Abstract This paper reviews JeanToomer's "Cane", including some powerful vignettes, which highlight just how damaging it can be for men when they do not understand and appreciate women as whole, three-dimensional beings. The paper stresses that each of the central male characters in Toomer's vignettes actually, themselves, create a distance and isolation from the very "thing" they obsess about: getting close to women. The author believes that looking at each of Toomer's vignettes and seeing how each of the male characters creates his own isolation by not seeing the whole woman clearly opens up new questions about the author himself. Maybe Toomer perceives women as flatly as some of his fictionalized male counterparts.
From the Paper "The anonymous "young men" and "old men" in "Karintha" all long in vain to have the lovely young beauty whose ?skin is like dusk, when the sun goes down.? Karintha is put on a pedestal, her idyllic beauty allowing men to project onto her all the ideals associated with beauty, like goodness and innocence. They ignore any aspect of her personality which doesn?t fit with their idea of Karintha; her mischievousness, even her proclivity for cruelty. The men adore Karintha blindly, faun over her and give her money, but instead of making her love them, they cause the opposite affect. We are told that Karintha ?has contempt for them.? "
Abstract This paper reviews JeanToomer's book, "Cane", explaining the book as an extension of the author's self, character, and beliefs that had been shaped by his rather affluent upbringing, the changing definition of race in 1920s, and by an inability to acquire one specific racial identity. The paper contends that Toomer had never experienced the negative impact of racial segregation and was given equal access to black and white social circles. This had resulted in weakening of a racial identity. The paper describes how Toomer refused to classify himself as a white or black and this laid the foundation of the non-racial ideology that was later found in his book, "Cane".
From the Paper "When Cane was published in 1923, critics and famous writers including W. E. B. Du Bois, William Stanley Braithwaite, immediately received it and Sherwood Anderson as part of new and emerging African American Literature since it's author was a black man. Toomer was seen as solid new voice for African Americans as Braithwaite claimed: ?we come upon the very first artist of the race, who . . . can write about the Negro without the surrender or compromise of the artist's vision. . . . Cane is a book of gold and bronze, of dusk and flame, of ecstasy and pain, and Jean Toomer is a bright morning star of a new day of the race in literature." Similarly Anderson termed Toomer's work "the first Negro work I have seen that strikes me as being really Negro.? Toomer appreciated such valuable observations but was still uncomfortable with the idea of being labeled a Negro writer. A man who had repudiated racial identity a long time back was not willing to let others put him in a certain categories of writers. He even denied James Weldon Johnson the permission to reprint some of his poems from Cane in The Book of American Negro Poetry saying: ?"My poems are not Negro poems, nor are they Anglo-Saxon or white or English poems. My prose likewise. They are, first, mine. And, second, in so far as general race or stock is concerned, they spring from the result of racial blending here in America, which has produced a new race or stock. We may call this stock the American stock or race." "
Abstract Although both Ernest Hemingway and JeanToomer use nature imagery to great advantage in their short stories "Big Two-Hearted River" and "Blood-Burning Moon", the manner in which the imagery impacts the story is decidedly different. Hemingway paints a picture of nature and man as one symbiotic entity, showing, in his character Nick, a feeling of peace and of comradeship with the natural surroundings. Toomer uses nature as an omen, a boding message to the characters in the story, forewarning of evil and disaster. Both authors use nature images to paint their narrative pictures; both authors, however, paint very different pictures.
Abstract Dusk is portrayed as an image of fusion in JeanToomer's "Cane". It shows something to be both ending and beginning at the same time. Dusk joins light and dark, day and night, and most importantly, black and white. This paper explains that it is a time of merging, a time of vagueness, and a time of ambiguity. It discusses how Toomer's writing is marked by patterns of imagery that find their roots in dusk. Compelling evidence of dusk seems to lie in the murkiness of both the atmospheres and the characterizations of Karintha, Becky, Carma, Fern, Esther, and Louisa. The paper also shows how each of these characters had their own "dusky" stories to tell.
From the Paper "Dusk is portrayed to be a reflection of Karintha's soul in the novel Cane. Imagery can be seen joining the light and dark, ?"perfect as dusk when the sun goes down" (Toomer, 3). In my opinion, this shows Toomer's wish for the merging of the two races. The light and dark images seen in this particular excerpt can signify Toomer's underlying dream for a merging of the two races; especially by his use of racially mixed characters. His vision of the future, essentially, is where race in no longer the basis of identity. Toomer desperately wanted the colors to merge in his characters; creating a race-free society just like the merging of colors in dusk. After all, dusk is the intermediary between the golden light of the sun and the darkness of the moon; it is where color merging takes place."
