Chapter 12

“She emphasized over and over the fact that she was part Cherokee Indian, educated in a private school, and in no way related to the blacks who inhabited Yamacraw Island.” I thought this was a very powerful sentence because it showed to me how ashamed Mrs. Brown was of being a black woman. No one should be ashamed of their cultural and ethnic background. It’s sad to know that people were treated so unfairly due to their skin color that some, like Mrs. Brown, wanted to become someone different.  

In chapter 12 Conroy explains why he decided to write his book, and why he thinks he ultimately lost his job teaching the students on Yamacraw Island. Conroy writes that in order to continue teaching children in the future he would need to become a bona fide butt kisser. Conroy also goes to explain how integration was changing the world around him. Conroy says “I wanted to tell Piedmont and Bennington that what was happening between us was not confined to Beaufort”. I really liked this sentence because it showed that change was finally beginning to happen all over the South; people were beginning to experience equality all over the south.

Overall I really liked the book, more than I thought I would, but the ending was really disappointing. I was hoping for Conroy to teach on Yamacraw Island for years and ultimately make a dramatic impact on the lives of his students. Unfortunately things don’t always work out, especially when you have someone trying desperately to ruin your career, but at least Conroy changed the lives of his student’s during the short time he spent with them. 

Chapter 11

“They constantly derided Mrs. Brown and said that she was a bad teacher simply because she was a “colored teacher”.  I chose this sentence because I was shocked to see how the black people thought of their own race. It showed me that they’ve heard so much negativity towards themselves for being black that eventually they believed it. It wasn’t that I cared that they were calling Mrs. Brown a bad teacher, because she is, it’s just upsetting to see that the reason they thought Mrs. Brown was a bad teacher was because she was a colored woman.

                The chapter starts off with the student’s graduation. The Monday after graduation Conroy decided to take seven children to a camp off Yamacraw Island to try and teach them to swim. Conroy had a hard time comprehending why so many students didn’t know how to swim when they lived on an island and when numerous family members passed away from drowning incidents. When everything seemed to be going well for Conroy he received a phone call telling him that he had been fired. The excuse? He had been late to work. Of course Conroy didn’t accept that he had been fired, so he went to the school board. The board went over Conroy’s case and decided that he would be able to keep his job. Conroy began his second year on Yamacraw Island but eventually decided that this was going to be his last year teaching on the island. During the second school year Conroy had many trips planed for his students. The first was a trip to Atlanta, Georgia. The first major problem Conroy had during the school year was the question of how he was going to pay for the students to go to Atlanta. The problem was solved once Conroy received a phone call from Bill Dufford offering Conroy a job at the Desegregation Center in Ridgeland, South Carolina. In order to take this job to make enough money for the students Atlanta trip Conroy needed to take five days of personal leave time. Once Dr. Piedmont found out the Conroy missed work for five days he was, once again, fired. This time Conroy appealed and he lost his case. Even after petitions and boycotts on Yamacraw Island, Conroy was not allowed to keep his job teaching the students. According to law the board of education was invested with power to fire any teacher it considered undesirable. Conroy was official dismissed from his teaching position on Yamacraw Island. 

Chapter 10

“We maneuvered along cliffs which bordered the rapids, played silly games, took pictures, made plans to live in Washington, then headed back to Virginia in the full spring tide of afternoon traffic.” This sentence stood out to me because I could really understand and appreciate how much the students were enjoying their time away from Yamacraw Island. It was a moment where I felt the students were able to enjoy life just as normal kids.

The chapter begins with Conroy finding a letter that was written to Mrs. Brown over a year ago by a woman named Judy Hanst. In the letter, Mrs. Hanst explained that she was willing to help the students on Yamacraw Island in any way she could. Conroy immediately wrote Mrs. Hanst back explaining why it took so long to write back, and how he was so happy that someone close to Washington had offered to help. Mrs. Hanst wrote back a week later stating that “she would be delighted to sponsor a trip.” Once again, Conroy had trouble persuading the parents to allow him to take their children off the island, but he eventually influenced them all to let their children go. Not only did Conroy have trouble with the parents, Mrs. Brown also banned the students from leaving the island. Not allowing Mrs. Brown to keep the students from such an important experience, Conroy asked Mr. Piedmont for permission to take the students to Washington D.C. Mr. Piedmont granted permission, and Conroy began preparing his students for their upcoming trip.

For two weeks Conroy shared with his student’s pictures, history, art, trivia, maps, and brochures of Washington D.C. Once in Washington, Conroy and his students visited many monuments, museums, and the zoo. I thought it was funny when one of the students looked at the snake and said “rubber snake. I tell you that right boy. Oh, Gawd, snake move. He ‘live.” I love that the students were able to participate in another unforgettable learning experience all because of Conroy’s determination and dedication to give his students the education they deserve. 

