Reflecting Group 6

This time period was rawer and everyone told the truth about what they were going through and about the things that were going on around them. There are many great authors in the time period Literature Since 1975.

1. Pick your favorite author and one of their poems and analyze it?
Or
2. Pick one of the authors that you do not like and analyze one of the poems you do not like?
This is my response to the question above, posted by Lakeshia…
One of my favorite authors of this time period is Maya Angelou
Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou, she describes the basic feelings and descriptions of a person that does not need loathing or people to try and lift her up. She shows us that she and all those oppressed in general are strong. We are shown some of the thoughts and feelings people have displayed against her, but the reality is she won't let them get her down. Her moral opulence allows her to rise above where her ancestors fell to slavery, carrying herself as a strong woman. Her ancestors' dream was to have a life in society without fear of what might happen (to them). The author is portrayed as this dream - this gift - her ancestors imagined. Still I Rise is a sublime, straightforward poem that acknowledges that we need not depend upon anyone else's opinion but our own. Maya expresses not only her good qualities, but also her unfavorable ones, yet even these are turned into positive ideas. This poem can only be read by us now because she has confidence in herself, her writing, and can express it so freely.

Black Arts Era

This is my response to Kelly McCann, her question was… Discuss how the civil rights movement and the difficulties it faced affected the literature of the time period using examples from the assigned readings.
The Civil Rights movement faced a lot of adversity during its active years, especially in the Southern states where segregation and racial tension were still evident. Members of the Civil Rights movement were often arrested and imprisoned, despite the fact that they often used nonviolent demonstrations to promote their cause. Nonviolence was often countered with violence, which administered tremendous pressure on the Civil Rights movement to find the strength to stand up and continue fighting for their cause. The Civil Rights Movement took place between the years of 1955 and 1968, making it an integral part of the Black Arts era. The Black Power movement was initiated simultaneously along with the Civil Rights movement and helped broaden the objectives that the Civil Rights movement sought to achieve. Among these objectives were desegregation and freedom from racial oppression. Some of the organizations that had a hand in the Civil Rights movement included the NAACP, CORE, SNCC and SCLC. Some of the well known individuals who were heavily involved in the Civil Rights movement included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., W.E.B. DuBois, Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks. Perhaps the most active and outspoken advocate for the Civil Rights movement, Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Due to the immense impact that the Civil Rights movement had on the African American community at the time, its effect on the Black Arts era literature was inevitable. Some examples of the influence that the Civil Rights movement had on the assigned readings include “In Memoriam: Martin Luther King, Jr.” by June Jordan, and “Riot” by Gwendolyn Brooks. Both of these poems were based on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the aforementioned leader of the Civil Rights movement.

Sonia Sanchez: Blog 11

My blog is about Sonia Sanchez and some of her works. Sonia was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She attended Hunter College. At the beginning she was an integrationist poet, until she heard a speech from Malcolm X and her views became more geared towards vernacular poetry. In the late sixties she helped forward the movement for black studies at San Francisco State College. In 1972 she formally entered into the nation of Islam. Her book homegirls & handgrenades won the American Book Award in 1985. In her poem Homecoming I think she is talking about the difference of how things are when she was there before and how they are now that she has come home. She talks about the Niggers are killing themselves with drugs and how the females looked like they lost all aspirations for their dreams. Then she finishes by saying “ain’t like they say in the newspapers”. With that statement I’m guessing that the newspapers are saying that everything is well, it’s not reporting the bad things going on. In her poem “for our lady” she is addressing Billie Holiday, a jazz vocalist frequently referred to as Lady Day. She is talking about how much better Billie Holiday’s music could have been. For the first half she talks about if someone would have loved Billie from her younger days that her music would have been that much better. The second half she talks about is a man would have been in her life and treated her right; her music would have been that much better. I think Sanchez made this because she feels like maybe Billie Holiday was dealt a rough life. And she feels like with different situations that Billie Holiday could have been that much better of a Musician.

Realism, Naturalism, Modernism (1940-1960)

My period was Realism, Naturalism, and Modernism. I was responsible for the introduction and overview of the time period. My questions for you are...Which writer/ poet/ playwright had the most impact on African American literature during this time period. And support your answer with evidence

Character summary of Their Eyes Were Watching God.

