English 1301 students:
For our blog on Friday, September 24th, please submit a comment during our class time, 12:00-12:50 or 2:00-2:50 p.m. depending on your section, of at least two well-developed paragraphs. (A well-developed paragraph is about 8-10 sentences.)
In your comment, please answer the five Purpose and Audience questions on p. 351 about Lawrence Otis Graham's "The 'Black Table' Is Still There" on pp. 349-351 in our textbook.
After you submit your comment, please submit a reply of one well-developed paragraph to at least one of the other students' comments. Please reply thoughtfully to the selected comment (rather than just stating that it is a good comment).
Here is how to submit your comment and reply:
- Click on the “sign in” link in the top right corner of this page. Then, type in your ASU email and password (or your gmail address and password would work). Submit your comment and reply by clicking on the comment link at the bottom of this post and on the reply link under the comment to which you would like to respond.
- As I mentioned in class, you should compose your comment and reply in a Word document first, and copy and paste them into the comment box and reply box, respectively. You will be able, by using this method, to avoid having to rewrite your comment and reply if any problems occur when you try to submit them.
Reminder: Please read pp. 354-365 in our textbook before class on Monday, October 1. And please bring your textbook to class with you that day (and every class day).
Have a great weekend,
Dr. K
#1 Graham thesis might be people are segregated and segregate themselves with knowing and some time without knowing. As its mention in the author text it’s the dark color of the all black tables that attract and draw the scrutiny and wrath of other people. While the athletes, Italian, Jewish are segregated, but no one acknowledge it. #2 I believe that Grahams opinions are enough to support his thesis because racism is still a big topic today’s society. #3 I think he gave enough info about himself about growing up. He explains how he was one of the few first black men to enter summer music camps, colleges, and clubs while growing up. He also talked about how the white kids would judge him for not sitting at the black kids table and vice versa. #4 I believe he wrote this essay to tell the readers to be who you are and what you like, no matter what society thinks of you. #5 I believe he reveals that his best friend was white because he doesn’t believe in segregation, that you can be friends with anyone you want to be.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that racism is still a big topic in today’s society. I think Graham’s experience is one of the racism problems which are still spread in our society. I believe it is like the tip of an iceberg of racism problems. It’s a good point that you said Graham thesis is people are segregated and segregate themselves with knowing and some time without knowing. As you said, sometimes people segregate without knowing. I think, for this reason, we should be awake to all of the racism issues.
DeleteI also agree that racism still plays a big role in today’s society. Kids in school still have problems today being segregated into groups instead of being all in one group. I think you had a great point that people are doing that to themselves without even realizing it. It shouldn’t matter about race or enthicity, it doesn’t hurt to be friends with people who are different than you. People should really be focusing more on this issue for today’s society.
DeleteLawrence Otis Graham thesis "The "Black Table" is still There" is that despite school integration people will segregate themselves base on group activities, nationality, or race for example the athletes,Italians, and Jewish separated themselves as well as blacks. 2. I don't think its enough because his experience cant be used to generalize all other integration in communities it would have been better if he used interviews from other students from other schools or have citied sociological studies to support that self segregation despite integrated schools. His experience and opinion tells just that just his experience and opinion on the matter of segregation. 3. The information he gives shows his perspective on this issue he lived colorblind not caring about race or segregate himself based on race and didn't understand the black table the background information explains his perspective 4. I think his primary purpose was to try to make sense of his experience and give his thoughts and opinions on segregated lunch tables by saying "Maybe its a color difference that makes all black table or all black groups attract the scrutiny and wrath of so many people. 5. I think he points out that his best friend is white just to point out that he didn't segregated himself, he wasn't just friends with black people but his best friend was white to shown he didn't understand the segregated lunch table and his effort to understand
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about how he is just trying to understand why people were segregating themselves. Graham himself didn't understand why there was only one table where the black kids were by themselves when he himself was sitting with his white friends.
DeleteGraham's thesis gives the reader an example of segregation among the black table, the table where only black students sat at. Without any strong evidence, like historical examples, his point wont be able to reach many readers. Everyone can write an essay on what they think is right, but without others opinions, it just seems like he only thinks that way. For example, maybe those students were from the ghetto, like me, side of town and happened to know each other. Racial profiling is still a problem but everyone has their own reasons for doing things. He also gives a " i did this so i know everything about it" from paragraphs 2-12 like if he has met and seen every black man in America and absorbed their memories of segregation and racism. He needs facts and other opinions on his essay to make his points stand out. Like i met a group of foreign exchange students that do everything together because they knew each other, not because everyone is a bit racist. Its important to have information, not personal beliefs. Even though he has a crappy essay, he tries to justify that hes right by giving us personal experiences. Then he claims he has a white friend as if this white guy was important but in reality, his friend was only a child and didn't have much knowledge of what was going on.
ReplyDeleteHonestly shocked you didn't like the essay. As I do respect your opinion and see where you are coming from the stance that he needs other inputs in it. Yet not every essay is intended to always have them. This was an essay based off his old school, not anyone else's personal experience. The essay was written intended to explain his personal change in mindset. Like Graham says when he was younger he thought of it as nothing else but wrong. Now as an adult saw it for many other possible reasons. Personal experiences are possible of reaching the people listening, in this particular situation readers.
DeleteI would say that Graham's thesis has something to do with the fact that people in his old junior high segregated themselves without the intention to. I also think that Graham's opinions on the situation are enough because he gave his own experiences with the junior high school. Graham talking about himself in the given paragraphs doesn't change how i feel about him as a person. I also think he gave enough information about himself when talking about him in junior high. I would also say that he isn't criticizing the system that was in place. I think he is just explaining that the students didn't really intend to separate themselves from people not like them. I just think they sat with the people that they could relate to. Like how the athletes sat with athletes, and the Jewish sat with the other Jewish people. I think Graham was just giving information about why he sat with his white friends. He stated that he would normally walk in with one of his white friends and sit with them. He did just sit with them because he didn't want to sit anywhere else. He sat there because he was sitting with a friend, like we all did. It had nothing to do with his color or anything. People sit with people that they are friends with usually, or people they relate to. In this case, they segregated themselves unknowingly because they sat with people they related to that also happened to be friends.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right that the purpose is that the students do not intend to segregate is true. I think that you are right that when Graham talks about himself it does not change how we can see him for who was. It is a interesting point that his old school really did not mean to segregate themselves. They actually just could be with people that they can relate to. It is true that friend would sit with friends. But Graham did not sit with his friend. His friend told him if he sat there things would be weird. But I know what you are saying and I think you cold be right that the student did not mean to segregate themselves.
