Throughout this text I noticed a lot of times in which Irene was drawn into doing things that she did not really want to do. This was through the physical pressence that Claire emitted. In the beginning of the text, Irene starts with talking about Claire in such a derogatory manner. When she meets up with her at the restaurant and is in her physical presence, she is completely spellbound. She changes her portrayal and actually seems happy to see her. When they are physically apart she goes back the feeling of not liking Claire.
When she is subdued into going and meeting up with her later on in the week, Irene is upset. Again, when she is in Claire’s presence, Irene is "...even a little glad that she had come (p. 44)." I find this strange. How could the presence of someone be so enticing that simply being around them causes such a change.
It seems that Irene is overcome with so many mixed emotions through the first part of this book. At first she shows resentment and hatred for her. A little further on she is happy that they met up. She doesn’t want to see her again, but is happy to be around her when she meets her at Claire’s house. Irene than shows anger towards Claire when she is put in the position of having to "pass" in front of her husband. It seems that Irene has some type of physical or emotional attraction towards Claire, which I hope is better portrayed at the end of the text.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Response to Video
I found the images that were portrayed in the film to very dentramental to the African American effort to pick themselves out of the pit of racial inequality. With the institution of such characters as the Sambo, mistral, zipco, black mammy, and the baffoon there seemed to building up of more and more physical, as well as behavioral flaws in the portrayal of African Americans. They presented characters in blackface and huge lips. They also gave characters such as the mammy to be large in size and given roles that made her seem almost asexual in nature. There was never an instance where the mammy gave an image of beauty or desire. The characters would merely entertain, serve, and be submissive.
These images were accepted as a cultural norm for most people who were not involved with the culture first hand. They took what they saw and let it be fact. They saw these cartoons, advertisements, and movies and took the life of a slave to be that of solitude and happiness. The women in the society were the dominant figure and the men were more submissive. This alone hinted at the race being inferior in nature.
Even after the Civil War these caricatures were reinforced with displays of brute behavior. They portrayed these people as savages. Even with African Americans volunteering in the war the movies would show them as mere puppets in a game where they were brought for entertainment. These images of the past have an adverse effect on the present. When I was growing up I remember seeing images of racial inequality portrayed through such cartoons as Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, and Popeye. Even walking down the supermarket in the 21st century you will come across images such as the Aunt Jamima Syrup container that shows a now slender mammy. These images will be with us for years to come.
These images were accepted as a cultural norm for most people who were not involved with the culture first hand. They took what they saw and let it be fact. They saw these cartoons, advertisements, and movies and took the life of a slave to be that of solitude and happiness. The women in the society were the dominant figure and the men were more submissive. This alone hinted at the race being inferior in nature.
Even after the Civil War these caricatures were reinforced with displays of brute behavior. They portrayed these people as savages. Even with African Americans volunteering in the war the movies would show them as mere puppets in a game where they were brought for entertainment. These images of the past have an adverse effect on the present. When I was growing up I remember seeing images of racial inequality portrayed through such cartoons as Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, and Popeye. Even walking down the supermarket in the 21st century you will come across images such as the Aunt Jamima Syrup container that shows a now slender mammy. These images will be with us for years to come.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Fauset
I find that within Faucet's poetry there is the reoccurring theme of love. This is in regards to the poems that either relates to a love that the writer is experiencing within her text or as an onlooker. One poem that sets itself apart from this common theme is Oriflamme.
At first I took this as a mother figure, or elderly women of some sort, sitting down in a chair looking up at the stars. These stars give her a sense of serenity, hope, and inspiration. Upon careful conclusion however, this mother figure seems to be part of the stars themselves. There is a type of ancestry in the stars that the African people can look upon and gather hope from. This ancient women that has been through so much give the people a sense of determination and the ability to fight for what they believe in. I feel that without this guiding star that the mother figure gives to her sons, that there would be a lot of despair and sorrow that would cripple the fight for equality.