My blog is about a character summary of Their Eyes were Watching God. The characters I am going to give discriptions about are Janie, Tea Cake, and Jody Starks.
Janie- Although Their Eyes Were Watching God revolves around Janie's relationships with other people, it is first and foremost a story of Janie's search for spiritual enlightenment and a strong sense of her own identity. When we first and last see Janie, she is alone. The novel is not the story of her quest for a partner but rather that of her quest for a secure sense of independence. Janie's development along the way can be charted by studying her use of language and her relationship to her own voice.
Tea Cake- Tea Cake functions as the catalyst that helps drive Janie toward her goals. Like all of the other men in Janie's life, he plays only a supporting role. Before his arrival, Janie has already begun to find her own voice, as is demonstrated when she finally stands up to Jody. As we see at the end of the novel, after Tea Cake's death, Janie remains strong and hopeful; therefore, it's fair to say that Janie is not dependent on Tea Cake. Nevertheless, he does play a crucial role in her development.
Jody Starks- Jody's character is opposite that of Tea Cake. He is cruel, conceited, and uninterested in Janie as a person. But his cruelty is not a result of any specific animosity toward Janie; rather, it is a reflection of the values that he holds and the way that he understands his relationship to the world. Jody depends on the exertion of power for his sense of himself; he is only happy and secure when he feels that he holds power over those around him. In Janie's words, he needs to “have [his] way all [his] life, trample and mash down and then die ruther than tuh let [him]self heah 'bout it.” He needs to feel like a “big voice,” a force of “irresistible maleness” before whom the whole world bows.

The Color Purple

I just did a little overview of the main characters rolls in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple

Cecile: The novel consists of Celie’s diary entries, which begin when she is fourteen years old and end when she is forty-four. As readers of Celie’s entries, we are closest to her throughout and see the world predominantly through her eyes. She starts to write after she is raped by her father, who tells her that the only person she is allowed to tell is God. She begins by addressing her entries to God.

Nettie: Nettie is Celie’s younger sister. Nettie is intelligent, resilient, and completely loyal to Celie. As a young girl, she escapes a lot of the difficulties that Celie goes through; she is not raped by their father, and when their father does show an undue interest in her, Celie protects her. She is able to stay at school whereas Celie is taken out when she gets pregnant. Nettie takes full advantage of her education and works very hard, knowing that this is her opportunity to escape.

Alfonso: The man whom Celie and Nettie call Pa. He rapes Nettie when she is fourteen years old because his wife, who is ill, will not sleep with him. He instigates Celie's letter-writing by telling Celie that she must be silent about the rape. He is a controlling, selfish, and weak man without a conscience. He pushes the marriage between Celie and Mr. ______ by refusing to allow Nettie to marry him.

Mr.____: Mr. Albert ______ is often described as a very handsome man. He appears to want a conventional home with upright standards--a mother for his children and a wife to look after the house--but he is never really happy with the conventional standards of others. He is in love with Shug Avery

Blog #5

This is my rebuttal to Amber Farrant’s Blog on the Literatue of the Reconstruction to the New Negro Renaissance. I chose to define and discuss...Jim Crow laws, Enforcement acts, and The Urban League

Jim Crow laws- The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated segregation in all public facilities, with a "separate but equal" status for black Americans and members of other non-white racial groups. In my opinion they were not important, they we just another way for people who were not white to struggle more. They were stupid, and unfair in every aspect.

Enforcement acts- The Enforcement Acts in the United States from 1870 to 1871 were meant to protect rights of southern blacks following ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution as part of Reconstruction. One protected black votes, another provided federal supervision of southern elections, and another strengthened sanctions against those who attacked blacks or prevented them from voting, allowing the President to use troops to enforce the law and suspend habeas corpus. It was also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act. These acts were very important, in a sense African Americans could feel safer when they went to the polls to vote.

Urban league- The National Urban League (NUL), formerly known as the National League of black men and women, is a civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest community-based organization of its kind in the nation. This group is important because it looks out for the interest of the African American people. They made sure that the interest of the African American people was at hand.

