Community Stories

University Days
       One area in which Thurber didn't live up to the universities expectations was his trouble in botony class. Class after class he claimed he wasn't seeing anything in the microscope and wasn't able to do the work because of that. The teacher tried to be patient and decided to help him entirely by standing by while Thurber looked through. The whole time, Thurber was seeing his own eye through the microscope because he wasn't using the right focus. The situation of why he couldn't see anything but a "milky, white substance" was entirely his own fault. giving his professor reasons to be let down. However, Thurber was expecting better of the university in his economics class. The professor helped out the school's star football player too much, in accordance to Thurber, and lowered his standards. When the football player couldn't even answer the simple question of what mode of transportation he takes, Thurber's professor and other students continued to make hints of a train sound, "choo choo" and others. Thurber wanted better from his classes but his teachers wanted just as much from him. Because of this dual expectation he had with the community, Thurber gained determination and in his military class received an award from trying to live up to the classes' expectations, but he also gained his teachers expectations as well.

An Account of Experience with Discrimination
          In the writing, the "old slaveholding spirit" is the mindset people still have that black people are below them and as a white person or non ex-slave, they are allowed to do whatever they wish with black people. If someone grows up in an a certain way with being taught certain beliefs, it will be hard for this person to let go of what they learned. For example, if someone grows up being taught that homosexuality is immoral and then gay marriage is legalized, the person will most likely contain the homosexuality is immoral thinking and continue to treat the situation as they were taught too. It's the same for the quote, the people that tried to force Truth to leave the train we're still thinking that they as a white person had the right to command a black person, because that was how they lived most of their life.
          Primary documents should have a greater impact on how the community takes on the situation. If you are someone looking in on the event, you can only give your opinion and what you say is just as valid as what any member of the community might say. But, when someone on the inside of the event or experience is telling the story, it is more convincing to either side of the story. If a reporter were to be looking in on a crime scene from behind the caution lines, the only thing they know is what the other bystanders know. But for someone that may have been a witness to the crime or the victim themselves (let's say the crime was a theft), the story given to the community, either true or false, will provide a strong sense of reliability.