“But the victory, if one could call it that, was ephemeral
and elusive, a brief and strident shout atop a mountain that was more noise
than substance, more smoke than flames. Piedmont and I had locked horns in a
furious encounter, separated by an insurmountable gap of thirty years.” This
phrase, in my opinion, has a big meaning in chapter eleven. Conroy was in the
school board meeting and overpowered Dr. Piedmont by telling his case and story
of the island. He states how these children lived and how illiterate they were.
This is a victory for Conroy because other people are being told about the
education on the island.
At the beginning of chapter eleven, graduation was taking
place on the island. There was two boys and two girls who graduated. Graduation
took place under the oak tree in the school yard. During graduation, Conroy
spoke. He presented Zeke a book called, “The Family of Man.” This was to show
respect for all of the dedication that Zeke had given to Conroy and the
children over the school year.
When summer began, Conroy took seven children to a summer
camp to teach them to swim. The camp was donated by the northern priest. None
of the children knew how to swim, so Conroy wanted to make that a priority on
his list. The children are deathly afraid of water because of all of the family
members the children had lost over the years due to the river.
Towards the middle of the chapter, Conroy meets with Dr.
Piedmont and he is furious. Piedmont is mad at Conroy because he charged the
gas money of the commute to the island to the school. This becomes a big
argument that ends up being taken to the school board. At the school board
meeting, all of Conroy friends came to support him. When Piedmont begin to talk
about the schools, Conroy butted in about Yamacraw. He told the board the
severity of the children and how illiterate they were. He continued to tell
them how they do not receive an adequate education like the children on the
mainland do.
In conclusion, Conroy started planning for another year. He
was planning several trips for the students, but money was the main issue. This
chapter really shows the determination that Conroy has to help his students.
Paige,
ReplyDeleteI know it must have took a lot for Conroy to stand up and tell just how the education was on island. He was painting the real picture to the people. Yes, indeed the children do not get the adequate education like the children on the mainland, but we would have never known that if it was not for Conroy agreeing to fill the shoes and teach the children on the island. I admire him so much for willingness to help those students learn and know that there is more out in the world than just their way of life. The children loved the trips, and I am sure they are thankful for all Conroy has done. I thought it was nice for them to give Zeke a gift. Conroy truly has a love for helping the children.
Paige,
ReplyDeleteYou really choose a powerful sentence because Conroy faced so much opposition and he had to overcome alot of hatred that was geared towards him. Chapter 11 started off as a good chapter with the graduation but it turned ugly real fast with the school board meeting and Conroy getting accused of things he did not do. I felt that even Dr. Rogers had already said the book did not have a good ending that maybe something good would come out of this book. Conroy was a great teacher and he really showed how much he cared for these students because he really did everything he could to stay with them.
I try to picture the board member’s faces during the meeting about Conroy’s job when he is telling them about his time teaching on the island. I wonder what they are thinking and feeling. Do they feel pity? Do they feel like standing up and taking action against the injustices on Yamacraw Island? Although he was initially allowed to return to the island and his fuel money would continue to be paid for, it was his attending the Desegregation Center of South Carolina that finally ended his employment at Yamacraw. Dr. Piedmont and the board’s actions just go to show how low some people can go.
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