Narrative Assignment

Length: 3-4 pages (about 1000 words)

Due Date: No later than April 20

Task: Attend one event (a talk, a performance, a rally, a colloquium, etc.) connected to the UIUC Commemoration of Brown v. Board of Education. To explain this word "connected": the event need not be sponsored by theUniversity's Commemoration committee. If you're interested in a campus event addressing race, multicultural issues, campus diversity, or (especially) equal access to education, this event will likely qualify (but you should check with me in advance to make sure). Take copious notes when you attend. Pay attention not only to the content of the talk, performance, etc., but to its audience. Who's there? How many? What can you infer about their reasons for being present? If there's a question-and-answer or discussion session following the talk, what kinds of questions or issues are raised?

Pay attention, too, to the general atmosphere surrounding the event. Is it calm (dull)? Is it scholarly (which need not be dull) in tone? Or is it more colloquial, less formal than that? To whom does the event try to appeal? How successful is this appeal, in your judgment? What kinds of interplay among people do you notice? All of these questions ask you to pay attention to the "vibes" of the event.

Finally, take note of your reactions. What's going on for you as you watch and listen? Why? What triggers of personal response, experience, and memory can you identify?

Having taken these notes, compose a narrative using Baldwin as a model. In one sense (I freely admit), this is an impossible task--few of us can write prose like Baldwin's. But you can adopt his characteristic stance--skeptical, full of questions, quick to spot contradictions and tensions, and willing to think out loud about how and whether these tensions and conflicts can be reconciled.

Your audience: your classmates. You needn't produce entirely formal diction, but neither should you rely heavily on slang--you want your narrative to be as precise (and thus interesting) as possible.

Note: Typically, the YMCA hosts Thursday lunches in which speakers discuss issues related to Brown v. Board. If you're in Section Q10, you should feel free to leave class to attend one of these meetings (let me know that you're doing this). As of Sunday, February 15, I will post a weekly calendar listing events related to Brown v. Board.