Liana's Glory Field: Two Examples of Jim Crow Laws

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Two Examples of Jim Crow Laws

Marriage:

Florida: Any negro man and white woman, or any white man and negro woman, who are not married to each other, who habitually live in and occupy in the nighttime the same room, shall each be punished by imprisonment not exceeding 12 months, or by fine not exceeding five hundred dollars.

Entertainment:

Georgia: It shall be unlawful for any amateur white baseball team to play on any vacant lot or baseball diamond within two blocks of a playground devoted to the Negro race, and it shall be unlawful for any amateur colored baseball team to play baseball within two blocks of any playground devoted to the white race.

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/remembering/laws.html

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Journal Entry 1753

I feel really bad for Muhammad. He's stuck on a slave ship. The living conditions are terrible! It's filthy in there! '' Death itself crowded into the hold with them." (p.7) I wish the white people would treat him better. He's so lonely. His parents aren't with him. He's so brave to have fought and killed a Seen-Ba."He said hefought that animal with all his heart and every bit of strength that was in him." (p.18) Right after he killed it, the slave catchers captured him. I hope Muhammad will make it to America. How could he have lived through all this at 11? I wish Muhammad wouldn't have been captured because no one should be a slave. I wish he would have stayed in Sierra Leone. I'm really happy that he that he didn't die, and that he always thought of being free, because I would have had a hard time thinking about being free if I was on a slave ship. At least he had his friends Abdul and Kwesi with him. He must have felt so scared because at any time the white people could torture him. The white people treated them like animals. Muhammad always thanked Allah when the shackles didn't rub against the sores on his ankles. I'm glad he never thought of himself as just a slave, he knew he was a man. I can't believe he survived the slave ship when grown men died. I felt terrible for him, it must have reeked of human waste and vomit. He's only 11 years old and he's being sold into slavery.

Summary of the Glory Field 1864

Summary of The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers
The Glory Field
1864
p. 11-23

The Lewis slaves were made to work on the fields even though is was Sunday. It was a year ago since they worked the fields on a Sunday.
Joshua Lewis, Moses Lewis' brother had run away because he had heard that his wife, Neela might be sold, and Lem Lewis, Mose's son, was described by Grandma Dolly as being like her grandfather Muhummad and “did things differently”(p.15), and Grandma Dolly also says, “If you born with a taste for freedom in your mouth, you got to satisfy it.” Lem had escaped and run away too.
There were patrollers out looking for Joshua and Lem. Everybody was wondering what happened to them. Master Lewis, his family, his overseer Mister Joe Haynes and his workers, and Moses Lewis, his family and the other slaves all wondered if they would be caught.While they were working in the fields, Moses sees Lem off at a distance because he starts singing a spiritual referring to the lost lambs, “The young lambs must find the way...” and eventually the slaves see what Moses had seen, Lem being dragged behind a horse.
Saran, Lem's mother, grandma Dolly, Moses and the other slaves back in their quarters, rely on their faith and call on God to keep Lem safe.Miss Julia, Master Lewis' daughter comes to get Lizzy with the excuse that the kitchen is dirty, in order to manipulate Lizzy into telling her what she knows about Lem and Joshua. She acts so high and mighty when she says to Lizzy that it's thanks to her that Lem is still alive, “They should hang him from a fruit tree...and they would have, too, if it hadn't been for me...I told them not to hang him because I knew you were sweet on him.”(p.23)

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The Glory Field
1864
p. 24-34
Miss Julia and Lizzy drink tea

and Miss Julia sweet talks Lizzy even telling her that one day she is going to buy Lizzy from her father and set her free so that they can walk hand and hand in pretty dresses in Johnson City.

Lizzy is told by Master Lewis to return to the quarters, and she listens for a minute behind the door to see if she can hear anything about Joshua and Lem. When she arrives to the quarters everyone asks her questions about what she heard. She tells them that Lem is tied to a tree out in the woods and tomorrow they are going to talk to the slave trader Mister Oakes and see if he can sell him to Foster.
Moses doesn't trust Miss Julia and he has no qualms in telling Lizzy that Miss Julia is just sweet talking her, and Grandma Dolly says, “And don't think you overheard nothing they don't want you to know. Anything you know is what they want you to know so they can use you.”(p.30)
Everybody in the slave quarters is wondering if Joshua is going to come back for Lem. Everybody knows that Joshua knows what tree Lem is tied to only they don't know if he is going to come back for him. Moses tells a story of two boys and how they couldn't take the abuse from the master anymore and they end up being hung for fighting with a white man. He tells this story to remind them that Lem and Joshua are not safe.
We find out how Lizzy came to live with Moses Lewis and his family. Lizzy's mother died because of all the hard work in the rice plantations, therefore, Lizzy came to live with Moses and his family. Lizzy lying in bed remembers a coachman from Savannah, Georgia and how fine he looked in his fine clothes and how he talked about how the white people treat the blacks in Savannah, and how he doesn't understand why the blacks aren't just happy with their situation and should accept it instead of fighting it. He says, “And be like them folks that call themselves free?...they ain't doing no kind of good...they were better off being slaves. Least they had something to eat and knew how to behave themselves.”(p.33) Moses did not agree with the coachman from Savannah, and he shows his repulsion by spitting on the ground and saying “...a poor excuse for a man...”(p.33)
Lizzy keeps pondering about Lem and turning her thoughts over and over again about him, and asks herself if Lem had a freedom dream and that's why he left. Lizzy wants to go and say bye to Lem and “say something good to him so he wouldn't feel so all alone,”(p.34)

