Choosing your own path
As a refresher, since everyone has read the text already, "Down By the Riverside" follows Mann, a black man, as he navigates through the flooding of the Mississippi river. Mann is forced to use a stolen boat in order to take his pregnant wife to the hospital. On the way, the owner of the boat, a white man, tires to shoot Mann, but is shot and killed in self-defense. At the hospital though, the doctors have to break the unfortunate news that his wife is dead. Shortly after, Mann is drafted by soldiers to help rescue people stranded by the flood. In a twisted turn of events, he is sent to rescue the family of the stolen boat, who recognize him. Although he first tries to pretend they are not home, he also considers killing them with his axe, he decides against it as the house suddenly shifts around him. Once the boat arrives to safety, the white family quickly alerts the authorities of Mann's crime, and he is apprehended. He breaks free and attempts to run away, but is ...