Abstract The paper studies the Harlem Renaissance - the term given to a period in American history where a new focus on the African-American experience emerged. The writer of this paper shows how it was a time when African-American artists began to express their culture and at this time in history there came a new focus on the African-American artist and African-American Art. The writer introduces artist, Aaron Douglas, as someone who emerged from this time period and went on to create works which reflected the Harlem Renaissance. Some of Douglas' works are also discussed.
From the Paper "From this we see how Douglas's paintings represented modern life for African-Americans. Rather than their African life, his paintings reflect the life of African-Americans within America. While the subject of the works was modern, Douglas also incorporated his African culture by his focus on African forms, with his style being described as "flat with hard edges and repetitive designs... heavily influenced by African sculptures, jazz music, dance and geometric forms" (Schomburg Center)."
Abstract This paper introduces us to the author Phillis Wheatley and one of her poems that was written about the lives of slaves in the United States. The author gives a brief historical overview and biography of Ms. Wheatley before going on to discuss her poem, "Being Brought From Africa." Ms. Wheatley's importance as a black author who made significant contributions to American literature is also discussed. The paper illustrates the author's intense religious beliefs which allowed her to have a very unique outlook on life and her position in the family in which she served when she was brought to America in the late 1800s.
From the Paper "This poem is probably one of the most famous of Wheatley's work, and it is often reproduced in print and on the Internet. The simple eight lines are short, but they tell quite a story in only a few words. Marsha Watson said of this poem, ?Read literally, the first quatrain has struck many critics as a shocking example of Wheatley's willingness to ?sell her blackness for a pottage of white acceptability.? But read metaphorically, as multilayered discourse, "On Being Brought" chronicles Wheatley's metaphysical, poetic journey from the hopeless and powerless mortality of an ancient pagan mythos, to the Christian promise of ultimate spiritual liberty and redemption? (Watson 123)."
This paper introduces and discusses some of Richard Wright's social themes (e.g., racism) in his short stories, focusing specifically on ?Black Boy,? and ?Native Son.?
Abstract The following paper examines the way in which Wright's work filled a gap in African-American literature. The writer discusses Wright's power of slave narratives in his collection of four long stories about racial violence in the South. Although many of his themes are difficult or uncomfortable to read, his work is still studied for its power and emotional intensity.
From the Paper ?Richard Wright was born in Mississippi in 1908 and died in 1960. During his rather brief lifetime, he completed several novels, and books of poems, all dealing with black issues and ideas. Two of his most famous works are ?Black Boy,? and ?Native Son,? which this paper will discuss.
While Wright may not have faced many of the problems his slave grandparents did, he still had many hurdles before America accepted him as a writer. "Wright nevertheless was faced with daunting barriers to literary achievement: racism, poverty, family problems, religion, and a modest formal education" (Felgar 1). Wright lived for a time in Chicago, where he set ?Native Son,? and when he died in 1960, he was living in Paris. He worked for a time as a postal worker before he began writing in the 1930s. His work was acclaimed, but he still found racism in the United States, which is why he moved his family to France (Hancuff).?
Abstract This paper is an overview of Afro-American history, beginning with slavery in the 1700s. The author looks at how slavery affected the nuclear family, both economically and psychologically, and how this pattern continues to be prevalent in today's Afro-American families. Some of the issues discussed include, the owner-slave relationship, marriages between slaves and how slavery affected children and their identity. The paper also looks at the post-Emancipation period and the hardships that the freed slaves continued to encounter including poverty, unemployment and racial discrimination. According to the author, migration from the South to the North was one of the most significant changes that occurred as a result of Emancipation. The Afro-American families' strong bond, which may not be categorized as a
'traditional' but 'extended' family can be traced back to the period of slavery and in this author's opinion, shows the strengths of the community as a whole.
From the Paper "Roberson reported that some of the migrating families were quite large, with six or seven children. It could be very difficult to find housing to old a family of that size, even with extensive family and community support. So often, these parents would have to make hard decisions to break the family apart, at least temporarily. Some of the children would be taken in by aunts and uncles, but given that the extended family was so strong, connected and well bonded together, this wasn?t as wrenching as it might have been. The extended family continued to watch out for and support the new arrivals until they had work and a place to stay. (Roberson, accessed 2002)"
Abstract This paper is a review of the collection of essays in W.E.B. Dubois' "The Souls of Black Folk." The writer presents a short biography of William Edward Burghart Dubois, who was active in the civil rights movement and is identified as one of the most influential black intellectuals of the last century. Dubois' life experiences influenced his political and personal agenda and set him aside from other black leaders of his time. The book includes chapters on the civil rights movement and the history of the American Negro, with most of its content being influenced by his own experiences.