DeleteGraham's thesis in "The "Black Table" is Still There" is that the students segregate themselves racily and nationality. In Graham's story he says that "there are at least tables of athletes, an Italian table, a Jewish girls' table, a Jewish boys' table..." I think Graham's opinions and his anecdotal evidence is enough to support his thesis. He uses examples from his childhood on why he thinks that the students segregate themselves. Then he shows that he knows the truth behind the segregation when he was an adult. An example is when he was an adult is when he said "In the face of this blatantly racist (anti-black) behavior I still somehow managed to blame only black kids for being the barrier I still to integration in my school and my little world. What was I thinking? This shows how common segregation was when he was a kid. This also shows how wrong he was when he was little and how much he grown over the years.
ReplyDeleteI think that Graham put background information about himself to show the reader that he was a good kid and was very confused. My reaction to the essay is that, I was surprised that he never knew the truth about why the students segregated themselves. I think Graham should give more information about his old junior high school. I think he could say how the other students think of him. I think Graham's purpose was to criticize the system. I say this because he is showing what it was like when he was a kid. Probably saying that the teachers that worked there should have done something. I think he tells us that he has a white friend to show that the school was not totally segregated.
Sorry this is mine I was signed in the wrong account.
DeleteAgreed with you on how he was just wanting to show the readers how confused he was as a kid. Also, agree with hoe he wrote the essay to criticize a system he hates because he does show how much it can and could be different if some people just stepped up.
DeleteGraham's thesis in "The "Black Table" is Still There" is that the students segregate themselves racily and nationality. In Graham's story he says that "there are at least tables of athletes, an Italian table, a Jewish girls' table, a Jewish boys' table..." I think Graham's opinions and his anecdotal evidence is enough to support his thesis. He uses examples from his childhood on why he thinks that the students segregate themselves. Then he shows that he knows the truth behind the segregation when he was an adult. An example is when he was an adult is when he said "In the face of this blatantly racist (anti-black) behavior I still somehow managed to blame only black kids for being the barrier I still to integration in my school and my little world. What was I thinking? This shows how common segregation was when he was a kid. This also shows how wrong he was when he was little and how much he grown over the years.
ReplyDeleteI think that Graham put background information about himself to show the reader that he was a good kid and was very confused. My reaction to the essay is that, I was surprised that he never knew the truth about why the students segregated themselves. I think Graham should give more information about his old junior high school. I think he could say how the other students think of him. I think Graham's purpose was to criticize the system. I say this because he is showing what it was like when he was a kid. Probably saying that the teachers that worked there should have done something. I think he tells us that he has a white friend to show that the school was not totally segregated.
I agree with you about his thesis being about the segregation they unconsciously did. The fact that he uses anecdotal evidence in this writing is almost seen as vital. If he were to use facts and charts instead of childhood memories, this would not be as influential of a paper as it is. Furthermore, it shows how normal segregation was when he was younger, even if it was enforced or blatant. His background information really helped build on the fact that he was not trying to be hurtful in his segregation. Quite the opposite, in his mind he was promoting integration no matter what. I was also somewhat confused by the fact that he couldn’t see, or didn’t want to see, that how the kids were behaving was wrong. This is especially apparent in his “best friend”.
DeleteGraham’s thesis is that the “Black Table” is still there at his old junior high because the students allow it to be by basically segregating themselves from other groups in the school.
ReplyDeleteI do think that Graham’s opinions are enough to support his thesis because he had firsthand experience as to why and how this kept happening even after schools had been integrated for many years.
The personal information that Graham gives about himself helps the reader to relate to the story a little more. Knowing that this essay is coming from a place of experience rather than research makes it seem a little more realistic. The information about himself speaks a lot to the person he is by showing that he didn’t feel as if he needed to sit at the “black table” to feel in place, he was actually intimidated by it. I do think that he could have talked a little more about why he sat where he did and what made him feel more at place there than at the “black table”.
I think that the point of Graham’s essay was to tell his side of something that most people see a completely different way. He was trying to explain his experience throughout junior high and give information about where he stood on the topic.
I think Graham gives this information to show that the school itself was not segregated on purpose it was the students who chose to surround themselves with similar people.
Grahams thesis was that even though people were not segregated, they still had their own preference and liking. Meaning all the blacks felt comfortable together so they sat together, and vise versa with the rest of the races and groups. It’s just that Graham refused to sit there. When we are asked about the information he provided and if it was good to the essay, I believe what he provides is enough for the reader to understand the situation. Everyone had a school lunch table they would sit at with friends or groups. It becomes very normal to eating with the same people in school so his anecdote about his experiences with the table and him refusing give good context. He also gives us the information of his education and well being. The information he provides gives me the idea that he is well educated and classy. Meaning that he has matured from his younger years, I would’ve liked to learn more about the school however. Information on the school other that it was mainly white people could’ve given me a more in depth look.
ReplyDeleteI believe that he does despise the system. He says that while segregation is gone the students still decided to segregate themselves. He was against that so that’s why he continued to sit with the white kids. Also he is justifying his actions, he says why he didn’t sit at the table, and it makes sense with how he felt about the table.
I think that him telling the audience about his white best friend is to also go against segregation. It wasn’t around at the time but, people were still acting like it. Him having a white bestfriend and sitting with him showed that he wasn’t gonna follow the crowd and do what all the other black students were doing. Graham did a great job of providing information to highlight how he felt, and why he felt that way.
1. Graham’s thesis is that black people are segregated by the “Black table” and it is still there even though integration has made in society.
