Select 2 musical selections – one you consider to be poetry and one you do not. Try to include a link to the song or a copy of the lyrics.
Poetry alll the way!!!
Lauryn Hill- That thing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE6Qcc6VDo8
NOT poetry...
Plies-Becky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTJeUa4NRRU
Convince your audience that your opinion is valid. Why is one song a poem and the other is not?
I think the distinction between the two songs is very clear. Lauryn Hill is a great singer, all of the songs she creates are beautiful, they have meaning and a purpose. She writes from the heart and is filled with inspiration and love. The song that thing, is a perfect example. Here she gives advice to both women and men about how some people are just about "that thing" and once you give in, they have gotten what they wanted and will be done with you. "It's been three weeks since you were looking for your friend, the one you let hit it, and never called you again.." and "Don't be a hard rock, when you really are a gem" are both great lines from this song. The first makes you feel bad for the girl, or in a way feel for her, because everyone has been there at one time or another. One can relate to it. The next gives you that "support"/ encouragement from Lauryn herself. She is telling women that they are special and that they shouldn't act in that way. I love that she speaks to both men and women in this song.. I love this song, even now. It always leaves me empowered. :)
Now, where to start with the "Becky" song....... lol.
Apparently, "Becky" is the new way to say oral sex. This plies guy, has basically made up this song to express how much he loves "Becky' himself. This song has nothing to do with poetry, he might rhyme a little but that's about it. This song might be liked by guys because they can relate but i think even they, know that this song is just a bunch of words put together. There is no depth or actual meaning behind it...
Also, i think its just plain NASTY, a little catchy though..... lol.
Is Rap/Hip-Hop music poetic expression? Why or Why not?
I think it definately is. Not everyone expresses themself the same way. Some might sing, some might play an instrument, and some people rap and create hip hop. I think its beautiful when the "rap" is actually good. You can relate to it, you can feel for the artist, and you can also learn a lot about them and their past.
What literary characteristics does this music express?
similies, metaphors, hyperbole, alliteration, i would say mostly all.
What type of critic are you? Explain why.
THEMATIC CRITIC!!!!
I would say I am definately this one. I don't necessarily need the artist to put words into such and such order and include similies and metaphors. I just like it for what it is. I like that it represents them and so i pick it apart and try to understand why they said what they did.
literary elements:
1. simile, rhyme.
2. ryhme, simile, consonnance.
3. simile, rhyme, alliteration, imagery.
4. metaphor, imagery.
5. simile, assonance.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
POETRYYYYYYY
Define poetry in ONE sentence – Poetry is…
Poetry is words written from the heart and mind.
What do you believe determines what is a poem & what is not a poem? Be specific
Poetry has always been based on opinion. I think poetry can be anything, really. Whether it be a few stanzas or "short story-like", it can be considered poetry. Lyrics, can also be poetry. In a sense, poetry is "expression of the artist/poet". Poetry is not always written bluntly. It can be a mysterious puzzle, in which the reader must decode and break down each paragraph, in order to fully comprehend the message that is being written.
I feel like when, the poet puts things together that have no meaning, thought-process, or any heart into the work, than it's not really poetry. Its just a person free writing dumb, useless things.
Visit www.Poets.org – review several poet biographies & their poems. Select 2 poets that are of interest to you. Summarize their biographies (one paragraph for each) and select one poem for each poet to post on your blog. How are these poems an example of what poetry is to you?
Poetry is words written from the heart and mind.
What do you believe determines what is a poem & what is not a poem? Be specific
Poetry has always been based on opinion. I think poetry can be anything, really. Whether it be a few stanzas or "short story-like", it can be considered poetry. Lyrics, can also be poetry. In a sense, poetry is "expression of the artist/poet". Poetry is not always written bluntly. It can be a mysterious puzzle, in which the reader must decode and break down each paragraph, in order to fully comprehend the message that is being written.
I feel like when, the poet puts things together that have no meaning, thought-process, or any heart into the work, than it's not really poetry. Its just a person free writing dumb, useless things.
Visit www.Poets.org – review several poet biographies & their poems. Select 2 poets that are of interest to you. Summarize their biographies (one paragraph for each) and select one poem for each poet to post on your blog. How are these poems an example of what poetry is to you?