At first I took this as a mother figure, or elderly women of some sort, sitting down in a chair looking up at the stars. These stars give her a sense of serenity, hope, and inspiration. Upon careful conclusion however, this mother figure seems to be part of the stars themselves. There is a type of ancestry in the stars that the African people can look upon and gather hope from. This ancient women that has been through so much give the people a sense of determination and the ability to fight for what they believe in. I feel that without this guiding star that the mother figure gives to her sons, that there would be a lot of despair and sorrow that would cripple the fight for equality.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Mary Elizabeth
I find this article to deal much more with gender roles than anything else. In the beginning we find the husband telling his wife that she should have breakfast ready for him even though she admits to being horrible at making it. She burns the coffee and turns pancakes into sheet rock.
The husband, even knowing already that he would have to get breakfast outside the home, has her make it anyways. Toward the end of the story the gender roles become evident again. The husband says to his wife that he would kill her if he came back and found her married to someone else even if he married 50 times. I find this very wrong on the part of the husband. This type of mentality shows the ideological principles that were evident during the period that this was written. It focus's more on the fact that the women should be home cooking and cleaning and the man should be out working.
I tried to find some type of racial undercurrent in this story, but this was to no avail. The only mention of slavery was in the past tense and it does not seem to be an important part of the story.
The husband, even knowing already that he would have to get breakfast outside the home, has her make it anyways. Toward the end of the story the gender roles become evident again. The husband says to his wife that he would kill her if he came back and found her married to someone else even if he married 50 times. I find this very wrong on the part of the husband. This type of mentality shows the ideological principles that were evident during the period that this was written. It focus's more on the fact that the women should be home cooking and cleaning and the man should be out working.
I tried to find some type of racial undercurrent in this story, but this was to no avail. The only mention of slavery was in the past tense and it does not seem to be an important part of the story.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Reapers
After reading the poems by Toomer I noticed alot of repetition in the regards of the female character. One poem seemed to stand apart from this repetition was the poem "Reapers."
I enjoyed reading this due to its illiteration on the "s" sound and how expressive it felt when reading it. I noticed alot of reference to "black," which struck me as his comparison to the African race of course.
I noticed that even though the field rat was present during the work of the mower the workers did not stop. This to me showed the type of almost trance like conditions that must have occurred during this time. The workers do not stop for anything.
The term reapers also seem to me to have a double meaning. When I first read the title I thought that it was going to resemble the death of someone. When I read the first line I noticed they meant farm equipment. When I started concluding the poem it struck me that they were talking about death again. I thought this use of the term was very enhancing to the poem.
I enjoyed reading this due to its illiteration on the "s" sound and how expressive it felt when reading it. I noticed alot of reference to "black," which struck me as his comparison to the African race of course.
I noticed that even though the field rat was present during the work of the mower the workers did not stop. This to me showed the type of almost trance like conditions that must have occurred during this time. The workers do not stop for anything.
The term reapers also seem to me to have a double meaning. When I first read the title I thought that it was going to resemble the death of someone. When I read the first line I noticed they meant farm equipment. When I started concluding the poem it struck me that they were talking about death again. I thought this use of the term was very enhancing to the poem.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Rest of Book
Within the conclusion of the story I would like to touch upon a line that occurs on page 200. Toward the bottom of the passage he states, "I am sure I should have found it easier to take the place of a gladiator, no matter how fierce the Numidian lion, than to tell that slender girl that I had Negro blood in my veins."
This line sums up the entire book. Our narrators inner fears are addressed in their entirety. Above all else he is afraid to share his inner secret with the one person in the world that he does not feel alienated from. Everyone in his life that meant anything to him are no longer in the picture. He is completely alone, besides this one girl. He would rather take his chances and risk death than to turn away the only person in his life that he feels love for.
This aspect of his character shows that he is ashamed of bieng of his natural race and is afraid of other people finding out. This is not becuase he does not honor people of color, but that he is afraid of the uncontrolable action of others upon himself due to having black blood in his veins.
