Name:

Date:
Period:

March: Book 2
Week #1 - Pages 5-98
Directions:
➢ Step 1: Answer the “Before Reading” questions.
➢ Step 2: Read pages 5-98 in March Book 2 and complete the “First Read” task.
➢ Step 3: Individually or with a partner, reread pages 5-98 and respond to
questions #6-15 below. All responses must be your own words/thoughts,
written in complete sentences.
➢ Step 4: Individually, please complete the CLEAR paragraph in question 15.*
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1. Before Reading: How important is cultural and/or historical context to the understanding of a text?
It is important to understand cultural and historical context because certain phrases and words hold
more weight or mean something differently than they do today. Understanding that will help the reader
understand the book better and understand the importance of certain events in the book.

2. Before Reading: How do we approach texts from different times and cultures to our own?
Using our knowledge of the culture and history during that time, apply it to the characters and events in
the book. If you don’t understand words or phrases, look for definitions or analyses of those things from
the time that it was said.

3. Before Reading: To what extent do texts offer insight into another culture?
Most text offers insight into another culture because the author that is writing the story usually takes
from their own upbringing and culture. If that culture is different from your own, then the text youre
reading is teaching you about this different culture. Especially if the book is meant to be based on
reality or is non fiction, then there is a lot that can be learned about culture through reading books.

4. Before Reading: Watch these two videos (Video 1, Video 2) about “deep canvassing.” What ideas are
presented that can be applied to our reading of March Book 2?
The video talks about how people's emotions or beliefs can be swayed when interacting with another
human being. The use of persuasive speech and body language, people might choose to support what
you are supporting.

5. First Read: How do the authors portray the Civil Rights Movement?
 Adjective Evidence (pg #) and Explanation

Violent (from the From page 73 to 78, we see how the police and general public are violent
white objectors) towards to Activists. There are large crowds that gather to attack their buses
and police either participate in the violence or ignore it entirely.

Dangerous We see on page 45, and many other pages, how these Civil Rights Activists were
targeted with bomb threats to their homes and busses, angry mobs trying to
attack them, etc. This made life for activists very dangerous as they were always
a target.

Peaceful (from the On page 17, it shows how the Civil Rights Activists are very peaceful and never
Civil Rights Activists) insight violence. If there is someone that isn’t following those rules, they
remind those people and even relocate them if they are failing to follow the
rules.

(to add more rows, right click and select “Insert row below”)

6. Pages 6-7: As the U.S. House Representatives line up for President Obama’s inauguration (2009), a
colleague approaches John Lewis, telling him he should hurry to get to the front, and John Lewis replies,
“There’s no need to hurry, I’ll end up where I need to be.” This then segues into Lewis’ past. Discuss the
use of text and image to create this metaphor.
The text then talks about how his family has become the movement in Nashville. He knew the
movement needed him, which is why the statement is true for his life in the past. He never rushed to do
anything, but dedicated himself wherever he was needed in the movement, and that led him to be a
leader in the movement

7. Pages 22-23: Lewis recalls a conversation with the SNCC’s Central Planning Committee, debating
whether nonviolent protests should be halted in response to the increasing violence that met them. Lewis
notes that Reverend Will Campbell argued, “How can it be the right thing to do, to continue putting young
people in harm’s way?” Lewis replies adamantly that they’re going to march regardless, and Campbell
responds, “What it comes down to is that this is just a matter of pride to you. This is about your own
stubbornness. Your own sin.” Analyze the pros and cons of continuing non-violent protest when it’s met
with violence, and discuss Campbell’s intent in what he said. Do you think he was correct? Why?
Continuing protest, even when they have faced increasing violence, is important because it shows that
violence isn’t going to stop them. It shows that the only way the protests will stop is when their needs
are met. Stopping protests because of violence may also spark more violence in future protests because
people will have seen success in the stopping of protests using mass amounts of violence. However,
continuing protest may also spark more violence, as people “like a challenge” and might try to increase
the amount of violence. By continuing there are many people that face being severely injured or even
death, which won’t be very encouraging for the future generation as it causes fear to form. I think
Campbells intent was the safety of himself and other Civil Rights Activists. Because he doesn’t live with
the constant oppression of the society, he doesn’t understand why someone would risk their life for that
 change. It isn’t necessarily a malicious intent, but it does come from a place of ignorance. I don’t think
he is correct, but I understand where he is coming from because the safety of activists is extremely
important and determining what is a beneficial risk vs what is just dangerous is essential to these types
of movements.

8. Pages 28-36: When John Lewis arrives for the first time in Washington DC, he goes to the Fellowship
House and is introduced to the initial members of the Freedom Ride, which he has volunteered to join.
What do we learn about the membership he joined there at that first meeting, and about John Lewis as a
new arrival?
His fellow members were all people that were previously involved in the Civil Rights Movement. They
focused on many of the same things he had been studying including Gandhi and Emerson. They also
focused on laws, as they were going to need the knowledge for their protests in New Orleans. We learn
how dedicated John is to the movement because he continues to be part of the group even after being
warned that death is a potential outcome of participating.