Abstract This paper discusses the use of metaphor in two short poems, "Portrait in Georgia" by JeanToomer and "In a station at the Metro" by Exra Pound, showing how metaphor shapes meaning and crates imagery.
Abstract This paper discusses JeanToomer's book of short stories as a reflection of social attitudes toward racial matters, including issues of assimilation and multiculturalism and the marginalization of blacks.
From the Paper "Jean Toomer's book Cane reflects social attitudes toward race and racial matters and so can be linked to the statement by W.E.B. DuBois that "the problem of the 20th Century is the problem of the color line." Race itself becomes a source of social and ..."
Abstract This paper analyzes, compares and contrasts their beliefs and writings of African American authors Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. The paper demonstrates how the two were as different in their attitude toward racial progress as they were in their styles of writing. While both men wrote about race and were concerned with bettering the plight of African Americans, the paper explains that they had very different philosophies about how to accomplish social change. Citing their writing, the paper argues that Washington believed the acquisition of jobs for Blacks was most important, because economic freedom would automatically about social and cultural change. Du Bois, on the other hand, believed in careful political organization and individual action for the improvement of the community and the betterment of society at large. The paper concludes with an analysis of Du Bois' theory on double-consciousness, relating it to contemporary author JeanToomer, a protege of Du Bois.
From the Paper "Du Bois was committed to an integrationist vision combined with an assertion of a proud cultural heritage; he had a vision of a certain role that the black man should fill in Americans in society; and he believed in full civil liberties, the abolition of racial discrimination. Both men were interested in education. Du Bois believed that education should nurture the growth of culture and felt that education and a university system could transform personal and racial relationships, while Washington favored vocational training for Blacks. Booker T. Washington's "up from slavery" was an overly optimistic account of his life and of race relations in America; it followed the lines of his general philosophy of trusting the paternalism of the southern whites, accepting the fact of white supremacy and accommodating white oppression. Washington emphasized the mutual interdependence of blacks and whites in the south but also felt that they were to remain socially separated."
Abstract The paper reports on the company and the product "Apple Bottoms Jeans", a line of women's jeans designed by a rapper named Nelly and sold through a distribution company. The paper examines how Nelly designs the clothing and his cousin operates the company. The paper further examines how the company does its own marketing, and the product is sold through an association with the music world, as well as other endorsements and methods of marketing.
From the Paper "Apple Bottom Jeans is a company that has had considerable success in a relatively short period of time. It is also a company with an unusual genesis, having been created by a hip-hop artist who designed a pair of jeans for women and has since marketed those jeans in a very effective manner."
Abstract This paper compares Michel Foucault and Jean-Francois Lyotard, both early postmodern philosophers, through the use of two of their works, as well as other sources. These works are Foucault's "The Body of the Condemned" and Lyotard's "The Postmodern Condition". In addition to these works, other information about Foucault and Lyotard is used to indicate the similarities and differences between these two works, their philosophies and their beliefs. While the two works are analyzed, the overall philosophies of Foucault and Lyotard are also addressed.
Outline:
Michel Foucault
Jean-Francois Lyotard
Conclusion
From the Paper "Foucault fits into the general philosophical tradition, but it is the critical tradition, similar to Kant, and most of what Foucault writes about and proclaims is a very critical history where human nature and thought is concerned (Foucault, n.d.). This does not mean that the history of ideas that he discusses is also an analysis of the errors that might be seen when issues are examined after the fact. Instead, it should be taken to mean that Foucault's work is an analysis based on the relationship between object and subject, and what conditions are seen to either form or modify those relationships (Foucault, n.d.)."
Abstract This paper discusses and analyzes both Faulkner's and Toomer's works, which include characters who are in some way alienated from society because of their differences from the mainstream. It offers examples from the texts, highlighting characters affected by racism and sexual identity.
From the Paper "Fern's identity, however, lies much deeper than her eyes and beauty for "like her face, the whole countryside seemed to flow into her eyes" and "through her eyes she is filled, informed, and incarnates the mystery of the universe." Her complex identity also comes from the mixture of African, Georgian and Judaism. Because of the way that men viewed Fern, they "were everlastingly bringing her their bodies," as well as other gifts and money, instead of love and care. They see her a part, separate, untouchable as a virgin"
Tags: literature, sexual, racial, identity, character
Abstract This paper reviews the intertwined, complicated history of denim jean fabric and how the name came about. This paper also takes a look at how the denim jean fabric has had an impact on society, fashion and culture.