From the Paper "The Souls of Black Folk was first published in 1903 with Dubois declaring in the foreword ?the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line,? (The Souls, ?Forethought,? p. 1) and setting the stage for a groundbreaking treatise on the condition and soul of the black community. It is interesting to look at what the critics and the white community thought of the book at the time. In a review published in the New York Times on April 23, 1903, the reviewer attacks Dubois? credentials for understanding the Southern black folks, as he was a black man of northern education who could not feel what the Southerners (Black or White) felt. The reviewer concluded that the fundamental attitude (of the whites about blacks) was the product of conditions prevailing over centuries and was comparable to the attitude of the gentry over the peasantry in other countries. (Quoted by Rydell, 1996)."
Abstract This is a paper that analyzes and evaluates the disagreement between Martin Luther King Jr. and Lewis Van Dusen Jr. over the ethics of civil disobedience. The writer details each argument, asks how each argument can be doubted, discusses why the disputants disagree and concludes the paper by discussing which of the two arguments is stronger.
From the Paper "However, if one considers the implication of the argument of both the revolutionists, it could be seen that King bases most of his arguments on his observation in society. His knowledge of the law as well as his years among the poor, contribute a great deal to his opinion. In formulating his argument, King did not consider how civil disobedience would affect the "other half". The question is whether it is justified for the other half of the society to raise the issue of civil disobedience in the same manner that he is presenting for the African American society. He may have astutely presented the fact that civil ethics dictates everyone should have equal rights but did he consider what would happen if everyone were to have legal say in the matter of governing a nation?"
Abstract A paper which presents a detailed examination of history. Using Anne Moody's book, "The Coming of Age in Mississippi" where one can get a clear picture of what civil rights meant to many African-Americans, the writer of this paper discusses many aspects of coming of age and historical significance. The paper also discusses the themes of anger and black poverty in the book.
From the Paper "Moody's legacy was relevant in the 21st century because without it the changes may never have taken place. The changes were slow in coming and without the anger and approaches that Moody took and encouraged others to follow we might still be in the ages before the civil rights movements and that would be a tragedy not only to the black population but to the entire nation for the contributions the world would be missing for keeping the blacks down and oppressed."
Tags: 1960?s, Civil, Rights, movement, Martin, Luther, King
Abstract This paper reviews and summarizes the book, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl". It looks at the various degrees of treatment of slaves, raised in the book and establishes the stance that slavery was a prevalent practice throughout America before its abolishment, existing in varying degrees of freedom, from slave, through free-colored individual, to white American.
From the Paper "In her book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs relates to the readers her experiences as a slave girl in the Southern part of America. Her story started from her sheltered life as a child to her subordination to her mistress upon her father's death, and her continuing struggle to live a dignified and virtuous life despite being a slave. Her struggle involves her constant degradation from her master; the danger of being sexually exploited by her mistress? husband, Dr Flint; her broken relationship with a free colored man; her pregnancy to a man named Mr Sands; and her fight for her and her children's freedom from slavery. All of these experiences helped Linda learn to fight justly for her right to become a free individual, but most of all, to be subordinated to Dr Flint, the man who wanted so bad to exploit her, yet, was not able to because of Linda's vigilance and determination not to be forever bounded by the rule of slavery, that is, that she, her children, and her descendants will forever be the slaves of the Flint family."
Abstract This paper presents a discussion of issues related to transracial foster care and adoption.The issues outlined here include those of identity and role-modeling, and the ability of parents to understand fully the experiences of their child of a different race. A review of the relevant literature on racial identity is provided.
From the Paper "A multiracial/cross racial/transracial foster care arrangement can be described as one in which there is a "foster care arrangement for a child who is of a different racial heritage than the individual or individuals who are providing the foster care." (Kenny)
Closely related to the issue of transracial foster care is transracial adoption. Transracial adoption presents the same kinds of problems as does transracial foster care. Children of ethnic minorities who are adopted by white parents do not have a minority role-model in the immediate family to look up to, and therefore may be more influenced by the wider society's devaluation of their ethnic identity. Development of a strong ethnic or racial identity will be hampered by not growing up in a home where the parents and siblings are members of that same group. Additionally, white parents will never be able to fully understand discrimination in the way that minority parents can, and therefore, however well intentioned they may be, they will never be able to provide the kind of support and advice regarding societal discrimination that adoptive parents of the same race would be able to provide."
Abstract This paper examines the play "A Raisin in the Sun", by African- American playwright Lorraine Hansberry. The paper describes the playwright's life and provides a synopsis of the plays events. The paper states that the moral of this play is as long as people try to do their best for their families, they can lift each other up.