Summary of The Literature of Slavery and Freedom 1746-1865

For my reading assignment I am basically summarizing the introduction part of the reading. While reading the section I have picked up on a few things that I was unaware of before. This was my first time hearing ever being introduced to the book by David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (1829). This book basically mixed slavery in with religion; he thinks that if slavery is not abolished then God will have vengeance on the United States. I became clear that the book states the intention of slavery was to create in the slave a sense of complete alienation from all human ties except those that bound him or her in absolute dependence to the master’s will. I learned a little bit more about Nat Turner, who lead what people call the “greatest revolt ever”. This was my first time reading about a woman name Charlotte Forten, the daughter of an influential Philadelphia civil rights activist and author of the most widely read African American diary of the nineteenth century. Her diary spoke of the Emancipation Proclamation and the hope it brings in her journal. The reading also highlights specific days and events such as December 6, 1865, when the thirteenth amendment was passed and it abolished slavery. It also talks about how Thomas Jefferson’s’ Notes on the State of Virginia greatly influenced racism in America. All together the reading was very detailed about the events that happened between the years of 1746-1865, especially in the area of African American history.

Brer Rabbit Tricks Brer Fox Again

The story of Brer Rabbit Tricks Brer Fox Again was humorous to me. Rabbit is trying to be lazy, so he sneaks off and gets himself in a sticky situation. Fox just happens to be curious and find that Rabbit is stuck in a well. Rabbit is really in trouble and can’t get out of the well, but he uses slick words to convince to Fox. Ultimately the Fox ends up in the well, and Rabbit runs and tells the others that Fox is making their water supply dirty. Fox cannot really pose an argument, because he was caught red handed in the bottom of the well. Although the Fox knows that he is not initially the character in the wrong, he has let the Rabbit trick him and get the best of him. I think the moral of this story is that you can’t trust everyone. Since the title of the story has “again” in it; it would seem that the fox wouldn’t show much trust in the rabbit after he tricked him the first time. I think this story can be related to the old cliché “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me”. The Fox has clearly been bamboozled.

Short Passage of "How It Feels to be Colored Me"

In “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”, Zora Hurston is talking about her experiences, and how it makes her feel to be someone of color. She talks about the difference of being a colored person in her hometown of Eatonville, Florida versus being someone of color in Jacksonville, Florida. At home in Eatonville she says that they rarely see white people, and when she does see them they are just passing by in automobiles. She says the only difference she can see between herself and a white person is that the white people ride through town, and she actually lives there. When sent off to Jacksonville for school she realizes that she is no longer just Zora from Eatonville, Florida. She is now just a little colored girl. She expresses emotions vividly when listening to the music with a white counterpart. She gets emotionally wrapped up in the music, and it makes her feel fierce and savage. While the white person shows no emotion to her, he just says “that’s good music”. She feels like the white person only heard what she felt. Then she goes on to talk about how its time where she feels she doesn’t belong to any race, she just feels like herself. Specifically when she talks about walking down Seventh Avenue with her hat tipped a certain way. She is probably in her own zone and is just tuning out everything. From this passage I understand that she is accepting her black culture and ancestors, but she is not going to let it stand in her way. She is not going to dwell on the fact that her ancestors were slaves. Zora feels that slavery is the price we payed for civilization. She thinks it was a terrible and harsh time period, but she feels like it was worth it.

HOW IS LITERATURE A REFLECTION OF CULTURE?

African American literature should be defined as powerful and intelligent. The power comes when you read books such American Slave written by Fredrick Douglas, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and The Color Purple. The writing of these books showed that African Americans had powerful words even in the early days, before the time of Martin Luther King. The books used the power of words on a paper, to expose how hard and troublesome it was for African Americans to come up to what they are today. The books showed that African Americans could have power and intelligence of word to move the hearts of many. The poetry of Langston Hughes exposed the African American experience to the rest of the world. These books and poetry were to foreplay of things to come, they paved the way. Martin Luther King’s I had a dream speech show the intelligence of the African American. His beliefs in everything should be equal has brought the American culture as a whole a long way. We are not completely there yet, but we have a black president now.

African American culture can be seen in things like the Harlem Renaissance. Music such as Jazz and the Blues became popular in regular America. African American music probably set up the way for every form of music it is today. African American culture can be defined in the unique hairstyles of its people, such as the afro, braids, and dreadlocks. African American culture can even be defined by its type of foods, such as fried chicken, collard greens, sweet potatoes, potato salad, good soul food cooking. The African American actors and actress, such as Denzel Washington and Halle Berry are a form of African American Culture in the American Film industry. Athletes such as Arthur Ash, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Venus & Serena Williams, Jackie Robinson and Wilt Chamberlain define the culture in the sports industry. The African American Literature and Culture is very deep, it’s impactful and it means everything to the people that stand for it.