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The Glory Field
1864
p. 35-44
Lizzy was lying down in the cabin when she decides to go out to see Lem and bring him water. She is surprised by her Grandma Dolly on the porch. Lizzy listens to her Grandma's advice that Grandma Dolly's father told her. “He used to say they keep us in between the whip and the North Star. One hand holds out freedom and the other holds out a whip. Long as we sitting there turning our heads which way and that...If they can't turn your head, they can't turn you at all”(p.37). The whites offer the blacks the North Star in one hand, but have the whip in the other. The North Star representing freedom and the whip representing the south and slavery.
Lizzy goes off to see Lem and brings a clay jug of water with her to give some water to Lem. She is hesitant about going and at times stops on the way wondering if she should have brought Lem something to eat, if he is going to ask her to cut him loose, how will she find Lem, and if they find her there with him if she would be whipped? She remembers seeing Bill being whipped just because Old Master Lewis thought that Bill was being disrespectful to young Master Lewis. All that Bill had done really was to drop a bolt of fabric by mistake in the mud. A small thing made into a bigger problem for no reason really.
Lizzy finds Lem tied to a tree and his face is swollen and there was blood on his cheek. She decides to clean Lem and offer him some water. While Lem was drinking water all of a sudden Lizzy was whipped by Mister Joe Haynes! He whipped her three times! Once across her back, once on her ankles, and once across her hip even tearing her thin dress. Mister Joe Haynes accuses Lizzy of trying to free Lem. Mister Joe Haynes justifies himself with this excuse to whip Lizzy.
While Mister Joe Haynes was occupied by Lem and Lizzy, and he whipped Lizzy one more time, he did not see Joshua come through the bushes. “Joshua's body crashed into the overseer's bent frame and sent him backwards.”(p.44) Lem urges Lizzy to grab the rifle that “...still lay across the bush.”(p.44)

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The Glory Field
1864
p. 45-51
Joshua gets Mister Joe Haynes pinned to the ground, and Mister Joe Haynes begs for his life. “...But don't kill me. I got a wife and family.”(p.46) Lizzy begs Joshua not to shoot Mister Joe Haynes too. Joshua says that Lizzy has to run away with them otherwise Master Lewis will whip, and probably kill her. Lizzy can't believe that she has to go and won't be able to see Grandma Dolly or the rest of the family again. Joshua decides that she can run back to the quarters to say good-bye, but that she has to hurry. “If you get back in a short while, I won't kill him...If you don't, I'm going to have to break his neck...”(47)
Lizzy runs back to the quarters and tells everyone what happened. Lizzy wished that this would had never happened. Saran takes Lizzy's face in her hands and says, “When folks take your freedom, and the only way for you to get it is to risk dying for it, then dying comes when it wants to. You go on, you'll be all right. You young. You got plenty to live for...”(50) Saran tells Lizzy that Miss Julia came to get Lizzy to take her back to the big house, but Saran told Miss Julia that Lizzy was in the field because she was sick. Saran urges Lizzy to change her dress because Miss Julia would be back and if Miss Julia saw her dress she would know that something was wrong. Every one agrees that Lizzy has to get back to Joshua and Lem to run away.
Miss Julia comes to the door and wants Lizzy to come to the big house, but Lizzy pretends that she is sick and Miss Julia says, "Well you do look a sight"(p.51).

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The Glory Field
1864
p. 52-58
Miss Julia wants to bring Lizzy to the big house, but Lizzy convinces Miss Julia that she will come in the morning. Everybody at Lizzy's house are frantic because they know that Lizzy has to get going to meet Lem and Joshua. Lizzy says her goodbyes to everyone and Saran says, “If you get caught, act like you ain't right in the head”(p. ). Saran tells Lizzy not to turn back.
Lizzy meets up with Joshua and Lem away from the tree. As they head out Lizzy keeps asking," where are we going?"(p54) Of course Joshua doesn't really know where they are going and so is his frustration Joshua just says , “Just going.”((p.54) Lizzy wonders if Lem and Joshua killed Mister Joe Haynes and that's why they were not talking much. Joshua wants to take them to an abandoned smoke house, but when they get close they realize that they are not going to make it to the house so Lem and Lizzy hide up in some trees. Lizzy was feeling exhilarated at the thought of herself being free, and she contemplates these thoughts as she watches some white men out with children playing in the fields.
Joshua leaves them and Lizzy and Lem sleep in the trees. Lizzy realizes that something profound has happened to her...”It was what had happened to her. She was free. It was a scary free, and it was a hungry free and a tired free, but it was free.”(p.58)

