Name: Shaan Merchant

Date: 2/18/22
Period: 2nd

March: Book 2
Week #2 - Pages 99-179
Directions:
➢ Step 1: Read pages 99-179 in March Book 2 and complete
the “First Read” task.
➢ Step 2: Individually or with a partner, reread pages 99-179
and respond to the questions below. All responses must be
your own words/thoughts, written in complete sentences.
➢ Step 3: Individually, please complete the CLEAR paragraph
in question 15.*
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. First Read: How do the authors portray the Civil Rights Movement in the second half of Book 2?
Adjective Evidence (pg #) and Explanation

Brave The kids protesting shows the information the kids know about the movement
and how brave they are willing to stand up even though they are so young.

Dehumanize The protestors are forced to shave all their body hair while in jail

Sad It's sad that they had to hose down and send dogs on the kids. They are so
young yet, still attacked for their protesting

Resilient The non-violence protests of the civil rights movement had to stay resilient and
not give into the violence. No matter the abuse and discrimination they faced
from racist whites, they had to make sure they stuck to their non-violent ways.
However, not everyone could do this and couldn’t hold back their anger

2. Pages 103-106: What was the purpose of the Freedom Riders’ singing in Parchman Prison, and how
was it perceived by the jailers? In what ways could this scene function as a microcosm of the entire civil
rights movement?
The singing was a way for the Freedom Riders’ to continue fighting. Through singing they were able to
protest and preach their beliefs despite being locked up. His singing became even more prominent
when it annoyed the jailers. The jailers began to take away things like beds, but it didn’t stop the
Freedom Riders’ from singing, showing that they were willing to fight even in jail.
3. Pages 120-121: During a protest at the segregated Cairo, IL swimming pool in 1962 a famous photo
was taken of SNCC members at prayer. Why is this image used to introduce the passage that follows in
March Book 2, which depicts what happened after the photo was taken?
This photo shows the prominence of the civil rights movement since it became one of the most popular
photographs during the movement. However, right after the students were almost run over by a driver
who failed to stop. He drove straight through where the students were kneeling, in hopes to hit them.

4. Page 123: Discuss the powerful image in which Lewis is punched in the face with the text, “By the end
of 1962, you heard people questioning whether SNCC should even BE a multi-racial organization.”
Questions arose on the subject of white help. How important were the sit-ins if whites were allowed?
Was unity really a thing or were blacks just afraid and not whites being with them would protect them a
little more. Whites were given more rights so why should they protest for rights that they already had?

5. Pages 126-129: The arrival of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the SCLC in Birmingham, AL on April 9,
1963 is recounted here in a passage that makes use of eyes and vision as its theme. Discuss how this
theme is depicted through the passage and what each repetition of this motif communicates about the
event.
MLK Jr. was the figurehead of the civil rights movement and anything that happened to him was
reflected upon by the rest of the movement. This didn’t stop him from taking risks to show his
leadership. He wasn’t afraid of what would happen to him and knew that he must stand on the front
lines of the movement, if he was to be a true leader.

6. Page 130: The authors present a powerful passage from Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Discuss the use of black, white, and gray, and the page design used to relay the message of hope.
The contrast in colors depicts MLK Jr. as important despite being in jail. It looks like he is the spotlight
of the jail and that his letter is heard by everyone. He was willing to stand up for his beliefs and fight for
what was right, whether he was free or jailed.

7. Pages 133-138: At the Birmingham Children’s March on May 2-3, 1963, we see a police officer asking a
young girl, “What do you want?” She responds, “F’eedom.” Discuss Lewis’s comment that, “It was an
embarrassment to the city.”
Children are looked upon as universal peace, and harming children is seen as one of the worst
demonstrations possible. The children also knew as young as they were that segregation occured and
they weren’t given the same freedoms as other people. If a kid is able to recognize that, then how bad is
society.

