Writing Homework Help

Black Like Me Parallel Case Assignment:  Here is your job… Choose one of the scenes below and write your own case for this situation, but using a parallel situation which could really happen today and in our region of the world (whether you define that as Sacramento, this part of our state, our entire state, the West Coast, the United States– however you see things). 

Create a similar set of circumstances that get at the same kind of intolerance, but in a realistic, modem situation. Your words will be different, your situation will be different, but it will be the same type of intolerance. Here are your choices:

page 25 Young woman on the bus 

page 37-39 Stalker 

page 47-48 Bus driver 

page 53-54 Hate stare and the bus station 

page 62-64 Restroom break on the bus 

page 85-86 Outhouse 

page 100 Job in factory

page 105-106 Store at night 

page 126-127 White man and turkeys 

page 128-129 Bus incident 

Once you have committed to and reserved a scene, here is what you will do: 

1. Create a parallel, real-life situation. 

2. Include named characters.

3. Carefully devise details to create a realistic scene. 

4. Craft a situation which we, as a class, could write about and talk about in order to determine what the character(s) should do next. 

5. Type it up (don’t forget to proofread).

6. Once you are sure your case is carefully crafted and exactly as you would like it, answer the guiding questions in relation to the scenario you created:  “What do you think this person should do next? How do you think this reaction will change the situation?” 

Imagine you are a journalist and write the scene from this perspective

I will attach each of the pages from above.

Hi Guys

It seems some of you are confused about the parallel case assignment. I wrote a sample for you to help explain it better. I hope this helps.

Prof B

In response to Griffin looking for work: “No, it makes no sense, but in so far as the Negro is concerned, nothing makes much sense. This was brought home to me in another realm many times when I sought jobs.

“But if I could do a better job, and you paid me less than a white man…”

“I’ll tell you…we don’t want you people. Don’t you understand that?” “We’re gradually getting you people weeded out from the better jobs at this plant. Pretty soon we’ll have it so the only jobs you can get here are the ones no white man would have.”

Donovan’s Story

Tirelessly sitting on yet another busy intersection with his sign declaring he was out of work and needed money, Donovan reflected on the time not that long ago when he had a job and his own apartment. He even had a car, but all that was gone now, and he was reduced to begging for money. When he lost his job, he was only one paycheck away from being able to pay his bills. He spent the next few months looking for a new job but became so discouraged, it seemed easier to give up. He had no choice but to turn in his car because he could no longer make the payments. He gave up his apartment, reduced his belongings to a backpack, and took what little money he had left to roam around the country.

He tried applying for a few jobs but found it impossible when he had no address to provide. His clothes were becoming dirty and ragged. Washing in gas station bathrooms wasn’t the same as showering. His appearance became a deterrent to getting a job. He had now become part of the homeless culture, and he experienced the distaste that many people in society had for him. He wished they understood that much of his situation was not because he chose it but because circumstances forced him into it.

As he sat at the intersection that day, he had a new resolve. Somehow, some way, he would get a job and try to reestablish his life. He just needed someone to give him a chance.

A car pulled up to the intersection,and a man rolled down his window. “I don’t have money but here’s a piece of advice. If you ever want any self-respect, get a job. You look able bodied, so do yourself a favor.” The man sped away when the light turned green.

Donovan flushed red in shame and anger. If the man only knew that a year ago, he was a working man. His appearance did not match how he felt or showed his desire to work and change his life. He decided to change his sign to read, “Looking for a job.Please help.”

There were cars that stopped and gave him some change, but some people made comments such as, “Go to work, stop begging, take a shower…” But then something happened that changed things for Donovan. A man pulled up in a shiny black car. He asked Donovan if he was interested in working out on the oil rigs. He told him that he would give him one day’s work to prove himself to be a hard worker. He gave Donovan a card and told him to show up the next day for work.

That night, Donovan went to the gas station and cleaned himself up. He washed his clothes the best he could. He showed up the next day for work and was so grateful for the opportunity, that he worked harder than he had ever worked before. He didn’t want to ever be homeless and hopeless again. He never forgot, however, his fellow homeless people he left behind. He eventually became a foreman on his job and went to the homeless camps to give other men the opportunity to change their lives.