Sylvia Plath
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 27, 1932. In 1940, when Sylvia was eight years old, her father died from diabetes. He had been a strict father, and both his authoritarian attitudes and his death drastically defined her relationships and her poems. She kept a journal from the age of 11 and published her poems in regional magazines and newspapers. She was an exceptional student, and despite a deep depression she went through in 1953 and a subsequent suicide attempt, she managed to graduate summa cum laude in 1955. After graduation, Plath moved to Cambridge, England, on a Fulbright Scholarship. In early 1956, she attended a party and met the English poet, Ted Hughes. Shortly thereafter, Plath and Hughes were married, on June 16, 1956. Her first collection of poems, Colossus, was published in 1960 in England, and two years later in the United States. She returned to England where she gave birth to the couple's two children, Freida and Nicholas Hughes, in 1960 and 1962. That year Ted Hughes left Plath for Assia Gutmann Wevill. That winter, in a deep depression, Plath wrote most of the poems that would comprise her most famous book, Ariel. Then, on February 11, 1963, during one of the worst English winters on record, Plath wrote a note to her downstairs neighbor instructing him to call the doctor, then she committed suicide using her gas oven.
Daddy Poem
How is this poem an example of what poetry is to you?
I LOVE this poem, and well i love her as a writer. I studied many of her poems in highschool.
I consider her work to be real poetry. She is a true artist. Everything in this poem is absolutely true, its not pretend or make belief. This was her life. Her dad was jewish, and some of the foreign language is "German" what he taught. She described how she was lonely in the poem and how she herself tried to join him in the afterlife, referring to her attempted suicides.
Emily Dickinson
Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1830. She attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, but severe homesickness led her to return home after one year. Throughout her life, she seldom left her house and visitors were scarce. The people with whom she did come in contact, however, had an enormous impact on her thoughts and poetry. She was particularly stirred by the Reverend Charles Wadsworth. Possibilities for the unrequited love in Dickinson’s poems include Otis P. Lord, a Massachusetts Supreme Court Judge, and Samuel Bowles, editor of the Springfield Republican.
By the 1860s, Dickinson lived in almost total physical isolation from the outside world, but actively maintained many correspondences and read widely. She spent a great deal of this time with her family. Her father, Edward Dickinson, was actively involved in state and national politics, serving in Congress for one term. Her brother Austin attended law school and became an attorney, but lived next door once he married Susan Gilbert (one of the speculated—albeit less persuasively—unrequited loves of Emily). Dickinson’s younger sister Lavinia also lived at home for her entire life in similar isolation. Lavinia and Austin were not only family, but intellectual companions during Dickinson’s lifetime.
Her work was heavily influenced by the Metaphysical poets of seventeenth-century England, as well as her reading of the Book of Revelation and her upbringing in a Puritan New England town which encouraged a Calvinist, orthodox, and conservative approach to Christianity.
The first volume of her work was published posthumously in 1890 and the last in 1955. She died in Amherst in 1886.
Upon her death, Dickinson's family discovered 40 handbound volumes of nearly 1800 of her poems. Furthermore, the original order of the works was not restored until 1981, when Ralph W. Franklin used the physical evidence of the paper itself to restore her order, relying on smudge marks, needle punctures and other clues to reassemble the packets. Since then, many critics have argued for thematic unity in these small collections, believing the ordering of the poems to be more than chronological or convenient. The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson (Belknap Press, 1981) remains the only volume that keeps the order intact.
By the 1860s, Dickinson lived in almost total physical isolation from the outside world, but actively maintained many correspondences and read widely. She spent a great deal of this time with her family. Her father, Edward Dickinson, was actively involved in state and national politics, serving in Congress for one term. Her brother Austin attended law school and became an attorney, but lived next door once he married Susan Gilbert (one of the speculated—albeit less persuasively—unrequited loves of Emily). Dickinson’s younger sister Lavinia also lived at home for her entire life in similar isolation. Lavinia and Austin were not only family, but intellectual companions during Dickinson’s lifetime.
Her work was heavily influenced by the Metaphysical poets of seventeenth-century England, as well as her reading of the Book of Revelation and her upbringing in a Puritan New England town which encouraged a Calvinist, orthodox, and conservative approach to Christianity.
The first volume of her work was published posthumously in 1890 and the last in 1955. She died in Amherst in 1886.
Upon her death, Dickinson's family discovered 40 handbound volumes of nearly 1800 of her poems. Furthermore, the original order of the works was not restored until 1981, when Ralph W. Franklin used the physical evidence of the paper itself to restore her order, relying on smudge marks, needle punctures and other clues to reassemble the packets. Since then, many critics have argued for thematic unity in these small collections, believing the ordering of the poems to be more than chronological or convenient. The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson (Belknap Press, 1981) remains the only volume that keeps the order intact.
http://poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/155
Monday, September 28, 2009
A clean, well-lighted place
Describe the setting, why is the idea of a well-lighted place so significant to this story?
The story is set in a small town, somewhere in Spain. The entire scene of the story is set in a "clean well-lighted cafe". The idea of a clean well-lighted place is significant because it is similar to the old man, in the sense that it is quiet and lonely. The old-man goes there to be alone with his thoughts.
Why are the characters nameless?
The characters are nameless because the names don't really matter in the story. Ernest Hemingway dove right into the plot, and names would just be a distraction to the true essence of the story. If they would have had names, the story will most likely remain the same.