ReplyDelete2. I think Graham’s anecdotal evidence is enough to support his thesis. I believe that even though there was just one experience which someone felt segregation, it is still existing segregation problem in that society. We should not ignore someone’s experience just because it’s one case that only someone has. It is still important that there is in existence a segregation problem at least one.
3. I think the background information given by Graham is enough to understand him and about his junior high school. It shows he was one of the few black men in his adolescence and it made him segregate black men sitting on the black table.
4. I think Graham’s primary purpose is to try to let readers know that segregation still exists in our society and that his experienced example of segregated lunch tables.
5. I think he reveals that his best friend was white because he wants his audience to know the reasons why he segregated black people and why he thought it was not wrong at that time.
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ReplyDeleteGraham's thesis in "The "Black Table" is Still There" was basically explaining that even though there was no legal segregation between any of the students, according the thesis, black people still wanted to stay together and they didn't really feel comfortable with other races, which was the same with many of the other races.
ReplyDeleteI personally feel like Graham's opinions backed up his thesis very well and went very thorough as he explained his reasoning. I have even had this go on when I was in school as well, races would often separate from each other, not because they had to, but it made them feel comfortable. He also gives the persona in his essay that he was very well suited and educated. So this must have been a while back for him when he had these types of thoughts.
The point of Graham's essay was that he was trying to show us his point of view on how he saw races separate while he was in school but not criticize it, however I don't actually think he deeply supports it because his best friend is white, however I do think he understands the point of view.
In the final question George explains that his best friend was white, I think he wanted us to know this to show that he felt comfortable talking and hanging out with other races.
I think Graham’s thesis was that kids from his junior high school segregated themselves based through race or ethnicity. For example, Blacks, Jewish and the Italian kids had separated themselves. They were so angry for having a black tables when he came to realized that they weren’t the only ones segregating themselves. It did mention that the athletes, Italian and Jewish kids were also separating themselves as well, but nobody at the time thought that they were. I thought his opinions were great however, they weren’t enough. I would like to see more examples with true facts, studies, or historical examples to support his point instead of just his opinions. I think that the information he offered to us was enough. The information shows the way he sees it as he didn’t care about race or ethnicity. His purpose was to try convince readers to be yourself and not care what society thinks about you by telling his personal experiences. He had a white friend and said that he would walk in with him and sit with him. Not because he had nowhere else to sit, because the white kid was his friend. It doesn’t have anything to do with your race to be able to be friends with other people with a different ethnicity or race.
ReplyDeleteAuthor Graham wrote the “Black table” explaining thoroughly that it was a lunch table at his old junior high school where only black students would sit at. During his attendance at that school the table was there, and claims that with a recent revisit he was certainly shocked to see till this day it still existed. In my opinion by the way I see things, I believe he was so shocked to see this table still existed for various reasons not necessarily for one particular one. For the first reason being that fourteen years had passed already since he was a student there and without a doubt times and things were certainly different yet obviously not as much as he thought. Secondly, Graham grew up in a wealthier family compared to the majority of black families. Even graduated from Princeton, not many african americans could say that. With that being said most of his life he was surrounded by white people. His views on integration were on a higher level than most anticipated.
ReplyDeleteGraham explains that students sat at certain tables depending on their race and what they were recognized by what they did at school such as sports. He had refused to sit at the “black table” because he viewed them as self segregating themselves. Graham saw it as making an anti-white statement and would in return lose his white friends. He blamed the black students for separating themselves, thinking that no progress would be made at equality if they themselves kept apart from everyone else. At the time of his revisit this outlook he had completely changed. Now recognizing he was wrong. His new reasoning was based off that self segregation was made in a way to protect themselves in a way. Ugliness of people's character existed back when he was a student and even now almost fourteen years later. Why would people choose to integrate amongst themselves if in return they wouldn't even be treated correctly.
In Graham's thesis in "The Black Table" he talks about the segregation at his junior high. He talks about how people of the same race sat together not because they had to or felt obligated, but because those were the people they wanted to sit with. Graham basically is saying the kids sit with their friends who happen to be the same race because those are the people they're around.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Graham's explanations and opinions are strong and well written. He uses his personal experiences to let the reader have a better idea what is was like from his perspective. He talks about how he sat with his white friends a lunch in junior high. He does talk about how the tables were segregated, but that wasn't forced, that's just how the kids liked to sit at lunch. Personally, I think Graham actually supports his writing in the article just based on the way he described is personal experiences. He really wanted to let the readers know that his best friend is white so I know he wanted to connect with the readers in his conclusion.
I agree with you completely. Each point satisfies each question completely. I like how you added your own opinion in here, this is great!
DeleteGraham’s thesis is the “Black Table” is still there at his old junior high because the students are wanting to segregate themselves from other groups in the school. This could be because they do not want to sit with people of different races. Graham’s opinions are enough to support his thesis because he explains how his experience effected him and how segregation keeps happening after schools have changed laws to not allow segregation. Graham gives some information about himself that can help the reader feel like they relate to the story and know more about how it could effect them. I believe by Graham explaining his experiences and how they effected him helped me relate and see what kind of person he is. I do not believe Grahams intent is to criticize the function of the school, but instead to enlighten those unaware of the situation and the effects of segregation. He wants the audience to know he has a white friend so that they do not think he is being hypocritical and to explain that he did not care about race.
ReplyDeleteI agree that he had enough support to back up his "story" even if they are just personal experiences because they help tell us the background of where he is coming from.
DeleteGraham's thesis in "The Black Table" is Still There" basically is explaining that even though segregation laws are not here anymore, the segregation between the blacks were still intact because it felt right.
ReplyDeleteI personally think Graham has enough evidence to back up his claim. The sight of all the all-black lunch tables was a shock because he might've expected it too change overtime, but he notices that the blacks still want to stay together. I think what shows where students sat comes along when Graham states" I believed the black kids were the reason why other kids didn't mix more. Because of this this racial barrier between the white and black kids they separated themselves to feel more distinguished. Graham didn't sit at the "black table" when he was in junior high because he thought that by sitting there he would lose all of his white friends and would be making and anti-white statement. Graham blames the black people for the only "black tables" because they were different that the others but soon came to his sense and realized he was wrong. Not only were there other races culturally divided but came to realize that black people stood out more because the color of their skin.
