Race Relations and the Denial of African Heritage
Race has been a divider among Puerto Rican society. To read more about how essential race was to the development of Puerto Rico read David Bernstein's paper. Although Puerto Ricans are made up of three peoples: Spanish, African, and Taíno, the black history of Puerto Rico is often made light of. According to González, "the first Puerto Ricans were in fact black Puerto Ricans" (González, 10). Being that the Taínos were destroyed so rapidly, Puerto Ricans are more mulatto than mestizo. Despite this historical reality, Puerto Ricans have clinged to the legendary peasant, the jíbaro, as encompassing Puerto Rican Identity. The jíbaro is a white agrarian peasant. González points out the irony in this because,
"the truth is that this was a poor peasantry that found itself obliged to adopt many of the life-habits of those other poor people already living in the country, namely the slaves...when people today speak for example of 'jíbaro food', what they really mean is 'black food': plantains, rice, codfish,etc" (González, 11).
Disassociation with African heritage has also been a result of U.S. and Puerto Rican relations. The racial structure of the United States is completely different from that of Puerto Rico. In North America, being dark skinned can strip one of their Puerto Rican identity and force them to live in society under a a polarized classification system consisting of two main categories: black and white. To read further on the topic of Puerto Rican identity and displacement within the United States racial structure click here!
Such prejudice against African heritage and blood is illustrated in The House on the Lagoon. In Ferré's novel black Puerto Rican's are either servants or sexual mistresses. These roles associate subordination with the black characters. The stereotype of African voodoo is also played out with the character of Petra who constantly prays to her Yoruba gods and practices Santería.
In the novel all the servants are black and live in the basement separate from the rest of the house. They are obedient and serve their masters and mistresses as it was their sole duty on earth. Early on in the novel Rebecca is revealed as having racial prejudice against blacks which she suppresses in order to fit in with her elite lliberalist friends. Later on in the novel Buenaventura is revealed to have many black mistresses, with whom he paid to sleep with on Lucumí Beach.
The early years of Spanish rule began with the gradual development of a settler society as well as the native Taino Indians. The Taino population was soon drastically reduced and the structure of this society, diversified with the introduction of African Slave laborers. Race is therefore a core element in the discussion of the Puerto Rican identity. The early settlers came from Europe in search of riches that were soon diminished and therefore a natural need for other economic means had to be developed by the people who decided to remain behind. Some of the people who remained in Puerto Rico were coerced into doing so because of...
In the histories of Colonial Latin America there is one common aspect and that is the importation of slaves as a labor force. The resulting consequences for the territory are vital if we are to understand the development of the society. In Puerto Rico these consequences deal mainly with African influence on the peasantry, the corrective measures taken thereafter to negate the African influence, and the results of these corrective measures.
Such inequality was not the only thing early Puerto Rican migrants experienced on the island. They also experienced severe economic set backs. Under the domination of the United States, Puerto Rico did not have control over their means of production. Instead, the United States possessed that power and transformed their island into a metropolitan economy. Workers were subjected to the changing demands of US capital expansion, and their migratory movements were shaped accordingly.
In this story, the reader can see exactly how, many Puerto Ricans feel when living on other grounds. Throughout this time, the boy that Rodriguez presents us realizes he has his culture and that he wants to preserve it as much as he can. “Because I’m Puerto Rican”. I ain’t no American. And I’m not a Yankee flag-waver”
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings out the themes of Lonliness and companionship, and strengths and weaknesses through the actions, and quotations of the characters. Irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends. Lennie and his habit of killing things not on purpose, but he is a victim of his own strength. George trying to pretend that his feelings for Lennie mean nothing. The entire novel is repetitive in themes and expressed views.
In the final chapter of Siddhartha’s life he confronted various obstacles and events. These events had morphed him into becoming an enlightened and proficient man. In Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha starts out as a young man who is copious and nurtured. Gradually he transforms into a man of desolation trying to get an awareness and grasp back into reality. Through peace, conflict, despair, and salvation Siddhartha is enlightened and fortified to create a life full of content.
The daily struggle of the working class, fear of loneliness and the reality of putting all your energy into plans that fail are the different themes relating to John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice and Men". The characters depicted by the author are individuals who are constantly facing one obstacle after another. The book illustrates different conflicts such as man versus society, man versus man, man versus himself and idealism versus reality. The book's backdrop is set in the Salinas, California during the depression. The two main characters include two men, George and Lennie. Supportive characters include a few ranch hands, Candy, Crooks, Curly, Slim and Carlson.