Chapters 6-9

                “I admire you very much for having taught on this God-forsaken island, but I am going to give these kids the experience of spending Halloween the way the rest of the kids in America spend it.” I chose this sentence because I was so happy when Conroy actually stood up to Mrs. Brown. I am still very much a kid at heart and I look forward to holidays as much as my younger siblings do. To know that these children never got to experience something as fun at trick-or-treating is sad, and I was very happy to see Conroy stick up for his students and actually give them a great experience that they all deserved.

                Chapter six was, by far, the best chapter so far in this book. Conroy found out that his students have never experienced Halloween; therefore, he tried his hardest to make sure his students celebrated the trick-or-treating tradition just like the other children off the island did. Once Halloween was over and the students were back at school on Yamacraw Island they all explained to Conroy how much fun they had, and how Beaufort was “the nicest place in de World.”  It took a lot for Conroy to get those students off Yamacraw Island for the weekend, but I loved his determination and was very happy that his students got to experience something they would remember forever.

                Chapter seven explains all about the children’s hatred toward Mrs. Brown. Conroy mentioned that he could hear Mrs. Brown beating her students regularly in the class next door, and that he believes that Mrs. Brown “sincerely believed that a child needed a beating every once in a while if he was to respect authority, do his lessons, and grow up to make a contribution to his community.” I believe that Mrs. Brown looks down upon her students because they are black, and thinks because they are black they need to be beaten every once in a while if they are to succeed in life. I believe that Mrs. Brown is doing what she thinks is best for her students to succeed on Yamacraw Island; however, the more I read about this woman the more aggravated I get with her behavior.

                In chapter eight, Conroy explains how he lost favor with the administration of Beaufort County. The dispute began over Conroy’s boats gasoline bill, and Conroy’s complaints about the schools conditions. Conroy explained to Mr. Piedmont that the students on Yamacraw Island deserved the same education as the students in Beaufort, and that his boat did not only transport him to work every morning, but also transported guest speakers, movies, groceries, injured students, etc. Conroy was set to have an appointment with Mr. Piedmont to discuss these issues, but when Conroy arrived at the meeting he found that Mr. Piedmont would not be there. Therefore, Conroy would have the meeting with Bennington who would report the results of the meeting to Mr. Piedmont. After threatening to walk out, Conroy eventually got what he wanted. The county would continue to pay for the gas, and upkeep of his boat for the remainder of the year.

                In chapter nine, Conroy takes a few of his older boys to a Globetrotters basketball game in Charleston. I loved that Conroy gave his students experiences outside of Yamacraw Island; experiences that were all meaningful and would be remembered by the students forever. Unfortunately, even though the students had fun off the Island, times on the Island weren’t always as nice. As we have seen throughout the book, most of the students are fairly violent with each other, and usually don’t mind fighting. This behavior was taught, most likely, from their parents. Conroy explains that drinking on Yamacraw Island is a way of life; something most all women and men participated in. Unfortunately, usually after long nights or days of drinking, a fight would break out at the homes of many of Conroy’s students. These students were forced to witness many violent attacks from their mothers or fathers; attacks that would traumatize many of Conroy’s students. Conroy tried to help when he could, but the violence on Yamacraw Island tended to be a never ending cycle. 

Chapter 5

“At this time of my life a black man could probably have handed me a bucket of cow piss, commanded me to drink it in order that I might rid my soul of the stench of racism, and I would have only asked for a straw.” This sentence stood out to me because it shows Conroy’s remorse for the negative behaviors he committed in his younger years. To me this sentence shows that Conroy is truly sorry for his past, and will obviously go to extreme measures to rid himself of his past negative behaviors.  

At the beginning of chapter five, Conroy begins by showing films to the students. Conroy is a firm and uncompromising believer in the audio-visual age. All the students loved watching the films, so Conroy and the students voted to watch at least one film every day. Once Conroy showed a film on the Salem Witch Trials, talk soon changed to the movie The Wizard of Oz. “Every child in the room knew the legend of Oz by heart, the importance of the yellow brick road, the incarnate evil of the wicked Witch of the West, and the ultimate hypocrisy of the great wizard himself.” I found this statement to be very encouraging in regards to the student’s education on Yamacraw.  Even though the students in Conroy’s class were on different academic levels, they all showed the ability to learn at an advanced level.

The most upsetting thing I read in this chapter was the way the students took care of their animals. Being an animal lover I found their behavior to be appalling, but at the same time I can’t really judge their behavior, just as I can’t judge Conroy’s, because they have all learned this behavior from someone. After Conroy saw the awful things his students did to animals, for some reason he felt the need to give eight of his students puppies. I know some people might think I’m crazy, but I honestly couldn’t live with myself if I gave puppies to young children when I’ve already seen their behavior toward animals. If I was put in Conroy’s situation I would have adopted one puppy, and made the puppy a classroom pet. If Conroy would have done something like this he could have shown the proper way to care for an animal during class hours, and taken the puppy home after school hours. I believe that Conroy was one of the best things that ever happened to the students at the Yamacraw School, but this was one situation where I couldn’t stand by his decision. 