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The Glory Field
1864
p.59-70
Lizzy woke up and all of a sudden remembered where she was and she felt scared. She couldn't see Lem, and she heard sounds in the distance that sounded like booms. She climbs down the tree and Lem calls out to her. They decide that the sounds must be coming from the fighting of the civil war, and that they have to keep moving because Mister Joe Haynes and the dogs are probably after them.
They hear the dogs drawing closer and closer! They see some lights and head to the lights running, and walking when they get too tired. They are afraid because the riders on horses point in their direction, and Lizzy and Lem are not sure if they are pointing at them, but then they realize that they are pointing at the fires. The riders call off the dogs and the dogs circle one more time and they ride away. Lem and Lizzy are relieved and head towards the fires when someone comes
up behind them and they can't believe their eyes! The soldier is black! “You're black!” she said. Glad you noticed it,” the soldier grinned. I had just about forgot it.”(p65)

They find out about the Yankee army and how there are many black soldiers and how the army is going to start a black regiment. And they find that Joshua is at the camp too!! The soldiers feed Lem and Lizzy and put them to work.
Lizzy has an important decision to make: follow some people who are trying to escape North, or follow the regiment and help out...Lizzy “...ran as fast as she could, her feet slapping against the hard road. When she got around the bend, the men were still in sight, tall and proud. She followed them, never looking back.”(p.70)

Journal Entry 1864

In 1864, there were loud gunshots all day. The Civil War was happening. I wish the war was over because then people wouldn't be dying. I feel badly for Lizzy because her mother died, she must be really upset. Luckily, Lizzy was taken in by the Lewis family. I thought that Saran was really kind to Lizzy because Saran treated Lizzy loke a daughter. When Joshua and LEm ran away, I was happy because hopefully they would escape to freedom. Then Lem got caught. I felt sorry for him because he will probably get beat up by Mister Joe Haynes and the other white men. I think it's really cool how Moses and the slaves started singing in the field because it's like they have their own secret language that the white men can't understand. I thought that Lizzy was really brave when she brought Lem water because he was stuck tied to a tree. She could get whipped. "Lizzy didn't wan't to be whipped. There wasn't anythingin the world she didn't want more than being whipped." (p.40) I don't blame her for not wanting to be whipped. It looks so painful because the whip cuts into your skin when you get hit by it. I think it's awful that Miss Julia takes Lizzy into her house and makes her do chores just so she can have someone to talk to. I think Miss Julia makes Lizzy do weird things, like praying that all Yankees die in their sleep. I think this is weird because why would she make Lizzy pray? Miss Julia should just pray by herself. When Mister Joe Haynes caught Lizzy for bringing Lem water, she got whipped. Then Joshua came and pinned Haynes down to the ground. "Joshua ran low and hard, a black furry in the darkness." (p.44) Then he tied Haynes to a tree. I felt badly for Lizzy, she had to run away because she was part of tying up Mister Joe Haynes. She had to leave all her family. If she stayed, she could be killed. After Lizzy, Lem, and Joshua ran away, they met some Yankees, joined them, and became contrabands. I was happy because now they will be safe from the white people.

Summary of the Glory Field 1900

The Glory Field
April 1900
Curry Island, South Carolina

Elijah, Lizzy and Richard's son is out contemplating life while ploughing the fields with Sukey, the old mule. Elijah is plowing the Lewis' own fields! The Lewis' received eight acres of land from the Yankee soldiers when they assigned plots of land to the former slaves.
The white people and the black people had to adjust to life after slavery. The whites had a hard time realizing that the blacks were freemen and the blacks had to learn what it meant to be free. The whites wanted things to be like it was before the civil war and they tried to return it to the old ways through terror and maltreatment of the blacks. The Klan would ride at night and terrorize the blacks just because they thought that a black had been disrespectful to the whites, or not working hard enough if they were on farms that were sharecropping farms. It was a hard time for all.
Grandma Saran and Grandpa Moses were trying to hold on to their plot, but they were behind on their taxes, and tried to borrow some money from the bank, but the bank manager said, “...the King Street Bank was for white folks.”(p.75) Elijah was worried about his grandma and grandpa.
Elijah's father, Richard Lewis and his mother, Lizzy lived in Savannah, Georgia because Richard had a job in a pulp mill, but were on a visit to South Carolina. Elijah has a friend Abby, and Abby wants to go start a fishing business with Elijah instead of farming. Abby also wants to get a guitar to play ragtime music which the elders don't agree with. Abby and Elijah traded some firewood for an old boat that Grandpa Moses helped to fix up.

http://fortress.uccb.ns.ca/DPW/images/August_2005/Row%20boat%20P7170006.JPG

They would go out fishing every time they had a chance, and even on Sunday sometimes and catch some fish and sell it when Grandma Saran was at her sister's house in Johnson City because Saran did not approve of them working on the Sabbath day.