I definitely agree with your statement. Grahams personal evidence and statements were very good examples to back up his thesis.
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DeleteI agree that Graham including his personal experience is enough evidence to support his thesis sentence. Throughout the essay he states on how he was feeling at that moment in his life. I personally believe that it helps the reader understand more of Graham's behavior when he includes it in the essay. In addition, it makes sense for the author to provide his own personal experience because after all the essay is based on him.
DeleteI agree with what you said about his personal evidence backing up his thesis, what he went through was enough to tell his whole story.
Delete1) In the article “The “Black Table” Is Still There,” author Lawrence Otis Graham’s thesis is that despite mandated integration, groups will still segregate themselves. They will divide based on common interests or backgrounds. In Graham’s middle school not only was there a “black table,” but there was also an Italian table, a Jewish girls table, a Jewish boys table, a heavy metal and pothead table, and a middle-class Irish kids table. While integration demands that minority and white students attend the same schools and go to the same classes, it does little to penetrate the segregationist tendencies that teenagers and young adults have. 2) Graham using his own experiences is more than enough because the audience is getting a front row seat to how he felt about everything and then even goes on to say that he knew his reasoning for not sitting at the Black table was to avoid losing his white friends. This shows how big segregation was in this time period and how even 12 year olds notice it. 3) In paragraphs 2-12 the background information shows how he stands his ground and refuses to sit at an all black table segregating himself when there’s simply no need to do that as the others did. It made me see that things that happened back then still happen in society. History tends to repeat itself and this is one of things that will always be seen regardless whether it be with White Black or Asians. It doesn’t necessarily change the way I reacted to the essay or him as a person because it is pretty much matched with my own opinion on how segregation is continuing in ways we don’t notice now. 4) I believe his primary purpose is to criticize a system he despises because at the end of the essay he says “I can’t get over the fact that the twenty-seventh table in my junior high….is still known as the “black table.” Showing how angry he is toward the whole situation of how kids are still just dividing themselves based on race or religion. 5) He wants people to know this because later he reveals that the main reason he didn’t sit at the black table was because he didn’t want to lose his white friends. This information is important because it’s not only a friend he doesn’t want to lose it’s his best friend. Which is obviously important to him. I don’t think he intentionally didn’t sit at that table it was simply that he wanted to eat lunch with his best friend.
ReplyDeleteGreat response, we practically reiterated each other from our stand points. I like how you restated the thesis, perfectly worded. Yes, I do agree even though different races attended the same school together it still didn't make an impact. We do get a front row seat to the actual event and also makes you feel more respectful towards him for saying he didn't want to disrespect his white friends despite the issues at that time period. Lastly, I do agree his primary response was to criticize the system that is till flawed even till today having gone through so many issues.
DeleteGraham’s thesis actually seems to be in his second paragraph instead of his first. In it he states that throughout his life being the “first and only black person integrating,” various activities, the one scenario that confuses him the most is the all-black lunch table. He then goes on to discuss the “black table” in more depth. In a writing such as this, I believe strictly anecdotal evidence can actually be better than facts. While facts and studies can greatly strengthen the reliability of most writings, sometimes it can be even better when they take the backseat. Speaking from one’s own experiences and memories can bring an amount of reality to a paper than facts simply cannot. The background information he give really makes it hard to wrap your head around his vehement dislike of the “black table”. I feel like maybe if he spoke a bit more about how he came to be friends with the people he sat with, it may make more sense as to why he was still with them. Even when he was a pilgrim of the activities he participated in, he seemed to ignore anything people might’ve said in order to ostracize him a bit.
ReplyDeleteI feel that his primary purpose is to criticize the system. At first I wondered if he was simply trying to justify his actions, but upon reading the last paragraph it becomes apparent that that is not the case. He says how the “black table” is just a comment on the marks integration has left on society. He goes on to say that maybe he should be pleased by how far society has come, but it’s made imposible by the fact that even 14 years later, the “black table” still exists. To me, Graham was pointing out how much he disassociated with other people of his race at school. He wanted these facts to further cement why he did not sit at the “black table”. In his mind, it made far more sense to sit with his white friends because he didn’t want to fit in at the “black table”.
You make a good point in your second paragraph; a lot of this essay does focus on his justification of his own beliefs. However, I agree that this is actually just a technique that ultimately works to criticize the system. I am curious what exactly you mean by "system," though, because I think this could be interpreted in different ways. It is hard to pinpoint a concrete "system" that is responsible for the segregation, since it can't be directly tied to the educational system or any other obvious power structure. I'm certainly not disagreeing with you, because I absolutely think this essay is a critique, and I agree that he is likely critiquing some kind of "system" or structure. How would you define it? Do you think this segregation was something that the kids put in place entirely on their own? If not, who or what do you think they are imitating?
DeleteTo start, we are looking at an essay by Lawrence Otis Graham called “The Black Table Is Still There.” We first need to ask what his thesis is. Well we should define thesis and bring it on the basis on that it is a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. His thesis is primarily on his worries of the all African American table that's still around even after his adolescence. When he goes to compile the rest of the story we see that he uses his own opinion and not much else. We then ask is this enough? The answer is yes, for the fact that he experienced the situation at hand, first-hand. Plus there was not really any need to add factual evidence from source.
ReplyDeleteGraham describes himself through most of the essay but more specifically in paragraph 2 and 12. Graham does this to show at age 10 he was not thinking about much, he barely knew what racism was at that time. He was innocent minded and this kind of tells me that he is not biased towards one side really. It helps you understand from a more neutral standpoint and more evidence would help this essay out even more. Graham didn't write this to criticize anything but to just reflect on how things were in the past and how's it still relevant to the present. He lets you know that he had a white friend to let you know that he wasn't siding with one side. His mind was very open to things especially at the age he was at.