8. Page 149: What is John Lewis’s opinion of Malcolm X?

John Lewis respected Malcolm X and recognized that he was also fighting for freedom. However, he
didn’t believe their movements were the same. Violence wasn’t necessary according to Lewis and he
could never seen how someone could justify violence even if there was evidence to justify it.
9. Pages 158-171: Lewis’s landmark speech at the 1963 March on Washington was recorded and
broadcast nationwide. Watch the audiovisual recording of the speech and then discuss how the authors
brought this speech to life in March Book 2. [The original draft of the speech is on pages 186-187 in March
Book 2.]
The book does a good job at recognizing the magnitude of the speech. It is clearly seen how important
the speech is with the thousands of people standing outside to hear what Lewis says. The book also
shows how polarizing the topic was and how there were people that shared different beliefs. However,
it was important that the speech still be shared.

10. Pages 172-173: How does this image of Dr. King compare with the image on page 130 (discussed in
question #6)? What effect do these images have?
The image of King in the jail cell shows him cast in a gray spotlight. Meanwhile, at the end the spotlight
cast on King is white and brilliant. It shows how much has changed as he went from a figurehead in jail
preaching his ideas, to one speaking to thousands on a podium.

11. Pages 177-179: What pivotal moment in the fight for equal rights is foreshadowed by the scene that
closes March Book 2?
The moment that is foreshadowed is that of the Burmingham Church bombing. It goes to show that
despite the strides taken during the time, there were still ways to go as there were many radical
thinkers who didn’t believe in the change that was occurring.

12. Pages 99-179: Look for visual and verbal examples of racism, discrimination, and/or segregation, and
compare how they are relayed through language and how they are relayed through image. Discuss the
impact of these various forms of communication.
On page 136 the protestors are peacefully protesting, however the police decide to bring out the fire
hoses and spray them with water. It shows that the police don’t care about the lives of the African
American protestors and believe that they are only there to be violent. Also, when the kids are
protesting they hold signs that ask for freedom and equality because even the kids know that they face
discrimination.

13. Pages 99-179: How is contrast used by the authors in the second half of March Book 2? Which images
or scenes stood out to you?
Color is used a lot to contrast the difference in importance of various scenes. Whenever the protestors
were at a low the colors tended to be darker to show how desperate the protests were getting. However,
at the end the protestors are shown in brighter colors to show the happiness of achievements that have
been accomplished.

14. March Book 1 & Book 2: Which panel or page impacted you the most, and why? Provide the page
number (and which book), a description of the panel/page, and your explanation.
 On page 135 of March Book 2, it shows the little girl holding the sign and talking about freedom during
the protest. This scene is so impactful because of the power the scene holds. It represents all the
struggles and segregation that African Americans faced and depicted it inside one little girl. The fighting
and protesting done by the Civil RIghts Movement is shown through the actions of the little girl. The girl
knows what she is protesting for and she knows that she isn’t given the same freedom and equality as
other people. If a child knows the difference then the effects of the Jim Crow laws must’ve been
staggering as the discriimination faced had large consequences

15. Overall, do you believe the graphic novel format was used successfully to portray John Lewis’s
narrative and the Civil Rights Movement? Write a CLEAR paragraph explaining why the graphic novel
format worked or did not work. In your paragraph, please include evidence from Book 1 and/or Book 2.
The graphic novel format did successfully portray John Lewis’s narrative of the Civil Rights Movement
because the book didn’t see a ton of words to show the impact of what was occurring at the time. With
the help of pictures it was easier to visualize and represent the actions and consequences of the
movement. When the Freedom Riders enter Birmingham they are attacked the moment they enter by
hundreds of racist Whites. Obviously, in a standard novel format the authors could illustrate the scene
through word choice. However, due to the graphic novel formatting, the readers were really able to see
how the protestors were attacked. Readers were given a visual representation on the various forms of
violent discriimination that the protestors faced. The images paired with the text successfully created
powerful scenes to the point where John Lewis’s narrative was successfully portrayed.

*For full credit, be prepared to participate in a class discussion on the day this assignment is due.