Question
Read the following two texts about Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin. Note how they interpret the facts in different ways to support different positions.
Text 1
Rosa Parks was an appropriate symbol of the Montgomery bus boycott. She was a respected civic leader. As a result, her refusal to give her seat to a white person had a powerful impact on the community. It helped to launch the bus boycott—a major event in the civil rights movement. It is true that Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat nine months earlier than Parks did. However, Parks was 42 years old while Colvin was only 15. Parks’s age gave her actions more authority and made people take her more seriously. Parks did not act rashly, either. As a civic leader, she had considered and accepted the consequences of her actions beforehand. This fact makes her actions seem more thoughtful.
Text 2
Claudette Colvin should have been the symbol of the Montgomery bus boycott. Claudette Colvin was the first to really challenge the unfair law that required African American bus riders to give up their seats. Other women had refused to get up, but they did so more quietly and were fined. Colvin had to be handcuffed, dragged off the bus, arrested, and imprisoned—nine months before Rosa Parks. Colvin’s actions are even more impressive than Parks’s, for Colvin was only 15 at the time. Challenging an unjust law when you are that young is a sign of true bravery. Colvin also acted spontaneously, unlike Parks. Civic leaders such as Parks had been considering what to do about the buses for a long time. Because Colvin’s actions were unplanned, they seem more authentic than Parks’s.
Text 1
Rosa Parks was an appropriate symbol of the Montgomery bus boycott. She was a respected civic leader. As a result, her refusal to give her seat to a white person had a powerful impact on the community. It helped to launch the bus boycott—a major event in the civil rights movement. It is true that Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat nine months earlier than Parks did. However, Parks was 42 years old while Colvin was only 15. Parks’s age gave her actions more authority and made people take her more seriously. Parks did not act rashly, either. As a civic leader, she had considered and accepted the consequences of her actions beforehand. This fact makes her actions seem more thoughtful.
Text 2
Claudette Colvin should have been the symbol of the Montgomery bus boycott. Claudette Colvin was the first to really challenge the unfair law that required African American bus riders to give up their seats. Other women had refused to get up, but they did so more quietly and were fined. Colvin had to be handcuffed, dragged off the bus, arrested, and imprisoned—nine months before Rosa Parks. Colvin’s actions are even more impressive than Parks’s, for Colvin was only 15 at the time. Challenging an unjust law when you are that young is a sign of true bravery. Colvin also acted spontaneously, unlike Parks. Civic leaders such as Parks had been considering what to do about the buses for a long time. Because Colvin’s actions were unplanned, they seem more authentic than Parks’s.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The two texts present contrasting interpretations of the roles that Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin played in the Montgomery bus boycott, each supporting different perspectives on their significance.
**Text 1** advocates for Rosa Parks as the more suitable symbol of the boycott. It emphasizes her status as a respected civic leader and argues that her age and thoughtful consideration of the consequences of her actions lent authority to her protest. This portrayal suggests that Parks's experience and leadership were invaluable in catalyzing the civil rights movement, placing her actions in a context of deliberate strategy and community impact.
In contrast, **Text 2** champions Claudette Colvin as the rightful symbol of the boycott, highlighting her as the first to openly defy segregation laws. The text underscores the youthfulness of Colvin and frames her spontaneous act of defiance as a courageous and authentic challenge to injustice. It argues that her unplanned rebellion, which led to direct confrontation with law enforcement, deserves recognition and prioritizes her proactive spirit over the calculated approach of Parks.
Overall, the texts illustrate two interpretations of activism: one valuing calculated leadership and strategic movements, and the other celebrating youthful spontaneity and grassroots bravery. Both perspectives shed light on the complex narratives surrounding the civil rights movement and the ways in which historical figures can be perceived and commemorated differently.
**Text 1** advocates for Rosa Parks as the more suitable symbol of the boycott. It emphasizes her status as a respected civic leader and argues that her age and thoughtful consideration of the consequences of her actions lent authority to her protest. This portrayal suggests that Parks's experience and leadership were invaluable in catalyzing the civil rights movement, placing her actions in a context of deliberate strategy and community impact.
In contrast, **Text 2** champions Claudette Colvin as the rightful symbol of the boycott, highlighting her as the first to openly defy segregation laws. The text underscores the youthfulness of Colvin and frames her spontaneous act of defiance as a courageous and authentic challenge to injustice. It argues that her unplanned rebellion, which led to direct confrontation with law enforcement, deserves recognition and prioritizes her proactive spirit over the calculated approach of Parks.
Overall, the texts illustrate two interpretations of activism: one valuing calculated leadership and strategic movements, and the other celebrating youthful spontaneity and grassroots bravery. Both perspectives shed light on the complex narratives surrounding the civil rights movement and the ways in which historical figures can be perceived and commemorated differently.