Week 1 Discussion

Discussion

In his essay on “The Tom Caricature,” sociologist David Pilgrim explains, “in many African American communities ‘Uncle Tom’ is a slur used to disparage a black person who is humiliatingly subservient or deferential to white people.” This term is derived from stereotypes that grew out of theatrical stage adaptations of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Evaluate the original character of Tom as portrayed by Stowe in light of these later stereotypes. How is Stowe’s Tom like and unlike the stereotypical “Uncle Tom”? Cite specific passages from the novel to support your interpretations. For more background on the Tom stereotype, see Pilgrim’s essay here: http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/tom/  

Feel free to discuss other black stereotypes you see in the novel as well.

1.    Be sure to cite specific passages from the text that support your interpretation with (last name of author, date, p. ).

2.    *Attend discussion on at least four separate days, and post a total of 800 words. All your posts together total 800 words. The initial post, which should be a response to my post, should be no less than 400 words at a minimum. Nor is there a minimum number of posts, but you must post on at least four separate days by Day 7. For example, one initial post and three threaded responses on four different days. Post your initial post on day 3, Thursday, 6/9, and all three threaded response postings must be up by day 7, Monday, 6/13. They must be posed on different days, and they must have substantive commentary. A post that says Nice work or I agree is not sufficient.

3.    Remember that your initial post should be a response to my post. Then another student posts a threaded response to that student, rather than each student initiating an individual thread. Instead, we will have one continuous thread in which you post an initial discussion and thread at least three responses throughout your peers’ discussion. Respond to at least 3 peers initial posts on at least three different days. So, you should be in the discussion board a total of 4 days and have a total of 4 threaded posts, at a minimum. I prefer quality over quantity. Rather than posting 6 responses with one sentence each, which will not fulfill the requirements of a substantive response, do the three posts well and use textual evidence to support your claims.

Post your initial post (threaded to my post, and the next post, and so on) on day 3, Thursday, 6/9, and all threaded responses must be up by day 7, Monday, 6/13.