Journal Entry 10

In "The Wife of His Youth" and "Learning to Read" by Francis Harper both of these show the effects of reconstruction upon African American Society. Once the War was over and freedom was finally achieved for the former slaves, efforts were made to better their lives by many. In both of these stories reading lessons and education level play a key role. In "learning to read" it is about a lowly former slave with poor education who meets with teachers sent from New York to teach former slaves how to read, I believe many people in the south who were former Confederates and disapproved of Reconstructions notions called these kind of people "carpet-baggers" and "yankees". There was definetly conflicted feelings about the end of the War. In the Wife of His Youth" it is made clear the Mr. Ryder, a very well educated, successful, well-cultured former slave seeking the hand in marriage to a beautiful young woman, has a what they called a "slave-wife", and was married during slavery and has to battle with himself of if he should honor this slave marriage when his former wife, Ms. Liza Jane. He decides that he morally obligated to stay with this older woman who has seen many winters instead of this young beauty. This showed some generation differentiation here. Now Mr. Ryder, was Sam Taylor the born free slave, was much younger than Liza and you could tell from the introduction how well educated he had gotten since the end of the war, he became a leader in the community, played piano, read many books, memorized extensive poetry, and enjoyed "higher" life. Liza was an image straight out of slavery, she was a cook then and a cook now, she was a poor black travelling cook while she looked for her Sam. Instead of bettering herself like Mr. Ryder had done she spent her 25 years searching for him to fulfill the marriage they once had. Mr. Ryder saw this devotion to him and saw he had no choice, he must put aside marriage and the new life with the 25 year old beauty and honor his arrangement. He is trully an upstanding man who made the right choice, he did the right thing even though he would have been happier with the charade of a life he had created.