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The Glory Field
April 1900
p. 78-89
The Lewis family gathers at the African burial ground on their plot of land at the Live Oaks Plantation. Moses says, “Lord, bless this precious earth.” After blessing the cemetery they gather for a family picnic.
The whole family gathers at the picnic together. Goldie and Elijah like each other and they tease each other at the picnic. “I might have to marry you quicker than I planned,” said Elijah.(p80) We find out that Lem died in the war and the Lewis family was not allowed to bury him in the grave yard, so they buried him in the Glory Field instead. A storm was coming their way and it looked to be a big one.
Sister Clinton, who does laundry for the white folks, and who is a busy body, came by and was talking to Grandma Saran about a little boy who Grandma Saran takes care of and whose name is David. Sister Clinton said that she saw little David with Foster and they were supposed to go fishing. Grandma Saran plays a bit dumb with Sister Clinton, but when Sister Clinton leaves, Grandma Saran tells Elijah she knew who Sister Clinton was talking about and says that Foster is “...always half juiced up.”(p.83). Foster is always hanging around little David Turner's father because Turner has a lot of money and Foster can “...borrow some drink money once in a while (p84).
The Lewis family is enjoying the picnic when old man Turner shows up looking for little David. Old man Turner and Grandma Saran make small talk and old man Turner asks if Grandma Saran hasn't seen Foster. Old man Turner doesn't ask about David, and Grandma Saran didn't want to ask about him even though she suspected that it was David that old man Foster was looking for. Finally Grandma Saran “...called out to him. 'Mr. Hamlin!...Where's David?' The balding white man turned slowly, lifted his hands upward, and exhaled deeply. 'Aunt Saran, I don't know where they are' (p.89).

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The Glory Field
1900
p.90-107
Old man Turner leaves the Lewis place on his covered surrey, and Grandpa Moses says, “Serves him right.”(p.90) The family talks to Lizzy about being in the north and how the white folks treated the blacks up north. “Most of them were really nice” (p.91). Grandma Saran asks, “What are we going to do about little David?” (p.92) Grandpa Moses puts in his two cents worth and says that Foster is out on that little island near the key. And Grandpa Moses says he goes out there because he is a lazy man and he can follow the tide out and follow the tide in.
Elijah asks Grandma Saran if she wants him to go out to the island to find little David. And Grandma Saran says, “It don't hurt to make believe you were awake when you went to church this morning” (p.93). Elijah's parents were going to head back to Savannah, and by the time Elijah would be back they would be gone.
It took about one hour for Elijah and Abby to get into town. They were going to see if they could help find little David. The storm was brewing and there was “...brief smatterings of rain” (94). Elijah has an idea and he asks Abby if he wants to go along with the idea. Abby says he has an idea too, but Elijah says that if it has anything to do with ragtime music, then Abby should forget about it.
Elijah tells Abby his idea of telling Mr. Turner that he will find little David if he lends the money for the taxes to Grandpa Moses and Grandma Saran. Abby thinks Elijah is “...too hot-blooded. You say something like that to Mr. Turner and he's liable to get mad and start some trouble”(p.96) But Elijah wants to help because he “...saw something in Grandma Saran's eyes...I looked at Grandpa Moses” (p.97). Elijah is not sure if he can stand up to old man Turner, but he is going to try.
They arrives at the beach and a group of men were there. Sheriff Glover and the men were talking to old man Turner, and when Hamlin Turner saw them he invited Elijah and Abby over. Old man Turner and all the men discuss the risks of going out in the storm to look for little David and Foster., and he eventually offers 25 dollars to the man who can rescue little David. One by one the men drop out and when only Sheriff Glover, Mr. Turner and two white men, Abby and Elijah were left, Elijah finally offers himself and Abby to rescue little David, but for thirty-five dollars!!
Sheriff Glover tries to intimidate Elijah and Abby with his gun, but Elijah does not back down. Frank Petty insults Elijah with the N word and Elijah starts to walk away, but stops when he sees “the concern in the white man's eyes” (p.102) Mr. Turner finally offers twenty dollars, but eventually offers him the thirty-five dollars.
Even though Sheriff Glover doesn't know where Foster and little David are, he goes out on the boat with Elijah and Abby too. He wants a part of the rescue money! Elijah and Abby go to get the Pele Queen and bring it around and Sheriff Glover met the boat. The three are off in the Pele Queen to find little David.