Ice hockey, just like any sport, requires both physical and mental skills in order for the athlete to perform to the best of their ability. Positions in ice hockey include the goaltender, wingers, centers, and defensemen. Each position requires different skills in order to succeed in the role and perform together as a team. There are three zones of play, the defensive, offensive and neutral zones, where players are expected to execute different strategies based on their position on the team. Physical conditioning and developing psychological abilities gives players a competitive edge.
...rican community has a really hard time, not just due to not being able to find a job but also because of race relations and prejudice from other against them whom is often not from within their community. This can also include ageism, and homosexuality. “Racism, which involves stereotyping people based on their race, occurs on different levels.”(Rogers 160)
Race has been one of the most outstanding situations in the United States all the way from the 1500s up until now. The concept of race has been socially constructed in a way that is broad and difficult to understand. Social construction can be defined as the set of rules are determined by society’s urges and trends. The rules created by society play a huge role in racialization, as the U.S. creates laws to separate the English or whites from the nonwhites. Europeans, Indigenous People, and Africans were all racialized and victimized due to various reasons. Both the Europeans and Indigenous People were treated differently than African American slaves since they had slightly more freedom and rights, but in many ways they are also treated the same. The social construction of race between the Europeans, Indigenous People, and Africans led to the establishment of how one group is different from the other.
Scarseth argues that “Readers may object to the book’s presentation of low class characters, vulgar language, scenes suggestive of improper sexual conduct, and an implied criticism of the social system. . . Furthermore, these features are necessary in the book.” Scarseth continues to argue that they are “accurate, precise reporting,” because they represented the time, place and environment of the era in which the novella was penned. Written in 1937, Of Mice and Men is the story of two migrant workers who came to California to fulfill their dreams. While the intentions of these two men seemed noble, they were unable to achieve the goal of purchasing land for a myriad of reasons. The first and most difficult challenge they faced was the effect of The Great Depression. Like many of...
Radiation has changed drastically over the past 118 years. Exposures are much quicker, digital imaging is a possibility in most hospitals, and most importantly, radiation protection. Many people have died, some without realizing that they were killing themselves, for the advancement of x-rays. Because of these advancements physicians are able to tell patients what is going on very quickly and without much delay. It is very important to remember the 3 cardinal rules: distance, time and shielding.
The United States played an important role in the evolution of Puerto Rican culture, more specifically music. While Puerto Rican culture remains distinct from that of American culture, its historical progression is forever tied with that of the United States. This is evident in the evolution of Puerto Rican music. It is also evident in the experience of Puerto Rican musicians both on the island and in the Diaspora. U.S rule was in part responsible for Puerto Rican migration both within the island and off the island. This is so due to the political and economic relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States. As a result new genres, or styles of Puerto Rican music were created. The U.S also controlled how the music of the island would be communicated to the rest of the world. This effected the way Puerto Ricans expressed their identity through music.
Social Stratification in the African American community has changed over the years. Social stratification is defined as a rigid subdivision of a society into a hierarchy of layers, differentiated on the basis of power, prestige, and wealth according to Webster’s dictionary. David Newman in Sociology Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life describes stratification as a ranking system for groups of people that perpetuates unequal rewards and life chances in society. From slavery to the present, the African American community has been seen to have lower status compared to white people. Today, the stratification or hierarchy difference between whites and black are not really noticeable, but it is still present. However, during slavery, the difference in social stratification was noticeable. Whites dominated over the blacks and mulattoes (offspring of a white and black parent). The mulattoes were seen to have a higher stratification than an offspring of black ancestry. Because the mulattoes were related to the whites, they were able to obtain higher education and better occupations than blacks. For example, most slaves of a lighter skin tone worked in the houses and darker slaves worked in the fields. As the people of light skin tone had children, they were able to have advantages too. The advantages have led into the society of today. In this paper I will discuss how stratification has been affected in the African American community over time by skin tone to make mulattoes more privileged than dark skin blacks.
Radiation therapy which has become a very important cancer treatment now-a-days, actually cures patients effectively and it is also cost effective. With the increase in population day by day the rate of cancer is also rising so to cope with it future planning should be done as it is vital how the increasing demand of cancer treatment would be done through radiation therapy. Proper awareness programs should be held and people should be motivated to come into this profession and proper training should be given to deal with this disastrous situation of cancer worldwide. Radiation therapists are the need of hour and more and more people should be motivated and attracted towards this filed by giving them healthy pays and satisfying facilities