to help a child recover from such an awful event, it also talks about the impact and weight that Sexual Abuse can have on a child. The article discusses that this type of abuse on minors violates physical and emotional boundaries. It describes that after an event as traumatic as this, Children "may see the world as unsafe and adults as manipulative and untrustworthy" (4). This describes how it can be hard for a child to cope, as they often see adults trying to help them recover as 'untrustworthy' and not seek help to overcome their trauma. The article also directly describes that if a guardian is not present in a victim's life, it can be hard to overcome and grow from the event. It describes that parents or caregivers, "can play a central role in [their] child's healing process, as well as in 'building resilience'" (1). This helped me to answer my question of how children can cope with such a horrific event and how it impacts them. ]]> 2023-04-09 07:46:58 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547878824 10029104 https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547882092 2023-04-09 07:59:42 UTC https://padlet.com/10029104/fi9cqcg25lkohiem/wish/2547882092