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The Glory Field
1900
p. 108-113
Elijah, Abby and Sheriff Glover go out into the storm on the boat, and Sheriff Glover takes hold of the tiller while Elijah and Abby row because it was no use to use the little sail in a storm like that. The two boys struggle as they try to make their way to Key Island. The water is extremely rough and they need to navigate around one edge of Gray Rock. Sheriff Glover realizes that what they are doing is very dangerous and he threatens the boys with a gun to turn around. “Sheriff Glover unsnapped the leather flap on his holster, pulled the long-barrel revolver from its nesting place, and pointed it at Abby. “I said turn back, boy!” (p.111) The boys stare Sheriff Glover down and Sheriff Glover puts his gun away. They reach Key Island and Abby stays with the boat and Sheriff Glover and Elijah start searching the Island for little David and Foster.

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The Glory Field
1900
p. 114-125
When Elijah and Sheriff Glover start searching the island, Elijah goes one way and Sheriff Glover goes the other way. The wind is blowing so hard that it is hard for Elijah to hear anything other than the wind. Elijah calls out to David many times and he almost gives up hope of finding him when he hears a faint cry for help, “Help!” The cry was weak, but it was clear. Elijah looked to his left and saw the boy's thin arm swinging over his head”(p.116).
Elijah calls Sheriff Glover over and they realize that Foster is holding onto David's leg for dear life. Foster was hurt and Sheriff Glover had to point a gun to Foster's head for him to let him go of little David. Elijah gets ready to take little David to the boat, and Sheriff Glover threatens Elijah with death if he leaves with him. Sheriff Glover sets Foster's broken leg and finally carries him back to the boat.
The storm was howling and they had a rough time rowing back to the mainland. They finally make it and the Lewis family is waiting along with Old man Turner. Old man Turner and Sheriff Glover walk away with David and leaves Elijah wondering if he is going to see any of the money. : “...Elijah saw Sheriff Glover walking with Hamlin Turner. He was carrying David"(p,122).
In the local paper, The Gazette, the credit for the rescue was given to Sheriff Glover and there was no mention of it to Elijah and Abby. “We don't never get no credit.” Grandpa Moses was carving on a piece of driftwood”(p.123).

Summary of the Glory Field 1753

The Glory Field
1753
p. 3-8
Muhummad is captured and brought into a slave ship on the west coast of Africa, Sierra Leone. He is in the bottom of a slave ship for thirty six days before setting sail for the United States. He suffers on the slave ship because he is shackled to the ship. He is afraid because he does not know what his future holds. He asks himself some questions. Where are my parents? How are they? Are they dead? Will I survive? Will all the people on the ship die? Where am I going? What will become of me? He wants to be free again.

Journal Entry 1900

I wonder why Elijah doesn't live with his parents in Georgia because wouldn't his parents want to be with him? He lives in Curry Island with Grandpa Moses and Grandma Saran. I think it's weird that Elijah talks to Goldie, who is the girl he likes. He talks about getting married to her "I might have to marry you quicker than I planned" (p.80). I also think it's weird that Elijah is almost 16 and he might get married. Isn't 16 a bit young to get married? When Grandpa Moses and Grandma Saran were behind on their taxes, they went to the bank to try to borrow money, but they couldn't because they were black. "Said the King Street Bank was for white folks" (p.75). I think that's really mean of the white people to not let blacks borrow money from certain banks because then if they can't pay their taxes, they could lose their land. When Elijah hears this, he goes with Abby and Sherrif Glover to Key Island to rescue Mr. Turner's boy David. If they can find him, Elijah would get 35 dollars. When he did rescue Little David, he got the 35 dollars. Sherrif Glover got a separate reward. I think Elijah waas really kind and giving because instead of keeping all the money for himself, he gave all of it to his Grandparents so they could pay off their taxes. They did give Elijah 17 dollars. When Elijah stood up to Frank Petty, Petty got really mad. Later on, Sherrif Glover came to tell the family that Petty and some other men were coming over, drunk, to whip Elijah. Elijah won't let anyone whip him, and because of that he's going to leave to go to Chicago to live with Joshua. I feel badly for Elijah because he's leaving his family. Luckily, Chicago is in the northern part of the United States, so he'll be safe. I hope Elijah comes back to Curry Island so he can see his old family and Goldie because then he'll know if they're ok.

Summary of the Glory Field 1930

The Glory Field
1930 Chicago
p. 141-154
Luvenia Lewis lives in Chicago, and she does not want to move back to Curry South Carolina with her parents Elijah, Goldie and her brother Richard. Luvenia is doing her Godmother Miss Etta's hair and talks about her reasons for staying in Chicago. The whole time Elijah was in Chicago he had been working and “every spare dollar went to Curry, holding the Lewis family together even when white females in the area failed. Elijah was their bank...their emergency fund”(p.150). It was Elijah's dream to return to the Glory Field.
Luvenia wants Miss Etta to help her to write a letter to her father to convince him to let her stay in Chicago. Luvenia works in a house as a live-in maid for the family Deets. The Deets family has a daughter, Florenz Deets who is about Luvenia's age and when “ 'I clean her room I look at her books. They're not that hard. Once I read a chapter in her history book and at the end there were these questions and I answered every one of them.' ”(p.147).