9. Pages 70-71: Lewis relays how Attorney General Robert Kennedy arranged for the Freedom Ride to
continue through Alabama. Evaluate and discuss how this is done through images, text, and panel design.
He shows that Kenedy could only do so much for the freedom riders through the outline of a large
group of Ku Klux Klan members waiting outside where they were staying. It shows that New Orleans
was predominantly Democrats and were more than willing to use violence to maintain their standard of
life. We also see that the way the people address the Freedom Riders is with very little respect. The
phrases “We have a bus ready” and “I only have one life to give, and I’m not going to give it to Core or
NAACP”.

10. Pages 73-75: How is the generational influence of racism shown in these panels?
The use of racial slurs directed at the Freedom Riders, the violence and use of “n- lover” said towards
the white Freedom Riders, and the assumption of all the Freedom Riders being Comunist all show
generational influence of racism.

11. Pages 79-82: The reader goes from the past, to the present, and then back to the past, quoting Aretha
Franklin’s performance of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” throughout the transitions, adding multiple layers of
meaning. What does the visual “overlap” of two different time periods communicate about those events?
It shows how the nation has progressed from the widespread, unprovoked violence towards black
people to being able to have an African American president. Music is used throughout this series to
show the hope and strength that black people have throughout this movement. To have a song
represent how much that strength has brought black people from the large attack is very important.

12. Page 95: What inferences can be made regarding Dr. King’s statement to President Kennedy when he
says: “It’s difficult to understand the position of oppressed people. Ours is a way out — creative moral,
and nonviolent. It is not tied to Black Supremacy or Communism, but to the plight of the oppressed. It can
save the soul of America.”
The Civil Rights Movement has never been about obtaining more power than white people, but being
allowed the same rights and quality of life as white people in the USA. He states how White Supremacy
and the Civil Rights Movement are inherently different because one is rooted in maintaining oppressive
power over other people, while the other is fighting to have a life free of oppression.

13. Pages 5-98: Look for visual and verbal examples of racism, discrimination, and/or segregation, and
compare how they are relayed through language and how they are relayed through image. Discuss the
impact of these various forms of communication.
From pages 13-15 we see the protesters being shut into a restaurant with fumigation, being treated as if
they weren’t human, just because they wanted to be served at the counter. We also see the violence
continue on page 39-42. Now we see these black people wanting to use a white only section and are
immediately attacked for it. There are security and police officers, but all choose to ignore the violence
right in front of them. When they are then asked if they want to press charges, they know it’s pointless
because all the charges wouldn’t come of anything. FInally we see how the law is racist on pages 75-76
as the taxi driver refuses to drive the car, even when there is a mob of people trying to attack them,
because blacks and whites can’t be driven in the same car.

14. Pages 5-98: How is contrast used by the authors in the first half of March Book 2? Which images or
scenes stood out to you?
We see contrasts of dark and light colors used on pages 14 and 45. In other images, the smoke is usually
it's true color of white or gray, while on pages 14 and 45 the smoke is black to show that it is dangerous.
We also see size contrasts on page 80 with Aretha Franklin being very large compared to her
surroundings to show the power that she and her words have in that moment.

15. Write a question for each of the seven course concepts in relation to March Book 2 so far.
Key Concept My Question

Identity How, if possible, are Activists able to separate protests from their personal life?

Culture How did the church and participation of pastors help or hurt the Civil Rights
Movement?

Creativity What methods did the nonviolent workshops use to familiarize their students with
violence directed at them?

Communication How were the leaders decided and how frequently were there meetings that allowed
members to help make decisions about certain steps or protests to be involved in?

Transformation How has the movement morphed from the older black generation to the younger
generation (practices, morals, goals, etc)?
 Perspective How did the stereotypes of black people create problems during protests? Why were
the stereotypes of “violent” and “criminal” never applied to the violent white
attackers?

Representation How did the white Civil Right Activists help and/or hurt the movement? Were there
differences in perspective to oppression and how so?

Finally, select one of your questions from the chart above and write a CLEAR paragraph regarding the
issues related to this concept that have come up during the reading of March Book 2 so far. In your
paragraph, please include evidence from the book.
How did the white Civil Right Activists help and/or hurt the movement?

The white Civil Rights Activist and Freedom Riders had a unique experience when participating in
these movements compared to the black activist. In some ways, the white activists discouraged certain
actions that were necessary for the movement. As we saw Rev. Will Campbell say “What it comes down
to is that this is just a matter of pride to you. This is about your own stubbornness. Your own sin,”
(Lewis 23). This can be extremely damaging to a movement and can cause a lot of internal
disagreements about how these movements are managed. This is also a large problem because white
people don’t understand what it means to live with constant oppression, so when being unreasonable
or inappropriate is brought into the arguments, it can be frustrating for the black people to listen to.
White activists have been helpful in many ways though, as being white allows them certain abilities that
their black counterparts can’t participate in. White activists are also able to persuade their white
counterparts more so than black activists, because their opinions will be more valued and people will
listen to their arguments more. Overall, white activists were helpful when trying to appeal to other
white people. However, they also created division and frustration within their black counterparts
because of their lack of understanding around the life of being oppressed.
⬆ For example, if one of my questions is “How does racism affect identity?” I would answer this question in
my CLEAR paragraph and use evidence from the book to show the issues related to that concept.

*For full credit, be prepared to participate in a class discussion on the day this assignment is due.