Grahams thesis is “During a recent visit to my old junior high school in Winchester County, I came upon something that I never expected to see again, something of my early adolescence: the all black lunch table in the cafeteria of my predominantly white suburban junior high school.” He begins his memoir with a flashback to get the reader engaged and somewhat informed about his past so that the audience can know what he is about to go into depth about. Although, the beginning of the memoir was rather abrupt, I must say it was a great beginning. I believe that Graham uses his personal experiences and opinions because this is his memoir, a section of him and his life as an adolescent. His thesis is like something that is going to want to make the reader want to find out what else is going to happen. I am the type of reader who enjoys reading about people’s personal experiences and how they overcame obstacles in their lives. Therefore, I do believe that his evidence is enough. Also, he allows us to get to know him as a writer, he allows us to have a peek into his personal past.
ReplyDeleteThis section is all about him and how he felt in his past so that we can understand where he is coming from. For me, Graham makes me think he is kind of stubborn because he never even tried to open his eyes to see why the others were sitting at the “black table”, they were sitting there, not to segregate themselves but because they probably felt as if they wouldn’t be accepted anyway. I can see why he did and felt the way he did but honestly, he could have been more understanding. I thought the essay was really interesting and I really enjoyed reading it. I think he should have added more examples of why he felt the way about he did throughout his junior high years and on to his high school years. Did it continue into his high school/adult life? I think he writes this to justify his own behavior because, he gives examples of why he refused to sit at the “black table” then later realizes where he was in the wrong because he judged others without realizing that the “whites” treated him just as different. I think he wants the audience to realize that you could be “among” them in a friendship and “equal” way but in reality he hits us with that his own best friend suggested he shouldn’t come to his bar mitzvah because he would be the only black there and he would make others feel uncomfortable, which is another reason why he proves that he is completely blind to the whole situation.
I agree, the beginning was a bit abrupt, but overall it was a good thesis. In addition to this he had several good examples throughout that supported his thesis.
DeleteThe black table at his old school was the table where all of the black students congregated because of forced integration. They wanted to be with people who were like them, and they didn’t want to be forced to interact with anyone they didn’t want to. The reason that the all black table was still a surprise to him, was because the integration had taken place almost 30 years ago. He probably expected that people would have moved past the selective segregation and start to interact with each other. However this was not the case, in fact if anything it probably had gotten worse from what he remembered. The factors that determined where people sat were their demographics. Whether that was religion, race or ethnicity or gender. People always are gravitated toward people who are similar to themselves. That’s because these are the people we are most comfortable with because we don’t like change, or anything different.
ReplyDeleteHe didn’t want to conform to the ideals that everyone else had. The author wanted to speak and think for himself. He felt that separating everyone was a part of the problem. The only way that we can overcome our differences is to come together and share our beliefs and viewpoints.Since it appeared that no one had done that in almost 30 years it seems like we are going to be stuck here for a while. When he first got to the school he blamed his fellow black students. He felt that they were doing this to themselves. He now sees that everyone had their own table. There was one for Italian, Irish, and Jewish kids. He’s blaming it on the nature of humans, and our selfishness to look after ourselves instead of getting out of our comfort zone.
I agree that they weren't forced into segregation at school. They chose to segregate themselves from other people who weren't like them. To overcome this they needed to come together.
Delete“During a recent visit to my old junior high school in Westchester County, I came upon something that I never expected to see again, something that was a source of fear and dread for three hours each school mourning of my early adolescence: the all-black lunch table in the cafeteria of my predominantly white suburban junior high school”(Graham 349). This is Graham’s thesis he states in the essay “The Black Table Is Still There”. Graham only includes his opinions and personal evidence to support his thesis which I personally think is enough. His evidence is enough because Graham is talking about an experience in his life that happen when he was younger. The essay is written in first person which also shows that his opinions also support his thesis. The author gives background information about himself in the essay because it lets the reader know more about what Graham went through when he was in junior high. The information he adds in the essay helps me to be able to understand more of what he was feeling at that period of his life. In addition, it is also helps that he added background information about himself because it supports his main idea of his essay.
ReplyDeleteI think Graham needs to supply additional information about his junior high school because he already incorporates information about himself. Including information about how big his junior high school would be helpful. It would help the reader understand more why the students segregate themselves from each other in the cafeteria maybe because the school was large enough for students to form their own group. Graham’s primary purpose in writing the essay was to justify his own behavior.When he states that, “I would never consider sitting at the black table”(Graham 350), lets the reader know how he felt at that time. However, he does justify his comment when he says, “I avoided the black table for a very simple reason: I was afraid that by sitting at the black table I’d lose all my white friends” and he “thought that that by sitting there I’d be making a racist, anti-white statement”(Graham 350). Graham reveals that his best friend was white to also justify for his actions. In addition, it helps the reader understand and give a justification why his friend told Graham he “...probably shouldn’t come to his bar mitzvah because he’ll be the only black and people would feel uncomfortable”(Graham 350).
You raise a fine point about needing more information on his junior high school to arrive at a better conclusion. Some demographical data would certainly be useful. I do, however, think that the conclusion regarding Graham's primary purpose in writing the essay is somewhat misleading on its own. I mean, why would someone want or need to write an essay in order to justify themselves regarding thoughts and actions you wouldn't even know about if you didn't read his essay to begin with? If he's trying to validate such justifications to himself, I suppose I could buy that. Weird to publish it but I do know people often have a tendency to seek outside opinions to validate them.
DeleteI'm intrigued by your suggestion that Graham should have provided more information about his junior high school! What kind of information do you think this essay is lacking? By adding this information, how do you think his essay would be better developed? I'm inferring that perhaps you believe his personal narrative would be strengthened by more concrete, factual information about his school, and I think that's a good point. Also, it raises a fair question for stories such as these: how do you think an audience tends to weigh personal accounts versus concrete information? I would guess that generally we tend to dismiss people's "feelings" in favor of things that can be backed up by statistics or facts, and this raises another good question: should we? Things like racism often can't exactly be "scientifically proven," but is a personal example of racism less legitimate than a statistic?
