Thursday, February 2, 2012

"Christ must do a lot of puking when he reflects upon the good works done in his name"


The quote that stood out the most in chapter three came from a paragraph in which Pat Conroy is discussing how a white preacher from a church on the mainland that had donated books to the school would come to the island to give a sermon on Sundays. Ironically, if a black person were to step foot in his church, it would be closed down automatically. At the end of the paragraph Conroy writes, “Christ must do a lot of puking when he reflects upon the good works done in his name.” I found this sentence insightful because many people during that time and even before that time used religion as a platform to make themselves feel justified that what they were doing was right by manipulating what the Bible says. This sentence calls out those people out on their false beliefs.
The difference in the amount the students have learned in the amount of time they have learned the material is astonishing to me. I do believe their lack of knowledge was based on prior teacher’s lack of faith and belief that they were capable of learning and growth. It could also be the teacher’s teaching style. Either way, it seems to be prior teacher’s own laziness and lack of faith in their students. Mrs. Brown for example, believes in a strict classroom setting complete with whips and requiring children to sit in their seats and be quiet, but students that have risen from her class to Mr. Conroy’s class know practically nothing. She often says it is because they are lazy or just “retarded”. Mr. Conroy does not take these as excuses and does not use the same methods of teaching that are obviously not working in Mrs. Brown’s classroom. One of the forefront problems with the students at the Yamacraw Island schools is the common belief that they are dumb and lazy by everyone. It appears that no one has ever really put forth a real effort and treated them like real children that have ability to learn. I feel like everyone treats them as if they are wild animals that are incapable and that were made to go to school. The growth that has already occurred among the students is astounding to me because they had that potential all along and could have progressed so much further if just one teacher that had come through had tried harder to teach them in a way they could learn and grow.

4 comments:

  1. This quote hit home to me as well. It is one that I think is still very relevant in today's society as well. So many people claim to be doing things in the name of God or Christ, yet they do not take the time to treat people the way Christ modeled in the New Testament. I feel like this sentence was Conroy's way of pointing out the abundance of hypocrisy within people. I also like how you pointed out the perception that so many teachers had of the children on the island. No one seriously tried to help these children. Rather than meeting the children where they were and differentiating the lesson to make it successful for the children they simply labeled them as failures. Conroy found out how to relate to the children so that he could reach them. He had to take a very unconventional approach, but he was able to find a place to start breaking through to the children.

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  2. The sentence that you chose also jumped out at me. When I read it I thought how that sentence is still relevant in today’s world. I do not understand how those people could use the Lord’s word to back up their beliefs. Mrs. Brown’s speech is what really upset me. I would never tell my student that they are lazy or retarded. Mrs. Brown was the “retarded” person in the situation because she could not teach them effectively. I am glad that Conroy is using a different approach while teaching these students. I like how Conroy is helping them broaden their knowledge and challenging them to think.

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  3. I loved this quote. I chose the quote I did because it helped me get a better understanding of what was going on between the superintendent and Mrs. Brown. However, this was one of my favorites also. A lot has changed in racial issues, but the issues you brought out about religion sadly remain the same. I think the church still manipulates the Bible to work in their favor, and people are still falling for it. That is what I like about Pat he isn't afraid to tell you how he really feels. He is right not only is God sickened by this sad fact there will also be a price to pay for it.

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  4. Yes! I love this quote too. I mean - wow! Your colleagues have done a great job responding, so I will simply say - good post! Please keep up the great work!

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