Lizzy (Alia) Geoffrey
The Bravery of Harriet Tubman
By Alia Geoffrey
INTRODUCTION
“There are two things I've got a right to, and these are, Death or Liberty – one or the other I mean to have. No one will take me back alive; I shall fight for my liberty, and when the time has come for me to go, the Lord will let them kill me.” Harriett Tubman saw a life without liberty is not worth living. Harriet Tubman showed personal courage by helping herself escape and by helping others in the Underground Railroad.
Courage in Helping Herself Escape
Harriet Tubman showed personal courage by helping herself escape. She was born in Dorchester County, Maryland to Harriet Green and Ben Ross. Her real name was Araminta “Minty” Ross. Ben was enslaved by Anthony
Thomson, who became Mary Brodess’s second husband and ran a large plantation near the Black Water River.
Harriet changed her name and used her mother’s name. She found ways to resist as a child, such as running away for 5 days, wearing layers of clothing as protection against beatings, and fighting back. She suffered from being whipped and had a severe head injury. When she was sent to a store by Mrs. Brodess, the store owner threw a weight at an escaping slave but it hit Harriet in the head instead.
She suffered a head fracture and bleeding. After her injury, she began experiencing daily headaches and narcolepsy,
and she started having visions, which she interpreted as coming from God. As a result she became passionate about her faith in God.
In 1849 she escaped to Philadelphia. This is a brave thing to do because if she was caught she would have been beaten or worse. Her early life and escape showed her bravery.
Courage in Helping Others Escape
Besides showing personal bravery by escaping, Harriet Tubman also showed bravery by freeing her family and friends. Her family could have also been punished by separation, whipping, hanging, and other cruel acts of torture. Having escaped to Philadelphia, Harriet Tubman joined the Underground Railroad. She decided to help free her people by going back to Maryland 13 times. Her work helped 70 slaves including her family and friends. She
never got caught. During the Civil War, she worked as a spy for the Union army.
CONCLUSION
By helping herself escape and by helping others in the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman exhibited bravery in the face of danger and fear. To her a life without liberty was not worth living. To me and my generation Harriet Tubman is a very brave example of what a person can become.
So Far from the Bamboo Grove: A Book Review
By Alia Geoffrey
Have you ever wondered what it would be like living in North Korea and losing your home? In this book So Far from the Bamboo Grove (written by yoko Kawashima Watkins and published by Harper Trophy in 1986) is an autobiography about a young girl who lost her home in northern Korea and was reunited with her siblings in Japan after World War 2.
The plot summary of the book is as follows: a young girl named Yoko Kawashima was from a Japanese family who lived in Nanam in northern Korea. She and her family evacuated their home because the war ended, and they were hated by the Korean communists. They made their escape by walking and taking the train. Yoko, sister ko, and Mother took a train to Seoul and then to Pusan with the help of Corporal Matsumura meanwhile their brother Hideyo and Father were left behind. Her father was a high ranking government official and brother Hideyo joined the student army Yokaren. Yoko, her sister, and Mother made it to Pusan and waited for Hideyo.
Hideyo escaped being killed with the help of a Korean family. Mother died and the girls had to cremate her body. At
the end of the story Yoko, Ko, and Hideyo were reunited in Japan.
Praise and Critique
I liked the part where a baby was thrown out the window of a moving train because it was a very funny baby: “REEEE!!!!” and I liked how intense some of the situations were.
Recommendation
I would recommend it to people like my bestie Ms. G because there are some very funny parts that she would like.