From the Paper "Lorraine Hansberry's " A Raisin in the Sun" was the first play written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway in 1959. Moreover, Hansberry was the youngest and the first black writer to receive the New York Drama Critics Award. She was deeply committed to equality and human rights, and her play approaches important issues and concerns regarding the African-American racial identity and discrimination, and poverty."
Tags: africian, american, play, playwrite, new, york, drama, critics, award, balck, women, racial, identity, a, discrimination, poverty
Abstract The paper introduces Benjamin Banneker, an African American born in 1731, who made enormous contributions to the study of mathematics. The paper discusses his spheres of interest in the field, including clock building, astronomy, tide and weather. It discusses, too, his widely publicized almanac that served as a contradiction to the American belief that blacks were inferior, and his contribution to the building of the city of Washington D.C.
From the Paper "In addition to creating America's first clock, his studies in astronomy made a mathematical calculations of the stars and constellations, which he used to correctly predict a solar eclipse that took place on April 14, 1789. Furthermore, Banneker was not quiet about this contradiction. Infact, he was a social critic of slavery. Thus, it was this reason and an attempt to promote change; he sent a copy of his first Almanac to Thomas Jefferson."
Abstract This paper examines the Ann Petry novel "The Street". It describes the story of the female African-American heroine's life as a single mother in Harlem. The paper demonstrates Petry's use of her main character to explore the limitation of the American capitalist system, when issues of gender and race are concern. The author writes that the novel is a tragic reality of the sufferings of African-American people in one of the most prosperous capitalist societies of the world. The paper describes how the novel is American naturalistic tradition through the depiction of real life on the streets of Harlem.
From the Paper "Ann Petry's "The Street" is a story about Lutie Johnson, an intelligent, strong, and beautiful black woman who does her best to raise an eight-year-old son as a single parent, advance in her job, and work her way out of the Harlem streets. Petry uses Lutie Johnson as a medium to explore the limitations of the American capitalist system; the role of race and gender in perpetuating violence, poverty and failure; and the societal restrictions that restrict and oppress the female gender, especially black women. "
Tags: women, black, single, paprent, harlem, captialism, race, gender, female
Abstract The paper shows how African-Americans Fredrick Douglass and Richard Wright both wrote books that dealt with their challenges for the pursuit of knowledge. It shows how both of these men dealt with adversity but triumphed over it in different ways. The paper discusses essays from "The Life and Times of Fredrick Douglass" and Richard Wright's "Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth" to compare the life and struggles of the two.
From the Paper "Douglass's story took place earlier than Wright's story; Douglass learned to read by overcoming great challenges. He would read from a bible that he had found in gutter. He would have the neighborhood boys teach him new letters and words. He thought up creative ways to learn. He learned that knowledge was the key to fighting slavery. If a person can read, he posses a knowledge that could be used to raise anti-slavery support. If Douglass could read, he might be able one day to find freedom. However, he had to hide his knowledge from his masters and the whole of society for fear of being punished."
Abstract This paper traces the life of one of the most controversial Muslim leaders of America, Malcolm X. It focuses on the changes that his ideologies and beliefs underwent through the course of his life and it examines the events and incidents that caused those changes. The paper is based on Alex Haley's biography, entitled "The Autobiography of Malcolm X", and it includes evaluative comments on Haley's book.
From the Paper "Malcolm X, the most influential Black Muslim leader, was a man whose views and personality underwent so many changes that the final version of him bore little or no resemblance to the original one. In the book, "Autobiography of Malcolm X", Alex Haley has highlighted all the changes that his political and social ideologies encountered and this helps us understand the complex multi-faceted personality of the man who had a profound impact on Black Muslims in America. The paper covers all the changes and carefully analyzes the events and incidents that caused those changes."
An analysis of two of this author's short stories, "Cora Unashamed" and "Feet Live Their Own Life" , as examples of the standard theme of racial prejudice seen in his work.
Abstract The paper begins with a brief biography of Langston Hughes. A summary and analysis of two of his short stories follows, demonstrating his use of the theme of racial prejudice and black slavery in America as in most of his works. The imagery used in each story to illustrate his points is examined.
From the Paper "Langston Hughes was a renowned African-American writer, poet, playwright and lecturer who used the themes of racial prejudice and white-and black- American conflict in his literary works. He was known for publishing book volumes of different kinds of poetry, and for his love of jazz music. Born in Missouri, James Langston Hughes was said to be born to an ?abolitionist family,? wherein he was a relative of the first Black American to be elected in public office, which is John Mercer Langston (Jackson 2002). Hughes? life was always full of adventure and travels, and these experiences helped him create different plots and settings for his literary works. Hughes was already writing poems during his high school years, and even published his works in the school organ, the Central High Monthly."
Tags: poet, playwright, black, abolitionist, submissive, economic, power, race, color