Luvenia has dreams of going to University to get an education. Luvenia needs money to go to University. She went to the bank to get a loan to go to school, but the bank manager told her she needed a letter of guarantee that she will have a job until she pays back all of the money. “I have to make at least eleven dollars a week too”(p.144). Luvenia wants to ask Mr. Deets if he will sign the guarantee.
Luvenia's brother Richard was content to return to Curry South Carolina, but Luvenia says, “Daddy's got to realize that there are city folk and then there's country folk. I was raised in Chicago and I'm a Chicago girl”(p.143). Luvenia “felt for a long time , that there were two distinct kind of coloured people in Chicago...country type people...the other kind of coloured people, the kind that usually referred to themselves as 'Negroes' and spoke as proper as white people, and sometimes even more proper(p.153).

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The Glory Field
1930 Chicago
p.155-164
Luvenia went to church with Miss Etta. Reverend Bradley preaches about the Prodigal son. Luvenia is in the choir and she sings a solo at church. Luvenia decides to go the Deets' house to “clean it real good and then talk to [Mrs. Deets] about what the bank said”(p.164).

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The Glory Field
1930 Chicago
p. 165-171
When Luvenia arrives back to the Deets' house on Sunday she talks to Mrs. about Mr. Deets signing the guarantee so that she can go to college. Mrs. Deets says, “And why would you be interested in college?...It doesn't work...You are a maid. Reaching beyond yourself will just be a disappointment...I never went to college... [I] found my place in life...here I am(p.167). Luvenia decides that she is not going to be able to talk to Mrs, Deets about so she decides that she will talk to Florenz. Luvenia contemplates how and what she will say to Florenz.
Luvenia's “dreams were tortures”(p.168). She had one where a car kept running over Precious, Mrs. Deet's dog no matter how she tried to protect Precious. In the other dteam, she was at a rent party where there were more men than women just like the real rent party that she had been to at Miss Etta's. In the dream the women just seemed to be getting bigger and bigger and dancing and singing and snapping their fingers to the rythm and showing off to the men. And she was in the middle of the dancers, tryng to keep up with the other women and then trying to get off of the dance floor and away from the rent party. When she finally woke up she “sat up and, taking the bible Mrs. Deets had left in her room, read from Leviticus”(p.171).

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The Glory Field
1930 Chicago
p.172-182
Luvenia knew that Florenz never got up before ten, she would often have her friend, Katie Hornung come over and they would have a lunch together in the parlor and talk. Luvenia was busy doing choress to get them done because Florenz had invited her to drink tea with them. Luvenia is invited to sit with Florenz and Katie in the parlor and drink tea. Luvenia like Florenz “despite the older girl's annoying explanations of why 'the coloreds,' were inferior to whites...there was a real vitality to her, a kind of bubbly air that Luvenia had always liked”(p.174).
Luvenia talks to Florenz and Katie about a book by Dr. Du Bois and articles by Mr. Locke on the new negro. “ 'A Negro who can do anything that he wants to do,' Luvenia said.(p.175). Florenz gets annoyed with all the talk about Negros and says, “ 'You can not make people socially and politically equal by noisy rallies or those radical labor unions.' “(p.176). Katie seems to understand more what Luvenia is trying to ezplain about the possibilities of the new Negro.
Luvenia asks Florenz if she would ask her father to sign the guarantee, and Florenz says that she will talk to her father even though “ '...Daddy does whatever Daddy choses to do.' “(p.177). But Florenz has other plans that “ 'She thinks [is ] a crisis' “(p.178). Florenz wants to use her father's car and convinces Luvenia to go along with the plan. She tells Luvenia that she is going to tell her father that Luvenia is sick and that she needs to be taken across town to the colored doctor's. And that they tried to get the car service to take her, but because she is colored and they wouldn't take her. Luvenia is worried that she will get in trouble, but Florenz assures her that she won't. “Luvenia wasn't at all sure about the adventure, but the idea of it was exciting.”(p.181).
Florenz phones her father and ends up telling him !! “ 'I think she might even be in the family
way...if you don't let me take her there, I'll have to put her out.' “(p.181-182). Luvenia is shocked and confused when she hears Florenz say that. Luvenia swallowed hard. She wasn't “in the family way” and didn't want anyone to think she was. Florenz gets her way and says, “ 'Ladies shall we go?' “(p.182).

...............

