The War of the Wall: Community and Identity Analysis

Explore Toni Cade Bambara's 'The War of the Wall'. Analyze community conflict, identity, and the mural's meaning with vocabulary and discussion questions.

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Photorealistic urban street corner in the 1970s, red brick wall with unfinished colorful paint strokes, bright sunlight, African American neighborhood setting, cinematic lighting

The War of the Wall

By Toni Cade Bambara

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Me and Lou had no time for courtesies. We were late for school. So we just flat out told the painter lady to quit messing with the wall... It was our wall... We’ve been pitching pennies against that wall since we were little kids... I’d sprained my neck one time boosting my cousin Lou up to chisel Jimmy Lyons’s name into the wall when we found out he was never coming home from the war in Vietnam...

“If you lean close,” Lou said... “you’ll get a whiff of bubble gum and kids’ sweat. And that’ll tell you something — that this wall belongs to the kids of Taliaferro Street.” I thought Lou sounded very convincing. But the painter lady paid us no mind.

Courtesies - נימוסים
Chisel - לחצוב / לגלף
Whiff - ריח קל / משב ריח
Convincing - משכנע

Two young African American teenagers in 1970s clothing talking to a woman standing on a ladder painting a brick wall, urban city street background, photorealistic style

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Setting & Conflict: Paragraphs 1-3

A. Think & Share:
Why did the narrator and Lou chisel Jimmy Lyons’ name into the wall?

B. Turn & Talk:
What two reasons does the narrator give for their conflict with the painter lady?

C. Find Evidence:
Find two details in the text that support the reasons for the conflict.

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Close up of a plate of soul food covered in tinfoil, near a city street curb, 1970s style, painter working in background, photorealistic

The painter lady was running string across the wall... Then she began chalking them with a hunk of blue chalk...

Some good aromas were drifting our way from the plate... I could tell from where I stood that under the tinfoil was baked ham, collard greens, and candied yams... Me and Lou rolled our eyes, wishing somebody would send us some dinner. But the painter lady didn’t even turn around. She was pulling the strings down and prying bits of tape loose.

Hunk - חתיכה גדולה
Aromas - ניחוחות
Prying - לחלץ / להוציא בכוח

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Lou was muttering something about how great her concentration was... The painter lady was moving... scribbling all over the wall like a crazy person... “Ma’am?” The twins stepped forward. Finally the painter turned around, her eyes "full of sky," as my grandmama would say. Then she stepped down like she was in a trance...

“I’ve brought my own dinner along.” And then, without even excusing herself, she went back up the ladder... Lou had to drag me away, I was so mad. We couldn’t wait to get to the firehouse to tell my daddy all about this rude woman who’d stolen our wall.

Concentration - ריכוז
Trance - טראנס / מצב של חלום
Excusing - לבקש סליחה / להתנצל
Rude - גס רוח

An artist with a straw hat standing on a ladder looking intensely at a large wall mural, urban setting, evening light, 1970s clothing, photorealistic

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Setting & Conflict: Paragraphs 4-16

Turn & Talk:
In what way is the painter lady going against the customs of the community?

Poll the Class:
Which word best describes the painter lady?
A. Rude
B. Extremely focused

Be prepared to defend your answer.

Made by

Interior of a small 1970s diner restaurant, African American woman behind counter looking stern, artist lady looking confused, cinematic warm lighting

She came into the restaurant and leaned against the glass... talking about how starved she was... “I don’t care who your spiritual leader is,” Mama said... “If you eat in the community, sistuh, you gonna eat pig...”

“Do you have any bread made with unbleached flour?” the painter lady asked... The painter lady hesitated... She finally settled on the broiled trout and a tossed salad... “You will get,” Mama said... “whatever Lou back there tossed. Now sit down.”

Starved - מורעב
Spiritual - רוחני
Unbleached - לא מלובן (קמח מלא)
Hesitated - היססה

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Setting & Conflict: Paragraphs 20-24

A. Write:
In what way is the painter lady going against the expectations of the community inside the restaurant?

B. Find Evidence:
Mention three details that show how the people in the restaurant react to the painter lady.

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Mama said she was simply trying to stick to a very strict diet... All weekend long, me and Lou tried to scheme up ways to recapture our wall... We couldn’t find any black spray paint anywhere. But in a junky hardware store downtown we found a can of white epoxy paint... We spent our whole allowance on it.

When we reached the corner... it looked like a block party or something. Half the neighborhood was gathered on the sidewalk in front of the wall.