This line sums up the entire book. Our narrators inner fears are addressed in their entirety. Above all else he is afraid to share his inner secret with the one person in the world that he does not feel alienated from. Everyone in his life that meant anything to him are no longer in the picture. He is completely alone, besides this one girl. He would rather take his chances and risk death than to turn away the only person in his life that he feels love for.
This aspect of his character shows that he is ashamed of bieng of his natural race and is afraid of other people finding out. This is not becuase he does not honor people of color, but that he is afraid of the uncontrolable action of others upon himself due to having black blood in his veins.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Pages 89-148 Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man
All right. In regards to the assigned readings to chapter ten I found an important aspect that I would like to touch upon. First, however, I would like to give a brief synopsis of the events that lead up to it.
The narrator first gives us a glimpse of his life when he becomes engulfed with a gambling problem and talks about his philosophy of gambling. This is how many people lose differently but in the end those who lose money go into a state of reform and give it up. Our narrator is one of those people who win some and lose some.
In regards to himself however, this is not the case. His philosophy does not pan out. He actually acquires a job rolling cigars and finally realizes that he cannot keep up with the life of honest work and gambling due to the strain on his body. He decides that instead of giving up gambling and reforming he will give up his job.
While being open to the style of music called "rag-time" at the “club” is where his life actually starts to take hold. A peculiar man who happens to be a millionaire takes him under his wing and hires him to play this style of music for him. This man that hires our narrator and the event that occurs accidentally is what this post will reflect upon.
There was a passage on page 141 that I found strangely intriguing. This is where the millionaire friend has him play the "new American music." When a fellow listener hears him play this style of music this listener bumps our narrarator off his seat. The listener than changes the narrators unique style of incorporating classical music into this style of "rag-time" and reverses it. He changes ragtime music into classical music. This changes how our narrator thinks. This seems to be one of the biggest events that happen to the narrator that changes his life up to this point in the story. This is where he gets the idea to go back to America and start playing for his people of color. He seems to get this notion that this whole time he has been in Europe with the millionaire he has become white. He has been educated and trained to be that of the upper white class through the coaching of the millionaire. This small incident in the narrators life makes him realize that he wants to be an advocate for his race and against the advice of the millionaire he decides to leave Europe and bottle up all the hopes of the American Negroes into his new form of music.
The narrator first gives us a glimpse of his life when he becomes engulfed with a gambling problem and talks about his philosophy of gambling. This is how many people lose differently but in the end those who lose money go into a state of reform and give it up. Our narrator is one of those people who win some and lose some.
In regards to himself however, this is not the case. His philosophy does not pan out. He actually acquires a job rolling cigars and finally realizes that he cannot keep up with the life of honest work and gambling due to the strain on his body. He decides that instead of giving up gambling and reforming he will give up his job.
While being open to the style of music called "rag-time" at the “club” is where his life actually starts to take hold. A peculiar man who happens to be a millionaire takes him under his wing and hires him to play this style of music for him. This man that hires our narrator and the event that occurs accidentally is what this post will reflect upon.
There was a passage on page 141 that I found strangely intriguing. This is where the millionaire friend has him play the "new American music." When a fellow listener hears him play this style of music this listener bumps our narrarator off his seat. The listener than changes the narrators unique style of incorporating classical music into this style of "rag-time" and reverses it. He changes ragtime music into classical music. This changes how our narrator thinks. This seems to be one of the biggest events that happen to the narrator that changes his life up to this point in the story. This is where he gets the idea to go back to America and start playing for his people of color. He seems to get this notion that this whole time he has been in Europe with the millionaire he has become white. He has been educated and trained to be that of the upper white class through the coaching of the millionaire. This small incident in the narrators life makes him realize that he wants to be an advocate for his race and against the advice of the millionaire he decides to leave Europe and bottle up all the hopes of the American Negroes into his new form of music.
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