The Glory Field
1930 Chicago
p. 183-188
Luvenia did not feel right about the lies that Florenz told her father and Luvenia felt physically ill. “it was what so many whites expected of Negoes: that one day they would show up and announce that they were pregnant...”(p183). And this was why Luvenia wanted to go to college. Luvenia enjoyed the drive and the looks that they got from different people. The young women were enjoying themselves and the Florenz and Katie “pretended to be driving around their plantaions”(p.185).
Florenz wants her father to give her the car or even buy her a brand new car. Florenz spots some young men that her and Katie know and they drive over to the young men. Florenz gets Luvenia to leave them with the offer of money so that she and Katie can be left alone with the young men. Luvenia walked all the way home.
“Luvenia was not angry with Florenz or Katie, but with herself. “She was almost on the verge of tears”(p.187). “They just weren't her friends, and they did not know about her life or about the life of any Negro”(p.187). When Luvenia arrived home there was a telegram waiting for her that read, “YOUR SERIVCES WILL NO LONGER BE REQUIRED –JOHN DEETS.”(p.188).

...............

The Glory Field
1930 Chicago
p. 189-200
What devasted Luvenia most was what Mr. Deets would think of her. Miss Etta seemed indifferent to the situation and said, “ 'Girl, a black woman losing a job ain't no big thing!'”(p.191). Miss Etta was more concerned with the death of an aquaintance, Sister Stovell, and the casket is cracking and the servic eis tonight. Luvenia is still upset and “...somehow stopped the urge to scream”(p.192).
Luvenia and Miss Etta take care of the spilt casket by wrapping it with a sheet and a shawl. The Deacon at the church tells Luvenia that she is “ 'decent young person...that's a rare thing these days...' “(p.195).
Luvenia still has hope of getting her old job back and back home Miss Etta asks her boyfriend, Mr Harrison if Luvenina can use the phone in the basement. When she finally talks to Mr. Deets, he is not pleased that Luvenia was part of Florenz' scheme and tells Luvenia that she can not have her job back, but that he would write a letter of reference for her. Luvenia has the courage to say that she doesn't want to go to Curry, and that she is going to try and make it on her own in Chicago. Miss Etta sees the determination in her face and says, “Girl, just look at your face! You look like you're fixing to fight or something!”(p.199).
Miss Etta decides to throw a rent party for Luvenia to help her get set up with her own hair dressing business.

Luvenia writes a letter to her parents in Curry assuring them that she will make them proud. “I promise you that I will never, never do anything that will make you ashamed of me”9p.200).

...............

The Glory Field
1930 Chicago
p. 201-208
Luvenia is having a hard time finding a job that suits her and Katie even tries to find her a position, but Luvenia turns it down. Luvenia tells Katie, “Miss Katie, I think I want to start my own business.”(p.201-202). Katie is in admiration of Luvenia and she hugs Luvenia.
Miss Etta throws Luvenia a rent party, and invites the neighbourhood. The party was a hit and Luvenia enjoyed herself more that she had expected. She thought of Florenz and Katie and contemplated how they would never understand it. “The party...was something that you had to come to at the end of the day of bone-crushing work, of frustration, of despair...that for a few hours the party...would be wonderful”(p.206).
The rent party made some money for Luvenia to start her own hair business. The next morning a man tipped his hat to Luvenia and said, “You got a nice step to start off the new day...Look like you ready!” (p.208) “I am,” Luvenia called back to him. “I am”(p.208).

Summary of the Glory Field 1964 p.211-222

The Glory Field
January 1964
Johnson City, South Carolina

It was the day of the All City basketball Tournament at Curry High School. Tommy Lewis plays basketball for Curry High School and he is the star player of the team. " In the locker room...Tommy's hand was shaken a hundred times. He felt as good as he had ever felt" (p.213). Curry won it's first All City Tournament.

Mr. Chase, a scout from "State" University invites Tommy and Tommy's girlfriend, Mandy, over for refreshments and Mr. Chase talks to Tommy about a scholarship. "States looking for some good people" (p.219). Tommy was thrilled with the idea of missing the last year of high school to go straight to college, but Tommy was uneasy about going to an all white university. "More important, though, was that it would be a challenge in which he wouldn't be at all sure who was on his team" (p.222).

Summary of The Glory Field 1964

The Glory Field
1964
p.223-234

Tommy is talking to his parents about the talk he had with Mr. Chase about going to a white college. "I still don't see how can go to college if you don't finish high school, his mother said" (p.223). His mother doesn't want Tommy going to a white college. Tommy's dad is ok with the idea of Tommy going.
Later on in the night, Skeeter Jackson came to Tommy's
house. Skeeter had gotten bit by a rattle snake and he needed someone to take him to the hospital because his parents were up in North Carolina.
"Oh, man, the pain is something else" (p.226). Tommy's dad took Skeeter to the hospital and the nurses took him to examine him.

While Skeeter was being examined, Tommy and his dad talked about Tommy going to a white college. "It's nice being around white folks" (p.230), his dad said, but "what was not said, was what Tommy knew was on his father's mind, was that it could also be dangerous being around white folks" (p.230).
One of the nurses came out to tell Tommy and his dad that they could see Skeeter. He was doing better, than when he first came to the hospital.