DeleteIn “The “Black Table” Is Still There written by Lawrence Otis Graham, the main thesis of this essay is that no matter what the circumstances are, self-segregation seems to still be a normal thing. He explains his thesis through personal examples and opinions throughout the essay. I believe these provide enough evidence because as a minority during a time period of heavy racial tension, he knows what it was like to be an African American in a pre-dominantly white society. For example, in paragraph 12 he explains how his white friend told him that it would be uncomfortable for his family if he had come to his bar mitzvah being the only black person. From this, I concluded that they were not comfortable being around black people not because it was the law, but because it was something that personally made them feel uncomfortable. This plays into the fact that self-segregation was very alive in that, white people did not want to associate themselves with another race. In paragraphs 2, he also talks about his activities and academic achievements he’s accomplished in a predominantly white school making me see him as a much smarter child. But in paragraph 12, he provides examples that give insight into how socially unaware he really was. I believe he does not need to provide any additional information to this because it brings me to a conclusion that although he was a very smart kid, he was also naive to his social surroundings. I believe the main purpose of this essay was to not only change his audiences’ views but also justify his own behavior during that time. He not only shames himself for his own way of thinking but gives insight in how we still have a long way to go since there is still a “black table” at his school 14 years later. He wants the audience to know his friend was white, to show how unaware he truly was about the social climate during the time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say the author provides enough evidence to explain his thesis through personal examples and his own opinions. Throughout the essay I saw that he incorporated many examples that supported his thesis. I also agree that this is enough evidence based on the fact that he grew up as a minority in a mostly white society. I also relate to how the author comes off to you as a person of intelligence as he speaks of being in a private social club at Harvard as well as his eating club at Princeton. I believe that his purpose was to project his view of the topic as well as justify his behavior at a young age. He shows the audience that we have come a long way and still have a long way to go.
DeleteI believe Graham’s thesis is stating that even though we have the choice to sit wherever we please, we still choose to sit with people we have similarities with. I don’t think that Graham’s opinions and anecdotal evidence was enough to support his thesis. The Reason why is because, color may not have been the reason why all those people at that table met. They might have grown up in the same neighborhood or played on the same YMCA team. Graham gives the background information showing that back then he was being brave and integrating although he didn’t know that’s what he was doing, and his opinion on the “black table” was strongly influenced by his visit to a private country club pool. He doesn’t need to supply anymore information about himself or the junior high school because, that doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that you like hanging out with people who have the same similarities as you. Grahams primary purpose was to justify his own behavior because, although he is black he is jewish and lives in a white suburban neighborhood. This shows that his behavior doesn’t fall under the typical segregated student. When Graham mentioned his best friend was white it didn’t really matter to me. If you call them your best friend then that means you like them for what they are on the inside not what color they’re skin is.
ReplyDeleteGraham’s thesis in “The ‘Black Table’ Is Still There” is that though the integration laws have been passed, students are going to continue to segregate themselves. I do believe that the author using his own knowledge and experience gives enough information to support his thesis, because he is truly trying to show his feelings toward this topic. He had this issue while he was in school so for him to go back years later and see that not much has changed, it was a surprise to him. I think that when he talks about his ownself it made me read the article in a new perspective. I was thinking of him as one of the black kids, and then he talked about how he sat with the white/jewish kids, I feel as though that’s how most people thought of him at the beginning so to read more deeply into it you realize that he is an “outcast” to the blacks. I believe that his purpose is to simply talk about segregated lunch tables, because he is trying to show why the tables are segregated in the first place but he also talks about the fact that there were more “groups” not just the blacks and in that way he is trying to change the readers mind. I believe that he talks about his white friend to show that he himself did not want to be segregated like the rest of the black students.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree what you said about his thesis being that students still segregated themselves even though that law was passed. I think those students kind of felt obligated to sit together just because everyone else was doing it.
Deletethis comment is from Delylah Cline^^^
Delete1)In the article "The Black Table" is Still There", Lawrence Otis Graham thesis was stating that groups will still separate themselves no matter what. When Lawrence Graham was in middle school there was all kinds of "tables" such as the guy Jewish table, Italian table, black table,and even a middle-class Jewish table. The minority and white kids have to go to the same school but yet they still separate themselves among each other. 2) When he was using his personal experiences brought the reader to the with article with a lot attention and willing to keep reading. I think he gives enough support to his information because he is telling every detail of what he went through and how he saw the situation.3) He showed that he was standing up for his beliefs and what he thought was right. My reaction to this essay is that I think the same way no matter what people will always have their group, no matter if it's black, white, Mexican, or anything. If he would have put more information about himself i think the essay would have been a lot better just because it's giving more information so the reader feeds off of that.4) Lawrence is still angry about the "black table" because even 27 years later it is still considered the "black table". It frustrates him to see kids still divide themselves by race or things that they like. The primary purpose is that he still criticizes how people separate themselves.5) He wants the audience to know that his best friend is white because he don't want to be called a racist. He don't care about what color you are or what you like or don't like. He wanted to sit with his best friend at lunch at their table.
ReplyDeleteLawrence Otis Graham’s thesis in “The ‘Black Table’ Is Still There” is that there is still segregation even though laws have been passed to prevent it. Graham shows this by explaining how when he was in middle school there was a table where primarily only blacks sat at. When he came to see the school years later, the black table was still there. If Graham were to explain that the Civil Rights Act had been passed many years before he went to middle school, it would further prove his point that there was still segregation still. His anecdotal evidence is enough still. Graham gives background information to show that he himself was not segregated from everyone else because of his skin color. The other kids chose to segregate themselves from kids of another color. The information his provided about his personal experiences was enough information.
ReplyDeleteGraham’s primary purpose is to change the audience’s view on segregated lunch tables. He explains that many of the students chose to segregate themselves. They were not required to be segregated. Many de-segregation laws had already been passed by the time Graham was in middle school. Graham made it a point to explain that his best friend was white. He did this to show that he wasn’t racist. He did this to also show that he wasn’t segregated from people of other skin colors while in school.