Strict - קפדני
Scheme - לתכנן מזימה
Recapture - לכבוש מחדש
Epoxy - אפוקסי (דבק/צבע חזק)
Allowance - דמי כיס

Two boys looking at a can of white paint in a dusty hardware store, close up on the can, 1970s atmosphere, photorealistic

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Detailed mural on a brick wall featuring portraits of Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and Harriet Tubman, colorful faces, vines, beautiful art style, photorealistic view of the painted wall

Mama beckoned us over. And then we saw it. The wall... Reds, greens, figures outlined in black. Swirls of purple and orange... I recognized some of the faces right off. There was Martin Luther King, Jr. And there was a man with glasses... Minister Malcolm X. The serious woman with a rifle I knew was Harriet Tubman...

Then I let my eyes follow what looked like a vine... When I looked more closely, I realized that what had looked like flowers were really faces. One face with yellow petals looked just like Frieda Morris.

Beckoned - סימנה לבוא / קראה
Outlined - מותווים / מסורטטים בקווים
Recognized - זיהיתי

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“These are the flags of liberation,” [Side Pocket] said... “Our liberation flag. And here Ghana, there Tanzania...”

Then Lou gasped... The painter lady had found the chisel marks and had painted Jimmy Lyons’s name in a rainbow. “Read the inscription, honey,” Mrs. Morris said...

To the People of Taliaferro Street
I Dedicate This Wall of Respect
Painted in Memory of My Cousin
Jimmy Lyons

Liberation - שחרור
Inscription - כתובת (חקוקה/רשומה)
Dedicate - להקדיש
Memory - זיכרון

Crowd of diverse neighborhood people in the 1970s standing in awe looking at a colorful wall mural, emotional atmosphere, back view, photorealistic

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Exit Ticket & Discussion

How does the painter lady’s motivation for painting the mural resolve the conflict?
What causes the initial conflict? (a) Dislike of food (b) Disrespect to kids (c) Choice of colors
How does the author establish the painter lady as an outsider?
Which statement best expresses the theme?
'Don’t judge people before you get to know them.'

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The War of the Wall: Community and Identity Analysis

Explore Toni Cade Bambara's 'The War of the Wall'. Analyze community conflict, identity, and the mural's meaning with vocabulary and discussion questions.

The War of the Wall

By Toni Cade Bambara

Me and Lou had no time for courtesies. We were late for school. So we just flat out told the painter lady to quit messing with the wall... It was our wall... We’ve been pitching pennies against that wall since we were little kids... I’d sprained my neck one time boosting my cousin Lou up to chisel Jimmy Lyons’s name into the wall when we found out he was never coming home from the war in Vietnam... “If you lean close,” Lou said... “you’ll get a whiff of bubble gum and kids’ sweat. And that’ll tell you something — that this wall belongs to the kids of Taliaferro Street.” I thought Lou sounded very convincing. But the painter lady paid us no mind.

<ul style='list-style:none; padding:0; margin:0; font-family:sans-serif; font-size:24px; color:#333; line-height:1.8;'><li>Courtesies - נימוסים</li><li>Chisel - לחצוב / לגלף</li><li>Whiff - ריח קל / משב ריח</li><li>Convincing - משכנע</li></ul>

Setting & Conflict: Paragraphs 1-3

A. Think & Share: Why did the narrator and Lou chisel Jimmy Lyons’ name into the wall? B. Turn & Talk: What two reasons does the narrator give for their conflict with the painter lady? C. Find Evidence: Find two details in the text that support the reasons for the conflict.

The painter lady was running string across the wall... Then she began chalking them with a hunk of blue chalk... Some good aromas were drifting our way from the plate... I could tell from where I stood that under the tinfoil was baked ham, collard greens, and candied yams... Me and Lou rolled our eyes, wishing somebody would send us some dinner. But the painter lady didn’t even turn around. She was pulling the strings down and prying bits of tape loose.

<ul style='list-style:none; padding:0; margin:0; font-family:sans-serif; font-size:24px; color:#333; line-height:1.8;'><li>Hunk - חתיכה גדולה</li><li>Aromas - ניחוחות</li><li>Prying - לחלץ / להוציא בכוח</li></ul>

Lou was muttering something about how great her concentration was... The painter lady was moving... scribbling all over the wall like a crazy person... “Ma’am?” The twins stepped forward. Finally the painter turned around, her eyes "full of sky," as my grandmama would say. Then she stepped down like she was in a trance... “I’ve brought my own dinner along.” And then, without even excusing herself, she went back up the ladder... Lou had to drag me away, I was so mad. We couldn’t wait to get to the firehouse to tell my daddy all about this rude woman who’d stolen our wall.

