Aship lost at sea for many days suddenly sighted a friendly vessel. from the mast of the unfortunate vessel was seen a signal,“water, water; we die of thirst! ” the answer from the friendly vessel at once came back, “cast down your bucket where you are.” a second time the signal, “water, water; send us water! ” ran up from the distressed vessel, and was answered, “cast down your bucket where you are.” and a third and fourth signal for water was answered, “cast down your bucket where you are.” the captain of the distressed vessel, at last heeding the injunction, cast down his bucket, and it came up full of fresh, sparkling water from the mouth of the amazon river. to those of my race who depend on bettering their condition in a foreign land or who underestimate the importance of cultivating friendly relations with the southern white man, who is their next-door neighbor, i would say: “cast down your bucket where you are”— cast it down in making friends in every manly way of the people of all races by whom we are surrounded." - booker t. washington "atlanta compromise" speech, 1895 what did washington mean at the end of the speech when he said, “cast down your bucket where you are? ” a) only people with buckets could understand the metaphor. b) always cast your bucket so that you can bring up clean water. c) both races were responsible for friendly relations in their own homes and towns. d) both races needed to remain separate and learn how to live in peace without interacting with others.

answer; ///i believe the correct answer is (b) the writing of the ancients who lived in india after the indus valley inhabitants died out;

dear friend:

  i hope this letter finds you in soaring spirits and vibrant health. as you had expressed the wish to know about culture, traditions, and unity of india in your previous letter, in the following lines i have tried my best to give you glimpses of our culture, traditions, and unity. you will be amazed to know that our culture is the oldest culture in the world and the birth place of hinduism, buddhism, jainism, and sikhism. you won’t find any other culture as varied and multi-colored, multi-lingual as ours. each region has its own unique culture, traditions, language. there are 22 official languages in india.

  basically, india is a spiritual country with orthodox traditions. for example the people of india believe in traditions set by their wise forefathers. arranged marriages, joint-family system, universal brotherhood, vegetarianism, celebrating festivals such as diwali, holi, eid, etc., are the salient features of our culture and traditions.

  another unique aspect about our country is ‘unity in diversity’. in spite of the multi-lingual, multi-religious, multi-traditional, multi-cultural society, people live peacefully together, respecting one another’s views, cultures, traditions, and differences. i am sure you would love to visit india soon, and have a first-hand experience of the multi-colored culture. give regards to uncle and aunt. do visit india with your family and experience our hospitality.

your friend,

f 5 , h