مکالمه ی فعالانه قسمت ب

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART B

HUMAN CARGO AND EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE

Strangely, this failure to produce the magic cargo wasn’t the end of the John Frum cargo cult.

Was this the end of the cargo cult? No, this wasn’t the end of the cargo cult.

To this day, every February 15th, the faithful wear their US uniforms and carry their fake rifles made from sticks looking to the sky for divine cargo and the return of John Frum.

What do the faithful wear? The faithful wear their US uniforms. What do they carry? They carry fake rifles. And what do they look for? They look to the sky for divine cargo and the return of John Frum.

Shifting gears, from divine cargo to human cargo, we bring you the story of Henry “Box” Brown.

Are we shifting gears? Yes, we’re shifting gears.

Brown was born a slave in the US during the 1800s.

Was Brown born a slave or a free man? Brown was born a slave. Where was he born? He was born in the US. When was he born? He was born in the 1800s.

Brown worked in a tobacco factory run by his owner in Richmond, Virginia.

Who worked in a factory? Brown worked in a factory. What kind of factory did Brown work in? Brown worked in a tobacco factory.

He became a valued worker, who was able to earn and save money from working overtime.

Did Brown become a valued worker? Yes, Brown became a valued worker. How was he able to earn and save money? He was able to earn and save money from working overtime.

Over the years, he married, rented a house, and raised a family.

Did he get married and rent a house? Yes, he got married and rented a house. What else did he do? He also raised a family.

While Brown didn’t have his freedom, he had much to live for.

Who had much to live for? Brown had much to live for. Did Brown have his freedom? No, Brown didn’t have his freedom.

He loved his wife dearly and was expecting a 4th child.

What was he expecting? He was expecting a 4th child.

This all changed one day in August 1848.

Did this all change? Yes, this all changed. When did this all change? This all changed one day in August 1848.

Brown and his wife had separate owners and out of the blue, his wife’s owner sold Brown’s family.

Who had separate owners? Brown and his wife had separate owners. What happened out of the blue? Out of the blue, his wife’s owner sold Brown’s family.

Brown found his wife and children walking out of town in chains.

Who did Brown find? He found his wife and children. Were they walking out of town in chains? Yes, they were walking out town in chains.

Brown was helpless. All he could do was walk hand in hand with them for 4 miles as they left town.

Was Brown helpless? Yes, Brown was helpless. Did he walk hand in hand with them? Yes, he walked hand in hand with them. How far did he walk with them? He walked for 4 miles with them.

Brown’s whole life was turned upside down that day.

What happened to Brown’s whole life? Brown’s whole life was turned upside down.

Without his family, he had nothing left to lose and decided to escape.

Did he have anything left to lose? No, he had nothing left to lose. What did he decide to do? He decided to escape.

He went to his friend, James Smith, who put him in touch with Samuel Smith, a white man sympathetic to the plight of slaves.

Who did James Smith put him in touch with? James Smith put him in touch with Samuel Smith. Was Samuel Smith sympathetic to the plight of slaves? Yes, Samuel Smith was sympathetic to the plight of slaves.

Smith wanted to help, but they needed a plan.

Who wanted to help? Smith wanted to help. What did they need? They needed a plan.

Brown prayed to God, and he said he heard a voice that said, “Go and get a box and put yourself in it.”

What did the voice say to Brown? The voice said, “Go and get a box and put yourself in it.” He went to James and Samuel Smith with his plan to mail himself to freedom in a box, but they thought the journey would be too dangerous.

Was his plan to mail himself to freedom in a box? Yes, his plan was to mail himself to freedom in a box. What did his friends think of his plan? His friends thought his plan would be too dangerous.