<ul style='list-style:none; padding:0; margin:0; font-family:sans-serif; font-size:24px; color:#333; line-height:1.8;'><li>Concentration - ריכוז</li><li>Trance - טראנס / מצב של חלום</li><li>Excusing - לבקש סליחה / להתנצל</li><li>Rude - גס רוח</li></ul>

Setting & Conflict: Paragraphs 4-16

Turn & Talk: In what way is the painter lady going against the customs of the community? Poll the Class: Which word best describes the painter lady? A. Rude B. Extremely focused Be prepared to defend your answer.

She came into the restaurant and leaned against the glass... talking about how starved she was... “I don’t care who your spiritual leader is,” Mama said... “If you eat in the community, sistuh, you gonna eat pig...” “Do you have any bread made with unbleached flour?” the painter lady asked... The painter lady hesitated... She finally settled on the broiled trout and a tossed salad... “You will get,” Mama said... “whatever Lou back there tossed. Now sit down.”

<ul style='list-style:none; padding:0; margin:0; font-family:sans-serif; font-size:24px; color:#333; line-height:1.8;'><li>Starved - מורעב</li><li>Spiritual - רוחני</li><li>Unbleached - לא מלובן (קמח מלא)</li><li>Hesitated - היססה</li></ul>

Setting & Conflict: Paragraphs 20-24

A. Write: In what way is the painter lady going against the expectations of the community inside the restaurant? B. Find Evidence: Mention three details that show how the people in the restaurant react to the painter lady.

Mama said she was simply trying to stick to a very strict diet... All weekend long, me and Lou tried to scheme up ways to recapture our wall... We couldn’t find any black spray paint anywhere. But in a junky hardware store downtown we found a can of white epoxy paint... We spent our whole allowance on it. When we reached the corner... it looked like a block party or something. Half the neighborhood was gathered on the sidewalk in front of the wall.

<ul style='list-style:none; padding:0; margin:0; font-family:sans-serif; font-size:24px; color:#333; line-height:1.8;'><li>Strict - קפדני</li><li>Scheme - לתכנן מזימה</li><li>Recapture - לכבוש מחדש</li><li>Epoxy - אפוקסי (דבק/צבע חזק)</li><li>Allowance - דמי כיס</li></ul>

Mama beckoned us over. And then we saw it. The wall... Reds, greens, figures outlined in black. Swirls of purple and orange... I recognized some of the faces right off. There was Martin Luther King, Jr. And there was a man with glasses... Minister Malcolm X. The serious woman with a rifle I knew was Harriet Tubman... Then I let my eyes follow what looked like a vine... When I looked more closely, I realized that what had looked like flowers were really faces. One face with yellow petals looked just like Frieda Morris.

<ul style='list-style:none; padding:0; margin:0; font-family:sans-serif; font-size:24px; color:#333; line-height:1.8;'><li>Beckoned - סימנה לבוא / קראה</li><li>Outlined - מותווים / מסורטטים בקווים</li><li>Recognized - זיהיתי</li></ul>

“These are the flags of liberation,” [Side Pocket] said... “Our liberation flag. And here Ghana, there Tanzania...” Then Lou gasped... The painter lady had found the chisel marks and had painted Jimmy Lyons’s name in a rainbow. “Read the inscription, honey,” Mrs. Morris said... To the People of Taliaferro Street I Dedicate This Wall of Respect Painted in Memory of My Cousin Jimmy Lyons

<ul style='list-style:none; padding:0; margin:0; font-family:sans-serif; font-size:24px; color:#333; line-height:1.8;'><li>Liberation - שחרור</li><li>Inscription - כתובת (חקוקה/רשומה)</li><li>Dedicate - להקדיש</li><li>Memory - זיכרון</li></ul>

Exit Ticket & Discussion

<ol style='font-size:24px; text-align:left; display:inline-block;'><li>How does the painter lady’s motivation for painting the mural resolve the conflict?</li><li>What causes the initial conflict? (a) Dislike of food (b) Disrespect to kids (c) Choice of colors</li><li>How does the author establish the painter lady as an outsider?</li><li>Which statement best expresses the theme? 'Don’t judge people before you get to know them.'</li></ol>

literature-analysis
the-war-of-the-wall
toni-cade-bambara
english-lesson
middle-school-reading
community-and-identity
mural-art

The War of the Wall

By Toni Cade Bambara

Setting & Conflict: Paragraphs 1-3

Setting & Conflict: Paragraphs 4-16

Setting & Conflict: Paragraphs 20-24

Exit Ticket & Discussion

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The War of the Wall: Community and Identity Analysis

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