More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay Examining The Culture Of Caribbean Literature
Influence of African American literature and importance
Research in african american literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Gullah is said to be a dying Culture. Though this culture has brought life into so many other cultures and still thrives in lands today, its dying culture? Culture may lie within the land it came from, but it thrives through its connections. With influences all over the globe it might not be the most prominent culture, but it surly cannot be dying yet. Gullah was created by cultural mixtures brought upon by the African Slave Trade. Between 1650 and 1860 there were around ten to fifteen million enslaved people transported from Africa to the Americas (Murphy). This human cargo was transported across the Atlantic Ocean and sold to New World slave owners, who bought slaves to work their crops. They brought rum, cloth, iron, firearms, gunpowder, and other goods of that nature which they were able to trade for human beings in return (Murphy). The slaves were treated like cattle. They were packed close and tight into ships with unbearable heat and nearly unbreathable air for months at a time. They were chained in pairs, shackled wrist to wrist or ankle to ankle. People were crowded together, usually forced to lie on their backs with their heads between the legs of others. Under these circumstances they often had to lie in each other's feces, urine, and with many women aboard, even blood. In such cramped quarters, diseases such as smallpox and yellow fever spread like wildfire. The diseased were sometimes thrown overboard to prevent wholesale epidemics (Murphy). Because a small crew had to control so many, cruel measures were taken. They would use tools such as iron muzzles and whippings to control the slaves. As terrible, dreadful, and horrifying as it was, this began the creation of the lively growing culture we know today as Gullah. ... ... middle of paper ... ...t has not died; it has beautifully blended and changed cultures all over the world through our cultural connection which is Gullah. Works Cited Bennett, John. The doctor to the dead; grotesque legends & folk tales of old Charleston,. New York: Rinehart, 1946. Print. Gold S. Dancing Their Roots. Dance Magazine [serial online]. February 2012;86(2):82-83. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed December 1, 2013. Murphy L. Metaphor And The Slave Trade In West African Literature [Electronic Resource] / Laura T. Murphy [e-book]. Athens, Ohio : Ohio University Press, 2012.; 2012. Available from: Coastal Carolina University's Catalog, Ipswich, MA. Accessed December 2, 2013. "Robert Johnson." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Jan. 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. White, Mathew. Personal interview. 20 Nov. 1213.
One of the major questions asked about the slave trade is ‘how could so Europeans enslave so many millions of Africans?” Many documents exist and show historians what the slave trade was like. We use these stories to piece together what it must have been to be a slave or a slaver. John Barbot told the story of the slave trade from the perspective of a slaver in his “A Description of the Coasts of North and South Guinea.” Barbot describes the life of African slaves before they entered the slave trade.
The concept that belly dance is a constantly evolving dance might surprise most people, as the static Orientalist image of the belly dancer is the one that pervades American popular culture. I and other scholars attempt to remove belly dance from the ridged framework of Orientalism and the harem fantasy. By the following how belly dance arrived in America, and how images of belly dancers and harems became part of the visual culture of the West I have attempted to demonstrate that there are aspects of power and a different reading of images of belly dance is possible. Through continued scholarly inquiry and research I look forward to the emergence of a new image of belly dance, one that represents the power and beauty of this dance, an image that is respectful of the many cultures that it represents.
Dance is an ever evolving form of art; in much the same way that one can categorize and differentiate between eras and styles of architecture one can also do so with dance. These eras at times have sharp delineations separating them from their antecedents, other times the distinction is far more subtle. Traditional forms of dance were challenged by choreographers attempting to expand the breadth and increase the depth of performance; preeminent among such visionaries was Seattle born dancer and choreographer Mark Morris. Mark Morris' began as one of the millions of hopeful individuals attempting to simply make a career in dance; he not only succeeded but managed to have a lasting effect on the entire landscape of dance.
Abolitionists in 18th century Britain had to combat many incorrect stereotypes and inappropriate justifications for the enslavement of Africans. To create an effective argument against slavery, writers had to counter these preconceptions in subtle and irrefutable ways. For instance, Olaudah Equiano’s Interesting Narrative uses particular language, punctuation, and repetition to explicate his experience, garnering sympathy and disgust for African slaves’ plight, while remaining comprehensible and inoffensive to a white audience. Thus, his subtle rhetorical techniques relate Equiano and Africans to his audience while critiquing their treatment of slavery, accomplishing the seemingly impossible task of proving Africans should not be enslaved.