In the essay “The “Black Table” is Still There”, written by Lawrence Otis Graham, the author's’ thesis is that he discovers “the black table” he grew up in school with is still in his junior high school. The author chose not to use outside information and relied on his own knowledge of the situation to write this essay. It is enough to engage the reader into what is happening because it is written by the person who experienced it first hand. Since this is the case the author is able to give enough examples and key supporting details that other sources are not able to offer. This gives the reader insight to the situations being explained in the essay and gives them a strong sense of what the author was writing this essay for. In some cases the reader may have experienced some of the same things as the author furthermore engaging the reader into the writing and creating a better reading experience. The author provides detailed background information about himself in parts of this essay.
ReplyDeleteThe author provides this information to give the reader insight on what he experienced and to apply his approach on the essay that he is writing. He provides information in paragraph two that sets up his approach on the writing. He explains that he was often the the first black person integrating into activities and institutions. He gives this information to show that he was involved in many integration situations and that the “black table” was still the one that puzzled him the most. This influences my reaction to his essay by reminding me to stay open minded. The author comes off as being open minded in the examples he gives such as often being involved in integration. As a person it shows that the author grew up in a different time that challenged him more as an individual and that he had to stay open minded when facing them. I think the author provided enough information about himself to make the reader understand what point of view he has on the situation in his junior high school and what angle he is writing his essay from. Graham’s main purpose was to justify his own behavior. He did this by tying in examples from his own life and by justifying his age at the time when the event occured. I think he wants the audience to know that he was not against integration and that by having white friends and hanging out with them, it furthermore projects the author’s view on the topic.
Refreshing how the paragraph flows between sentences. Great structure.
DeleteI agree with your thesis statement about Graham's story. About how the his thesis about the segrateing tables at his school. I also agree that using first hand experience is better than that of statics. The reason to why I say is because the readers can stayed hooked to the story. I also say that the author used enough background information for his story.
DeleteThe thesis to Graham’s story is that black children are separating themselves in school. I believe Graham using his own experiences to be used as evidence for his thesis is reasonable. The reason to why I say this is because if Graham used statistics or an educators opinion they would have said the same thing. Saying that the black kids and white kids are getting along well. Graham used evidence of where educators focus less on, the cafeteria, to help support his thesis. The reason to why Graham tells the reader his background is because he what to show readers that he “mixes well” with in the white dominate school. The background also helps readers understand Graham’s thesis. No other information about Graham or his school is needed to support his essay.
ReplyDeleteI think that Graham’s primary purpose is to criticize a system that he despises. The reason I say this is because during the time I was reading this essay Graham stated reasons to why he criticizes the table. One of Graham’s reasons was that the black kids self segregated themselves because of the number of white. Even though there was several other culture people that was there none of them self segregated themselves according to Grahams. The reason to why Grahams states this because he wants to show the readers that he didn’t self segregated himself from any of the other students.
At Graham’s high school, Princeton, the “all black lunch table” is a table at which all, or most, of the black students sit. I believe that he was so surprised to see how the black students at the school are continuing to self-segregate themselves. At this day and age, he did not expect himself to see these students cutting themselves off from the rest of the crowd like this. As Graham said, when coming into the cafeteria along with six hundred 12, 13, and 14-year-olds, the children usually divided up based off of their race, gender, and religious beliefs. “The Jewish boys’ table, the Jewish girls’ table, the athletes table, the Italian table, etc.”
ReplyDeleteThe reason that Graham gave that he did not want to sit at the “black table” was, he didn’t want to help reinforce these racial self-segregations. Saying, that he would’ve thought he was making a heroic choice not to sit at the table, but rather, attempt to “mix” with the students of other color and cultures. In junior high school Graham thought that if he sat at the black table he might run the risk of losing all of his white friends; that he might support the anti-white statement. He now knows that the black people specifically made a table separate from the other students, cutting themselves off from the rest of the school. And by doing that, (possibly unknowingly) supporting segregation. In this passage, I believe Graham explored both options of cause and effect appropriately. He showed the reader the cause of the black table being created and he showed the effect of the table, the segregation from the other students.
I'm curious, how exactly would you describe the self-segregation that this essay illustrates? In the literal sense of the word you are right; there are no laws or school rules designating the seating arrangement, so it is self-imposed segregation. What I'm curious about, though, is what you understand to be the cause of this, since in your last sentence you mention that he shows the cause. The way I understood this essay, in unpacking his own reasoning for not sitting at the "Black" table, Graham was exploring the root cause of this segregation. By the end of his essay, he seemed to no longer believe that the Black students were truly responsible for the segregation, even though they were ones choosing to sit together. He gave some examples about the many other ways in which he experienced segregation as a child, such as when his white friend told him he wasn't invited to the Bar Mitzvah because of his race. Even in this situation, Graham still felt as though he--or his race--was at fault for not being invited. As the readers, we can clearly see that he was not the one at fault in this situation, even though he was unable to see this as a child. What do you think he was trying to accomplish by telling this story? Do you see a parallel between him feeling at fault in that example, and him believing the Black students were responsible for the segregation in the lunch room?
DeleteGraham's thesis for this article is that even though Integration Laws have been passed students are still going to segregate themselves. The way that he uses his own experiences and knowledge on this topic does support his thesis because he had issues throughout his school year and when he back several years later to see that almost nothing had changed. I think he uses his own personal information to show that he wasn't going to keep himself the way everyone else in the school did. In a way he was standing up against segregation and taking a stand for himself by not sitting with the all black table. I believe his reasonings behind why he did this was to change the audiences views. He tells the audience that there are many different tables, not just only blacks and only whites sitting together. He talks about is white friend to show that he didn't separate himself like the rest of the black kids. Showing that he hung out and associated with a white student let the audience know that he wasn't going to allow himself to be like everyone else.
