The Sky Is Gray, Part 1 (1980)

[Music] the world that Ernest J Gaines writes about often has as its source and Center a feeling for life in a place called The Quarters that area of a plantation once set aside for the housing of slaves most men and women who lived in that world never expected to leave it even the dead state interred in the quarter's own tiny cemeteries more than 70 years after slavery was legally abolished the concept of the quarters was still very much alive as housing for field hands and sharecroppers Ernest gains knows because he was born in just such surroundings the year was 1933 the place was called riverlake Plantation in Oscar Louisiana he worked the same Fields his parents had worked when they were young and his grandparents and great-grandparents before them but then when he was 15 years old Ernest left the quarters he got out and he began to write about that world his early work reached only a small audience but then he published a novel about a 110y old black woman called The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman and it brought him worldwide recognition in Miss Jane as as well as in his other works he writes of the search for self-respect and dignity that every person every child especially must undertake the story we were about to see is called the sky is gray it's about a young boy and his mother who take a simple yet momentous Journey from the quarters into town on one cold winter day in the early 1940s it's a day that will bring some powerful lessons to our young hero for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh for [Music] still hurting huh you can't talk you ain't tell nobody I sure will to somebody my tooth was hurting me I sure will to [Music] somebody all right y'all hit it James your mama be through cutting everything by the time you get there you too t where you at James how long your teeth been hurting you I ain't got no tet who jaw was you holding last night go in there and get you some aspirin jig it down there wrap it up in some cotton first [Music] [Music] [Music] it's Mr B come on [Music] [Music] R my my fault James come here you done caught a couple of birds in your traps I did oh mama can I keep her me and I could train him and I could raise him Mama Rosemary get me a Fulk TI make a find meal Octavian I got it I got it Annie I can't James take this F please Mom I can't kill him take this F James get him out of there I can't mama get him out of there James give it here that's one get all them please Mama I'll do anything but but don't make me do this James get him out of there get him out James get him out Octavia explain to the child don't just beat him came to him James get him out D on [Music] [Music] James myy you did a good job sure did yep a pretty good job I needed meat [Music] how you feel James tomorrow we going to town but it ain't hurt me no more Mama see I I anything on I can get the work done you're going to town tomorrow I'm tired going to bed night y'all you and Ty don't be too far behind me James that boy just like his daddy it's a damn shame the way they took him away and ain't even give Octavia enough to help with them cheing but that's the Army for you they didn't get me and they ain't ever going to get me shh you going to wake them up SIDS they don't need to hear that well it's a God's truth she's working out in them Fields rain and shine trying to make ends meet and it just ain't right but a a sweet little thing like you shouldn't have to mess herself up out working in them Fields all right all right but one day they going to find out well all we can do is what we doing rest is in his hands ain't for us to question yep yep I guess you're right but I F them let's talk about me and you we you just be quiet all right I'll be quiet I ain't saying nothing honey oh that's a niad I got enough to go and come back let's see dollar and a half half's tooth p Niel for me to go a nickel for him time to come back got 50 cents left guess I could get a little piece of salt with that sure can use it white beans and no salt meat just ain't white beans sure a better get ready we can catch the noon bus and still work the fields this afternoon [Music] [Music] James [Music] a n [Music] n [Music] you [Music] stay in front of me [Music] spe [Music] [Music] pretty good is that your friend in there that's my friend John Lee Williams in the dentist what's his name man I thought they was killing you in there Hing like a pig under a gate why the Lord let that child suffer like that is not for us to question sometimes maybe we should I know definitely we shouldn't why why by anything why he let us poor folks suffer the most I don't understand it not to try he works in mysterious ways as wonders to perform we should question and question question everything maybe you can explain what you mean I meant what I said question everything me and this lady was talking about God question him too wait a minute just wait a minute show me one reason to believe in the existence of a God my heart tells me my heart tells me my heart pumps blood throughout my body nothing else we supposed to question everything Freedom Liberty God white color what do all those words mean this what we educating them for to be mad at the world you ain't educating me now I wash dishes at night so I can go to school in the day because I ask questions you call me mad I'm sorry for you you feel sorry for yourself because a white man told you to believe in God and why to keep you ignorant so can keep his foot on your neck so now it's ignorant too yeah you ignant get up boy you forgot the other cheek it ain't changed the thing [Music] I beide for you y'all excuse me I I come back some other time please excuse me for