Chapter 3 and 4

“When I first envisioned myself on the island, a noble creature enshrined among the illiterate masses working in primitive conditions that would have warmed the cockles of Henry Thoreau’s heart, I did not consider my compulsive need for friends and good conversation.” I chose this sentence because I felt that I could really get a sense of how Conroy felt on Yamacraw Island. I think all readers are able to get a sense of his loneliness, but at the same time are able to realize how dedicated he was to his students, because no matter how bad, depressed, or lonely he felt, he never left his students.

                In chapter three, Conroy explains about the school “library”. None of the books found in the school library had any information that the students could relate to. Since most of the children couldn’t read to begin with, Conroy brought in encyclopedias and a sears catalog which turned out to be a favorite among all the students. Their reading time turned out to be a question and answer session. The students would ask questions dealing with the pictures they found throughout their books and Conroy would give an answer. Along with the daily readings, Conroy would always listen to the daily news with his students. Whenever the class learned about something from the news, Conroy would point to the specific location on the map where the incident took place and tell the students a quick fact about that location.  Conroy began what he called a pep rally, where he would ask the students a series of questions and the all the students would call out the answers. Most students seemed to be doing very well memorizing the answers to Conroy’s questions. There were five, however, that would sit back and call out the answers only after the others called them out first. Upon questioning these students Conroy found out they couldn’t count to five or even say their ABC’s. Conroy began to work with these students individually by creating games that would be able to help get them up the level of their classmates.

                In chapter four, Conroy begins to explain about what he did with his time on the island when he wasn’t working with his students. He took daily walks to the beach where he would swim and visit Bloody Point, and would also swim off Mr. Stone’s dock which, unfortunately was surrounded by sharks. Conroy begins a friendship with Zeke Skimberry, and his cussing, but loving wife Lou. It’s during this chapter where we can begin to see Conroy’s loneliness and need for companionship. Fortunately for Conroy, he finds love and companionship in Barbara Bolling Jones, his neighbor in Beaufort. Shortly after meeting Barbara, Conroy finds out that her husband was killed in the Vietnam War and is pregnant with her second child. Overtime Conroy began to fall in love with Barbara and they married on October 10^th, and honeymooned on Yamacraw Island. It was decided that Barbara would stay in Beaufort with the children and Conroy would stay on the island and commute home every weekend. The separation from Barbara only made Conroy more depressed and lonely on Yamacraw Island, which eventually led to his daily commutes from Beaufort to Yamacraw Island. 

The Water is Wide- Chapter 1 and 2

The sentence that stood out to me as being an extremely well written sentence was: “The forest outside the perimeter of the schoolyard was insane with insect voices and the dark seemed darker than any place I had been before.” I picked this sentence because when I read it I felt like I was actually in that schoolhouse with Conroy. I could actually hear the insect noises as well as see the darkness surrounding the schoolhouse. I think Conroy did a good job describing certain situations throughout his book in ways that make his readers feel as if they are there with Conroy at that given moment. 

                In the first chapter I was amazed at how honest Conroy was in telling his story. He spoke about his younger years when he would ride around in his ’57 Chevy and throw rotten watermelons at the black people in his community. I know that we as a nation have come a long way since the 50’s and 60’s but when I hear stories like this I honestly can’t fathom why anyone would do this to others just for enjoyment. Even though I don’t think that Conroy ever mentioned regretting the ways he behaved in his earlier years, I feel as though showed remorse in many ways. A couple examples being, trying to teach black history to his high school students at a time when “teaching a black history course was as common as a course in necrophilia”, as well as choosing to teach the black students on Yamacraw Island.

                I found chapter two to be very interesting. Honestly, I was not that shocked at how little the students knew, but at the way Mrs. Brown felt about her students. I expected the students to know little to nothing due to the fact that this was the whole purpose of the book- to read about how Conroy made an impact of the lives of students on Yamacraw Island. What I didn’t expect was the way Mrs. Brown spoke about her students. She described them as being “slow, lazy, retarded, and people who just can’t get ahead in life.” She also went on to say that the students need to be whipped, and that the “retarded people need to be pushed and whipped harder than anyone.” I felt as though Mrs. Brown didn’t have any hope for her students, and gave up on them just like everyone else already did. Unfortunately, I don’t think Mrs. Brown realizes the negative impact she is leaving on these students, and I believe her to be innocently ignorant to the issues around her.