ReplyDeleteThis comment is from Delylah Cline
DeleteGrahams thesis in “The ‘black table’ is still there”, is about how he felt dread and fear over the ‘black table’ in his old junior high school. The essay is mostly about Graham's opinion over his own experiences in his school so i do believe that his own anecdotes and opinions are enough to get his point across. The reason why he gives information about himself is most likely to make the reader understand just how baffling the ‘black table’ was for him. He gave the reader other examples of times he had been segregated to emphasis just how important the black table was to him. Graham understands that society has come a long way since when he was a kid and so segregation isn't a real problem anymore. So i believe that the purpose of this essay was to justify his actions of trying to fight against segregation when he was young.When Graham tells the reader about how he had a white friend his purpose for this might have been because, just as before, he wanted to emphasis his side of the story of not wanting ,in a way, to be apart of the black table.
ReplyDeleteGraham's thesis is that very little has actually changed over the years regarding segregation. Any appearance of progress is simply that- an appearance and little more. To be frank, I don't particularly care for the use of anecdotal evidence to posit anything more complicated than trying a new restaurant or giving someone else's favorite beer a chance. Personal experience just isn't something I can put faith in as a good marker for complex social dynamics across generations. It hardly matters to me what one person, a hundred or even a thousand believes is right or wrong. Particularly in regard to society which is, last I checked, made up of maybe just a few more people than that. Telling a little about himself is necessary for the reader to understand his viewpoint. Paragraph 2 is also interesting because it raises a contrast; despite all the years of being the first black member in several clubs, teams and organizations the all-black lunch table from his junior high school hasn't changed at all. All those firsts, all that change and progress yet it raises the question of whether or not things really are different. To me, his list of accomplishments and exploits highlight that he is a capable and well traveled individual, expressive and experienced. It lends credence and weight to his opinion. Still though, the most basic bit of information is completely missing. At no point during his childhood or apparently in his revisit to his junior high did he actually ask anyone at the black table why, exactly, they opted to sit together and not intermingle more.
ReplyDeleteWell, given three whole choices to pick from I'd have to say Graham's primary purpose was to change people's views regarding segregated lunch tables. More specifically, he looks to call attention to something so innocuous that people spend their entire childhood and adult lives just glossing over it. Instead he essentially raises the point that it should be observed as an indicator that society isn't as far along as people like to pretend it is. That we're still very much inclined to tribalism. He points out several other segregated tables of Irish kids, Jewish kids, etc. though he does indicate something interesting in that it's the black table in particular out of all of them that draws equal parts attention and ire. Especially ironic when the Jewish white kids he sits with at lunch ask why all the black kids are sitting together. Graham's choice of companionship and best friend do call attention to a simple phenomenon noticeable in any child- they'll think, say and do some odd things to fit in. In order to keep all his white friends he willingly turned a blind eye to subtle racism and even began to view his own people in a negative light.
From Lauryn Cruz:
ReplyDelete1. Graham’s thesis shows that people ,though not required by law, will still segregate themselves for the most part rather than integrating.
2. I personally do believe that Graham’s own experiences are enough to adequately support the thesis, but if he had opted to use some outside sources they would've definitely given him a stronger support to his thesis.
3. I think he's trying to change people's views on segregated lunch tables, some people may not want to integrate into other lunch tables because its “foreign” territory or maybe they're just okay with the way things are.
4. Graham mentions his white friend to show he was not going to keep within race boundaries and it plays a role in his essay, as a young child it shows he pushed for integration and in paragraph 2, when mentioning his later years, he informs us that even as a young adult he was still pushing those boundaries.
Grahams thesis in “The ‘black table’ is still there” is about how that even after years of trying to stop and prevent segregation in schools, its still there.I thing his own opinions and evidence is enough because many of us are students and can relate to the school and we separation between groups almost everyday. I think Graham provides a sufficient amount of information about himself and that he probably doesn't need to add anymore. Grahams primary purpose is to tell about how segregated lunch tables are still here even though it isn't done to single out other races. He brings up his friend in order to show the reader that he chose to sit away from the table , not because he was black, but because he wanted to be with his friend, regardless of his skin color.
ReplyDeleteI think in “The Black Table is Still There” by Lawrence Otis Graham that his thesis statement was Why did the black kids separate themselves from the white kids. I say this because that was the main point in Graham’s essay. I think Graham gives us background information about himself because he wants us to know what he has gone through and how we can picture the events being shaped in his eyes before he even tells us what happened. I also think because it lets the audience focus on how integration of black kids in a white school looked from a black kids point of view. The information affects my reaction to the essay by letting me see what a person of my race went through during that time. I don’t think he needs to supply us with anymore background information because what he gave us was very decsriptive and if he gave us anymore it would be too much. I also think Graham relying on his own experience and opinions is good enough to build a thesis because he lived through the civil rights movement as a child so he was able to see first hand what was going on. Unlike kids and my generation and so on who weren’t around at that time and would need to use a certain resource to get this information.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I think Graham’s primary purpose was both to criticize a system he despises and to justify his actions. I say this because in the story he always talked about how is was conflicted on why the black people never sat with the white people, and how the black people made fun of him sitting with the white people. Graham is portraying the school as a group of kids are accepting of new people and their differences no matter their skin color. I say this because the white kids at the school talked to him and also his best friend was a white jewish kid. So him being conflicted on the subject was him supporting both primary purposes. I believe Graham wants people to know that his best friend was white and that he entered the cafeteria with a white person is to prove white people and black people can get along and there is no reason to sit at a whole other table and seclude yourself from the majority white kids in the school.
The information affects my reaction to the essay by letting me see what a person of my race went through during that time. I don’t think he needs to supply us with any more background information because what he gave us was very descriptive and if he gave us anymore it would be too much. I also think Graham relying on his own experience and opinions is good enough to build a thesis because he lived through the civil rights movement as a child so he was able to see first hand what was going on. Unlike kids and my generation and so on who weren’t around at that time and would need to use a particular resource to get this information. Also, the evidence is enough because many of us are students and can relate to the school and our separation between groups almost every day. I think Graham provides a sufficient amount of information about himself and that he probably doesn't need to add any more. Graham's primary purpose is to tell about how segregated lunch tables are still here even though it isn't done to single out other races. He brings up his friend to show the reader that he chose to sit away from the table, not because his skin was black, but because he wanted to be with his friend, regardless of his skin color.
ReplyDelete