Mississippi Trial, 1955
By Chris Crowe
By Brian David
Background:
Segregation
The
Characters
The Story
Museum Entrance
Welcome to the Lobby
The Theme –
What is learned?
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Chris Crowe
Chris Crowe is currently a
professor at BYU and
frequently….
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Background: Segregation
Segregation
“Separate but Equal”
Brown v. Board
of Education
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The story
Beginning
Middle
End
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The characters
Hiram Hillburn
Earl Hillburn
(Grandpa)
R.C. Rydell
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Theme
What does the
protagonist learn?
How do we know?
(Quotes)
What does the
reader learn?
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Segregation
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Often referred to as “Jim Crow” laws, it was the Southern practice of
legally separating the race.
(Provide at least one direct quote from your sources)
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“Separate but Equal”
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This phrase comes from the Supreme Court case, “Plessy v.
Ferguson”, and refers to the practice of…
(Provide at least one direct quote from your sources)
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Brown v. Board of Education
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This was the landmark Supreme Court case, which overturned the
results of…
(Provide at least one direct quote from your sources)
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The Beginning
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Provide a brief summary of the events of this sections of the novel.
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The Middle
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Provide a brief summary of the events of this sections of the novel.
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The End
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Provide a brief summary of the events of this sections of the novel.
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Hiram Hillburn
Stubborn – Hiram shows that, like the rest of his family he is stubborn:
“…I’d had it with Dad’s sermons and weirdness about hate, racism, equal rights and
all that…I let him know in a thousand ways that I’d just as soon live in the Arizona
desert with Gila monsters and tarantulas than spend any time with him.” (Crowe 2) –
Hiram refuses to even listen to, or try to understand, what his father is saying. His
stubborn nature makes it hard for him to see things from someone else’s point of
view.
Conflicted – For most of the novel, Hiram spends his time questioning what he
once thought was right:
“…a whole lot of tossing and turning came from my wondering if maybe Dad wasn’t
so crazy after all.” (Crowe 97) – After witnessing R.C.’s attack on Emmett, and
hearing his Grandfather’s response, Hiram begins to questions what he was always
taught about the Southern way of life be superior.
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Earl Hillburn (Grandpa)
Provide two character traits and a quote to support each one. Be sure
to cite the quote and explain why it demonstrates that trait.
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R.C. Rydell
Provide two character traits and a quote to support each one. Be sure
to cite the quote and explain why it demonstrates that trait.
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What does the protagonist learn?
Hiram learns how racisms and hatred can lead to violence. His first
example of this is when R.C. viciously attack Emmett Till, simply
because he call Hiram his “friend”. R.C. responds violently by
knocking Emmett to the ground, threatening both boys with a knife, and
shove fish gut in Emmett’s mouth in order to remind him that white and
black are not supposed to be friends in the South.
Hiram is also shocked at how angry people are about Emmett Till’s
murder, but not at Bryant and Milam. They are angry at the north for
‘stirring up trouble’ and at Emmett for not knowing his place. For the
first time in his life Hiram realizes why his father is so against his
Grandfather’s hateful thinking.
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What does the reader learn?
The reader receives a firsthand look at the way a society caught up in
racism and racial tension. The reader sees through the violence of
R.C., Grandpa’s hatred, and the vicious torture and murder of Emmett
Till, how violent hate can be. By seeing the story from Hiram’s
perspective the reader learns how being blinded by racial mistrust and
hate, can lead even decent people to do or condone unspeakable
actions.
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How do we know? (Quotes)
“White folk don’t share nothin’ with colored, boy. Nothin’,” (Crowe 91).
R.C.’s reaction at such a simple request, and the hatred that cause
Bryant and Milam to torture and murder 14-year-old Emmett, Make
Hiram realize how bad things really are in the South.
“These two men – and others – had murdered a boy, and now their
fellow citizens had not only turned them loose but were celebrating,”
(Crowe 192). Hiram is shocked by how all these normal people could
treat men accused of the torture and murder of a child, as heroes.
“..I’m damn sorry for what happened for what happened, but that boy
brought trouble on himself,” (Crowe 96). Hiram’s grandfather
continually repeats this idea that Emmett made his own trouble, both
with R.C.’s attack and with the murder. Hiram is shocked that the
general attitude of the South toward what happened to Emmett.
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