Journal Entry 1964 p. 211-255

16 year old Tommy Lewis was playing an All-City basketball Tournament and they had just won. He was playing for Curry High School. Tommy was the star player for the team. "Tommy, you did it! Jimmy Manigault grabbed Tommy's shoulders" (p.213). If I were Tommy I would have felt really happy because this would have been the first tournament that I would have won. After the game, Mr. Chase, a college scout from "State" invited Tommy, and his girlfriend Mandy over to his house for refreshments. Mr. Chase's wife, Mrs. Chase, took Mandy into her sewing room. When they left, Mr. Chase talked to Tommy about college. He said that Tommy could skip his last year of high school and go straight into college. He also offered him a scholarship to play basketball for "State". "On our part I think I can get you a full scholarship. And that stands if you make the team or if you don't make it" (p.221). I felt happy that Tommy got offered a scholarship because now he can have a chance to be one of the first black people to play for "state". Not a lot of black people went to college then.
I felt badly for Tommy when he talked to his parents about his conversation with Mr. Chase because his mother didn't really want him to go. I felt badly because I knew Tommy wanted to go really bad. Hopefully his parents would let him go. When Tommy found out that Skeeter Jackson got bit by a rattlesnake, I felt sorry for Skeeter because the bite must have hurt so bad.
I hope Tommy and the other black people will have their march because then the white people might think about stopping segregation in Johnson City. Tommy has a job at Clark's Five-and-Dime. I think the people he works with Miss Robbins and Jed, are pretty nice to him. They talk to him nicely.
When Mr. Chase called to speak to Tommy, I felt excited because I wanted to know if Tommy could go to college for sure. When I found out that he could go, I was really happy because now Tommy has a chance to get a good education. I wonder why Mr. Chase said "And don't worry about the money for the application. You just fill out the papers, okay?" (p.225). I wonder who is going to pay for the applications, is Mr. Chase? I think Tommy is really happy about going to college.

Journal Entry 1964 p.256-290

I felt happy when Tommy's friend Jennie told him tha tshe had been offered a scholarship to Meharry. I was happy because now she can become a doctor. I was glad when I heard that Skeeter Jackson was out of the hospital because I didn't really know if he would be alright. When Tommy and Jennie were talking about the march, they mentioned the Citizens Council being at the march. " What time is the Citizens Council going to be at the march? TOmmy asked" (p.258). Is the Citizens Council run by black or white people?
I felt worried when Tommy saw a couple of Klan men because if they saw Tommy, they could come over to him and try to gove him a hard time. I was glad when the sheriff made them take off their Klan uniforms.
I felt really sorry for Skeeter when I found out that he had been beaten up just for being in the march. The reason he was beaten up was because he was white but he was marching in a black march. " They caught him after the march and beat him up bad. Dr. Calloway thinks he may lose his eye. That's why he called that white doctor over" (p.271).
I think the reason why Tommy put the chain on Sheriff Moser was because he wanted to show everyone at the press conference what black people had to go through 200 hundred years ago and what being chained up felt like. I was sad when Mr. Chase called and said that Tommy couldn't go to college because I knew Tommy really wanted to go. Still, I think he did the right thing by putting the chain on Sheriff Moser.

Response to the Glory Field

I thought the book The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers was a book because I think it showed how black people were treated when they were slaves. It also showed how black people were treated badly by the white people after slavery ended.
I can't believe how terrible the slaves were treated when they were on the slave ship coming to America. The slaves had no room to move. "Sometimes the older men would cry out in their sleep as they tried to ease the sores that came from lying in one position too long" (p.6). I felt so badly for them because lying in one position too long must have been so uncomfortable.
One of my favourite parts of the book was when Tommy scored the winning goal in his basketball game. I liked this part because I felt really happy when Tommy scored. If I was Tommy I would have felt so happy for myself. "Tommy you did it!" Jimmy Manigault grabbed Tommy's shoulders" (p.213).
Another one of my favourite parts was when Elijah, Abby, and Sheriff Glover go to rescue Little David on Key Island. I liked this part because I thought Elijah was brave to go out in a storm. The only reason he did that was because he would get a reward of 35 dollars and then he would give it all to his Grandma and Grandpa so they could pay their taxes. I think that when he did that he became a man.
I liked the part when Lizzy, Lem, and Joshua joined the Yankee camp because then they would be safe from the people at the plantation. I didn't like the fact that Lizzy had to leave her family behind. She must have felt really sad because she left her whole family. I wouldn't like to leave my family.
I thought The Glory Field was a good book. Even though it wasn't a true story, things in the story did happen, like slaves did get whipped badly, and the slave ships were discusting.

Liana's Glory Field

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Two Examples of Jim Crow Laws

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