Brown Girl Dreaming: The Impacts of Religion

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The impact that family can have on religion is major especially at the age that Jacqueline Woodson was in this book. When she was living in Chicago there was no mention of a religion, but when they moved to Greenville they participated in the same religion as their grandmother. Their grandmother was a Jehovah's Witness and she made the kids do as she did. In the poem "Faith" Woodson says that her grandmother said "In my house you will do as I do," and this is how a lot of families that lived in the South felt. Some families still feel this way today. It is the older generations that feel this way because when Jacqueline's mother was their she would say "The children can choose their own faith when they are old enough." The reader can see the difference between how each household treats religion through the poem "hall street" when the kids are with their grandmother compared to "another kingdom hall" when the kids are with their mother. There is a difference in the kids lives from when they lived with their grandmother, to when they lived with their mother after living with their grandmother. 

Religion also impacted the kids social lives, especially at school. The kids could not salute the flag because of their religion. Jacqueline talks about wanting to be able to stand and say the pledge but because she was a witness she could not. One of the rules is that "No other idols before me," and this is stated in the poem "flag" where Woodson talks about the affects that not saying the pledge has on her. Her religion also affects her holidays and birthdays. They do not celebrate Christmas, Halloween, or their birthdays because they are witnesses. They also cannot partake in their classmates birthday festivities, such as eating a cupcake. As a witness they cannot fight in the military and they cannot vote. They have to remain as peaceful as possible. The poem "because we are witnesses" states all of this information and she also talks more about how they have to pretend they do not want to partake in all of these things.

Jacqueline described how religion affected her especially in the beginning of the book. Do you think that religion has an impact on how our families do things such as holidays or birthdays? or do you think that its a personal preference for some?

Comments

  1. Eva YoussefOctober 4, 2019 at 5:30 PM

    Do you think having to practice a religion that leaves Woodson at odds compared to the other kids had a major affect on her development? I want to believe that growing up with these strong beliefs and being unwavering about them has allowed her to become the strong activist she is today; standing up for what she believes in unapologetically.

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    1. Anna GilfillanOctober 6, 2019 at 1:50 PM

      I think having to practice a religion that a person did not choose has an impact on them. That impact could be a good one or it could be a bad one. I think that Woodson's religion had a good impact on her and it helped mold her into who she is.

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  2. Kiara McVayOctober 4, 2019 at 6:01 PM

    I do agree that religion has a huge impact on family and the things we celebrate. Different religions celebrate holidays in different ways and some do not celebrate at all. Though people tend to follow through with most of the rules of their religion I do believe that it is based on a personal preference. For example there are Christians that celebrate holloween but there are some who are strictly against it so at the end of the day it’s all about what you believe in as a person.

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    1. Anna GilfillanOctober 6, 2019 at 1:57 PM

      You make a very good point about personal preference being part of a religion. I think that each person feels their own kind of way about their religion. They have to do what is best for them, and that could be celebrating Halloween or wanting nothing to do with it. It all comes down to what that person wants to believe in or have faith in.

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