Focus: What does The Green Book want us to think about better or differently?
1. Warming up with our Valentine of the Day and a five-minute quickwrite
2. Reading a critical review of The Green Book and prepping questions
3. Discussing The Green Book, Fishbowl-style
HW:
1. THIS WEEK: Bring your independent reading book to class for the rest of the week. We'll be writing critical reviews of our book on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week.
2. THURSDAY, MARCH 5: Final drafts of critical reviews are due. If you are absent this day, you need to find a way to get your essay to me.
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Finishing Strong: May 18-20, 2020
Focus: How do we finish strong in American Lit? 1. Warming up with three good things! 2. Gathering all books that you've borrowed...
I really liked this film because the actors were good and it was happy.
ReplyDeleteI liked it too.
DeleteOne criticism of the book is that it's "too happy," i.e. it glosses over some of the realities of the time. Is it okay for a Hollywood film to do this if it's what the audience wants?
Deleteokay me too.
DeleteNice comment, loved the movie too, make sure you keep it 100
DeleteI thought the movie was awesome. And I think it definitely deserved film of the year.
DeleteWhy is it titled the Green Book?
ReplyDeleteok you just stole that question. Not keeping it 100 :(
DeleteI think it's called the Green Book because the Green Book truly highlights the segregation between whites and blacks at the time and you can physically see how racism affects people of color and where they can and cant go.
DeleteDo you think tony could be seen as a green book in a way?
DeleteI think the whole point of this act by Doctor to go to the south and go on tour was to try and open peoples eyes to the subject and show people about the courage he had. I think he might have had an idea if this was a successful tour that it would be a special part of history but he didn't do it for popularity obviously he did it to prove a point.
ReplyDelete“Genius is not enough, it takes Courage to change people's hearts.” (I think one of the musicians said this in the film, when they were at the restaurant that wouldn't serve Dr. Don Shirley)
DeleteDo you think that without the Green Book itself, Tony and Dr. Shirley would have become friends, would have their story been shared and put out to the world, or would they have a story to tell at all?
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting to think about, I believe that they might have been in a couple of cases where they are threatened, but Toni had a gun on him and he knew how to keep himself safe, so I think they would have made it through the south safe. If the worst had come to the worst, Toni would have had to sneak the Doc into his hotel room. And I believe they still would have made it out friends.
DeleteI don't think Tony and Dr. Shirley would have become friends because due to their social status they might not be able to meet each in their lives. The Green Book brought these two people together. They live in a different environment.
DeleteI think its titled The Green Book because other black travelers had to face the discrimination that Doc and Tony faced while traveling throughout the country. Although The Green Book wasn't used that many times throughout the movie, the symbolism of it is important.
ReplyDeleteI feel that if the movie also focused on how the black freedom movement was making progress at that point in time. if the movie focused less on how they were treated and more on the change in how they were treated.
ReplyDeleteThat's really interesting...perhaps that's why the film didn't focus on brutality; it was more interested in positive change.
DeleteOne thing that really stood out to me during the movie was, in the last scene when the Dr. wasn't allowed to sit at the place that he would be playing at, and he and Toni left. Afterwards they go to the colored bar and you see the Dr. play on the stage, and the band that was playing there joins him. One thing I noticed was that the Dr. looked to be having fun playing, and that is one thing I didn't notice while he was playing at any other show.
ReplyDeleteI agree! It was a moment where he was truly happy, which he made clear, doesn't happen very often because he is so lonely.
DeleteHe felt Accepted, he himself told tony the only reason that white people pay him to play is to feel "Cultured". once he was done on stage he went back to being another "Nigga".
DeleteI definitely agree. He always looked so formal but during that scene he seems to have a lot of fun.
DeleteDo you agree wiht the review saying that the movie is yet another example of Hollywood’s obliviousness and its willingness to feed into its audience’s self-satisfaction?
ReplyDeleteI do agree to a point that it mainly satisfies whites and their guilt, but it also highlights important racial stereotypes that are very subtle but still relevant today.
DeleteI think (and this is just my opinion) that anything that gets white people thinking about race is good. I'm not a big fan of people saying they're "color blind" because I feel like if you don't see color, then you're likely in a position of social advantage where you don't have to think about race because you have the advantage of being in the "ruling race." Feel free to disagree with me here.
DeleteI think it is titled the green book because Tony helped Don more than the book did.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this.
Delete100!
Deleteyup yup
DeleteDo you agree with the statement in the article that says, "relationships between individuals will heal centuries of racism." ?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! After you get past the race part, and start to get to know the person, you don't see the race, you just see a friend.
DeleteI don't really think that the centuries of racism will ever fully heal but relationships and understandings can help to bring us together and bring us to a better America.
DeleteIt can definitely help. Seeing that different races could get along was a big turning point in racism.
DeleteWhat message does the film maker wants to convey? What does he wants us to know better or understand more about the mid 20th century?
ReplyDeleteI think it wants us to understand how subtle racism can be and reflect on society today and see how it plays a roll in our lives.
DeleteListening to the inner circle right now, I'm wondering if the significance of this moment--reflecting on the past to make a better future--is part of the purpose of the entire film.
DeleteWhy do people have "white guilt" for something they did not do and cannot control?
ReplyDeleteI think this is because it has been a part of their identity. Their ancestors might've done something in the past which can make the new generations to feel ashamed of themselves.
DeleteQuestion
ReplyDeleteDo you think that this movie should have received best picture?
It depends on what movies it was up against.
DeleteAnswer
DeleteYes
well you see my son, in 2019 in the oscars it did in fact win best picture.
DeleteAj: no
DeleteWas there more in the book that they left outta the movie
ReplyDeleteno.
DeleteIn the Green Book Review the writer stated that the movie suggested that the green book was only needed for the south. The movie left out the fact that the green book was needed all over the country and not just the south.
DeleteI don't think this was a book but if it is then most likely
DeleteI also noticed that when doc wasn't present or paying attention he was looked down on by white people even tony had hidden racism
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDo you agree with Toni when he said that he was more black than the Doc
ReplyDeleteI think he meant in terms of the way he lived, he was more black. In that case, I agree that he lives very differently than Don.
DeleteIn some ways yes because Tony had knowledge about the streets and how most black people lived but then again that is all based on stereotypes. Doc went against the basic black stereotypes but that doesn't make him any "less black" since he is actually smart and educated.
DeleteI think the movie is suggesting that race is a social construction, but not innate. In other words, we're born with a skin color. We're born with certain qualities. But there's not a tie between skin color and qualities--race is conditioned. I think Dr. Don Shirley's character begs us to question the idea of race.
DeleteDo you agree with the line "What the Green Books omitted is as significant as what they contained?"
ReplyDeleteI think tony is completely unfazed by the black people working because he is so used to it
ReplyDeleteI feel like they made that scene to show how guilty he feels after seeing them working on the farm compared to him with his suit and his new car
ReplyDeleteI felt guilt there as well...
DeleteI agree with what Dakota said about tonys personality change
ReplyDeleteTony has a change in heart. He realizes he was unfair.
ReplyDeleteTony's personality reflects more of "black stereotypes" while Dr. Shirley is proper and clean.
ReplyDeleteTony and the Doc start to gain respect and a friendship with one another. They both experiment with each others ways.
ReplyDeleteTony starts to care about his job and protecting the Doctor, not because he has to, but because he wants to.
ReplyDelete