In the dance world a staggering number of choreographers have made a lasting impact on the way dance is seen to its audience. Alonzo King’s exceptional oeuvre of work includes him in this great history of significant choreographers. He not only created the link between modern and ballet in the twentieth century, but he bridged the ...
Slave’s masters consistently tried to erase African culture from their slave’s memories. They insisted that slavery had rescued blacks form the barbarians from Africa and introduced them to the “superior” white civilization. Some slaves came to believe this propaganda, but the continued influence of African culture in the slave community added slave resistance to the modification of African culture. Some slaves, for example, answered to English name in the fields but use African names in their quarters. The slave’s lives were filled with surviving traits of African culture, and their artwork, music, and other differences reflected this influence.
The Sioux Grass Dance is considered to be the most popular style of Native American Music. As one dances to this music, they follow a pattern known as “toe-heel.” This consists of the individual placing the left foot in front of the right and repeating with the other foot. Each male dancer makes many personal variations of this dance resulting in a so...
It is surprising that tap began as a necessity for survival before it was an art form. It began during the slave trade when slave-holders found out that Africans were communicating coded messages through their traditional instruments and drums. The slave-holders had the use of these rhythm instruments banned to try and stop communication (Holmes par. 3).The Africans, desperate to make contact with other slaves, transferred the rhythms to their feet and tap dancing was born (Holmes par. 4).
Cultural globalization involves the “spread of culture beyond the region or state from which it originated.” (Davies 1). To understand what cultural globalization is, one must understand what falls under the category of culture, which includes religion, language,
European slavers altered the way that different African people viewed one another and themselves. The book by Miguel Barnet, Biography of a Runaway Slave is a strong account that can be used to explore how Africans changed their perception of each other, and how this change influenced the lives of Africans in the Americas.
Learning about Dance: Dance as an Art Form and Entertainment provides visions into the many features of dance and inspires scholars to keep an open mind and think critically about the stimulating, bold, ever-changing and active world of dance. Learning about Dance is particularly useful for those who do not have a wide and diverse dance contextual, such as students in a preliminary level or survey dance course. This book consists of twelve chapters. Chapter one dance as an art form focuses on the basic structures of dance. Dance is displayed through the human body, it has the control to communicate and induce reactions. Dance can be found in many different places, it enables the participants and seekers to touch and knowledge the joy of movement. Dance is discovered as being one of the oldest art forms worldwide. Dance existed in early cultures was recognized in a sequence of rock paintings portrayed dance. Since this discovery of rock paintings, several other forms of art have been found that depict dance. People used rituals in order to worship the gods and believed that the rituals held magical and spiritual powers. During the ancient period civilizations sentient decisions began to be made with regard to dance. Other periods that had an impact on dance were the medieval period, the renaissance period, and the contemporary period. Chapter two the choreographer, the choreographer is a person who comes up with the movements created into a dance routine. The choreographer expresses themselves through choreography because this is their way of communicating with the audience. In order to be a choreographer you must have a passion for dance. Each choreographer has their own approaches and ways of making up a routine. Choreographers ...
Peña, Manuel H. "Ritual Structure in a Chicano Dance." University of Texas Press: Latin American Music Review Spring- Summer 1980 1.1 (1980): 47-73. Print.
Steve Paxton: Speaking of Dance – Conversations with Contemporary Masters of American Modern Dance. Academic Internet Video. Directed by Douglas Rosenberg. Oregon: Alexander Street Press, 1996.
In Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie attempts to use history in order to gain leverage on the present, to subvert the single story stereotypes that dominate many contemporary discourses on Africa. Written in the genre of historical fiction, Adichie’s novel transcends beyond mere historical narration and recreates the polyphonic experiences of varying groups of people in Nigeria before and after the Civil War. She employs temporal distortion in her narrative, distorting time in order to illustrate the intertwining effects of the past and present, immersing deep into the impact of western domination that not only catalyzed the war, but continues to affect contemporary Africa. In this paper, I will analyze her portrayal of the multifaceted culture produced by colonialism – one that coalesces elements from traditional African culture with notions of western modernity to varying degrees. I will argue that Adichie uses a range of characters, including Odenigbo’s mother, Ugwu, Olanna and Kainene, to each represent a point in a spectrum between tradition and modernity. Through her juxtaposition, she undermines the stereotypes that continue to characterize Africa as backwards and traditional, proving instead that colonialism has produced a cross culture where the two are intertwined.
Dance is an ancient human practice, however the earliest record of human dance remains a mystery. By