WA #6: Roots Reflection Due Monday by 11:59pm Points 3 Submitting a file uplo

WA #6: Roots Reflection
Due Monday by 11:59pm
Points 3
Submitting a file upload
Workshop #6: ROOTS REFLECTION
After watching episode 1 of Roots in full, the workshop assignment for this week is to write a reflection of at least one page, sharing your thoughts about what you saw while watching this episode. In part, this is because it can be helpful and cathartic to write down your feelings about the history of slavery and the cruelty individuals who were enslaved experienced. In addition, these issues are complex and, as Roots shows, the causes and effects of slavery are varied. But it can also be very powerful to think about how the past shaped the lives of millions of people and continues to play a role in our world today. What came after slavery — from the Civil War in the USA, to colonization in Africa, to today? How might we collectively heal and process this history?
I would like this reflection to take the form of whatever you feel most comfortable and will allow you to express your thoughts best. It can be a journal entry, a letter to a family member or friend about what you learned from watching Roots, or just notes to yourself (but please in full sentence/paragraph form).
Here are some specific questions to consider reflecting on:
What moved you most while watching this episode? Why (or why not) do you think it is important to learn about what individuals who were enslaved experienced and the violence they endured?
Did the Middle Passage scenes in Roots add to or change your understanding of this history?
How did Kunta attempt to hold onto his history and humanity after he was sold into slavery? Why do you think that doing so was so important to him?
How do you think slave owners justified selling family members and tearing apart families?
What are some of the ways people who were enslaved survived and built community?
Or more broadly, you might consider reflecting on some of the following:
What emotions did you feel while watching Roots? Why do you think it is important to tell this story?
Roots depicts the violence at the heart of the slave system. In what ways do you think the legacy of slavery exists in our world today? Why is it important to explore this history?
What are some of the key themes and messages of Roots?
Roots opens up some very intense subject matter including the violence white people enacted on people who were enslaved. What spaces, if any, exist in our society for healing wounds of race-based violence? What roles can museums, music, art, and conversation can play in healing?
How do you think the Roots story can be relatable to anyone, regardless of their background?
Please submit this assignment as a word document on Canvas by Monday, October 23 at 11:59pm.
NOTE: To my knowledge, a free version of Roots does not exist online nor does our library have access to the series. So please purchase this episode of Roots available on Amazon for $2.99 (HD) / $1.99 (SD)version of the series – not the 1977 one!