Contents:
Introduction
The Origin of Jeans Technical Aspects: What is Denim?
The History of Blue Jeans Impact on Society
Conclusion
From the Paper "There are several sources which ascribe various meanings to the word denim. Many of the source books on the subject state that denim is derived from the English translation of the South of France French phrase 'serge de Nimes'. Denim fashion history has therefore become associated with Serge de Nimes. (Denim Jeans - Fashion History). The Serge de Nimes was originally a wool silk mix, twill weave. There was also fabric which was known as "nim" in France and both these fabrics were composed partly of wool. (A history of Denim)
The word "Jeans" is considered by most source to come from 'Genoese'. This was the name give to Italian sailors in Genoa who "...when at sea dressed in blue fustian fabric composed of a cotton and wool or linen blend." (The Blue Jeans Story) Another European fabric made from a cotton, linen and wool blend "... was known as 'jean' after the sailors of Genoa, Italy, who wore it." (Denim Jeans - Fashion History)"
Abstract The ideology of Jeans in the United States has been changing for decades due to the shift in pop culture. Because of the diversity of American culture, the idea behind the jeans has evolved from hard-working to self identification. The author examines the changing symbolic significance of jeans for American society over time and the symbol they serve for popular culture.
From the Paper "Jeans, or to be exact, blue jeans, have been carrying its very symbolic significance for America over the last 150 years. For the past century and a half, the culture of jeans has changed the ideological symbolism from initial proletarian wardrobes (toughness, independence, and hardworking) in the mid-nineteenth century to modern twenty-first century representation of selfness (uniqueness, individuality, and personal styles). Not only has the ideology changed over time, but the jeans per se, its design, style, embellishment, or even marketing strategy also change from "western-era" plain style emphasizing durability, through "rebellious-period" creative style stressing anti-tradition, to "post-war epoch" advocating casualness, following neck-and-neck along the societal pulsation. Jeans therefore can serve as an accurate barometer of trends in contemporary, now and then, popular cultures."
Abstract This paper explains that the legendary pirate, Jean Laffite, who lived from 1780 to 1825 (approximately), was born in Bayonne, France. The family eventually migrated to the Island of Espanola from where the Laffite brothers sailed the Gulf and the Caribbean and were involved in many privateering missions. The author points out that a pardon was offered to Laffite in 1814 by the British if he would assist them in attacking New Orleans, but Lafitte refused and informed the U.S. of the plans, which resulted in Lafitte fighting for Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 and receiving a pardon from President James Madison. The paper relates that Laffite sailed to Mugeres Island, which is off the Yucatan coast, where he continued his pirating activities until sometime around the year of 1825 when he became "mortally ill," returned to the mainland, and died.
Table of Contents
Jean Laffite
Laffite and Governor Claiborne
Laffite and General Jackson: The Battle of New Orleans
Laffite: The Hero
Conclusion
From the Paper "The U.S. Army and Navy attacked Laffite and captured some of his ships. Laffite still announcing his loyalty to the United States offered his assistance to the worn and weary troops of General Andrew Jackson defending New Orleans in exchange for a full pardon for himself and his men. General Jackson accepted the proposition and Laffite and his men, now called the Baratarians, fought with all their might in the Battle of New Orleans, which took place in December of 1814 and January of 1815. General Jackson said that Laffite was "one of the ablest men" in battle and a proclamation of pardon was issued by James Madison, President, for Laffite and his men."
Abstract This paper explains that Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a self taught filmmaker that treats the medium as an art form in which the details of the craft are just as important, or even more important, than the subject matter itself. The author points out that Jean-Pierre is one of few true film auteurs, who enjoys taking part in almost every aspect of filmmaking from writing the script, storyboarding, set design all the way through the editing process. The paper analyzes his films "Delicatessen" (1992), "City of Lost Children" (1995) and "A Very Long Engagement" (2005); however, the primary focus is on "Amelie" (2001), his most famous film and the first film he wrote and directed alone.
From the Paper "While the look and style of his films come from several sources and could be highly debatable, the main themes and tone come from entirely different influences. In other words, while German expressionism can be spotted right away on the set of "Delicatessen" with its angular, shadowy and dark exteriors--neither the characters nor the overall tone of the movie goes along with the ideas of German expressionism. Satirical comedies and light heartedness do not coincide with the style of German expressionism or French new wave."