What is the connection between the old man and the older waiter? What is the purpose of the younger waiter in the story?
They are both very similar. The older waiter understands what the old man is going through, his loneliness and the fact that he finds the cafe a respectable place to be himself. He feels the same for others out there, that might need a place like his, to vent and to run away from the nothing they are afraid of, thats why he is in no rush to close. So that the others can enjoy the free spirited cafe. The old man as well as the waiter, find that the "deep, dark nothing" can go away in a place such as the clean well-lit cafe!
The purpose of the younger waiter is to represent more of a younger generation. He does not understand why the old man could be lonely, if he has all the money in the world. This shows his lack of maturity by expressing that money can make someone "complete". He is being selfish, and at the same time thinks the old man is being selfish for not taking him or the rest he needs into consideration. He is ignorant, and does not understand that his cafe and the other "bodegas" are totally different. Those bodegas are dark and dingy and the lowest kinds of people go there, for reasons extremely different than those of the old man.
What is the plot? Base it on the five points: Rising action, conflict, complications, climax, and falling action.
The main action of the story takes place in a cafe, in a small town in Spain. Two waiters are preparing to close but there is a deaf old man, practically drunk that does not want to leave.
The rising action is the whole dialogue between the two waiters, where they share their points of view regarding the situation. The conflict than begins when the younger server becomes inpatient and tries to stop serving alcohol to the old man. Complications arive when the old man remains in the cafe and continues drinking. The climax would be when the two servers have a difference of opinion. Lastly, the falling action is when the cafe is closed and the old man leaves and the older server goes to another "bodega" in search of some kind of company.
What is the theme? Tell me the theme in one sentence?
The theme is definately conflict between generations.
Biography of Ernest Hemingway.
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), born in Oak Park, Illinois, started his career as a writer in a newspaper office in Kansas City at the age of seventeen. After the United States entered the First World War, he joined a volunteer ambulance unit in the Italian army. Serving at the front, he was wounded, was decorated by the Italian Government, and spent considerable time in hospitals. After his return to the United States, he became a reporter for Canadian and American newspapers and was soon sent back to Europe to cover such events as the Greek Revolution.During the twenties, Hemingway became a member of the group of expatriate Americans in Paris, which he described in his first important work, The Sun Also Rises (1926). Equally successful was A Farewell to Arms (1929), the study of an American ambulance officer's disillusionment in the war and his role as a deserter. Hemingway used his experiences as a reporter during the civil war in Spain as the background for his most ambitious novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940). Among his later works, the most outstanding is the short novel, The Old Man and the Sea (1952), the story of an old fisherman's journey, his long and lonely struggle with a fish and the sea, and his victory in defeat.Hemingway - himself a great sportsman - liked to portray soldiers, hunters, bullfighters - tough, at times primitive people whose courage and honesty are set against the brutal ways of modern society, and who in this confrontation lose hope and faith. His straightforward prose, his spare dialogue, and his predilection for understatement are particularly effective in his short stories, some of which are collected in Men Without Women (1927) and The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories (1938). Hemingway died in Idaho in 1961.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1954/hemingway-bio.html
The very last years, 1960 and 1961, were marked by severe paranoia. He feared FBI agents would be after him if Cuba turned to the Russians, that the "Feds" (Burgess (9.), p. 110) would be checking his bank account, and that they wanted to arrest him for gross immorality and carrying alcohol. He got upset about perfectly normal photographs in his Dangerous Summer article. Hemingway was receiving treatment in Ketchum for high blood pressure and liver problems - and also shock therapy both for depression and his continued paranoia at FBI surveillance (The FBI, it turns out, were keeping tabs on Hemingway as a result of his period spent in Cuba). He attempted suicide in the spring of 1961, and received treatment again, but this was unable to prevent his suicide on July 2, 1961 - at 5:00am, he died as a result of a self-inflicted shotgun blast to the head. He is interred in the Ketchum Cemetery in Ketchum, Idaho. In 1996, his granddaughter, actress Margaux Hemingway, would take her own life; she is interred in the same cementery.
http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Hemingway_Ernest.html
The story is set in a small town, somewhere in Spain. The entire scene of the story is set in a "clean well-lighted cafe". The idea of a clean well-lighted place is significant because it is similar to the old man, in the sense that it is quiet and lonely. The old-man goes there to be alone with his thoughts.
Why are the characters nameless?
The characters are nameless because the names don't really matter in the story. Ernest Hemingway dove right into the plot, and names would just be a distraction to the true essence of the story. If they would have had names, the story will most likely remain the same.
What is the connection between the old man and the older waiter? What is the purpose of the younger waiter in the story?
They are both very similar. The older waiter understands what the old man is going through, his loneliness and the fact that he finds the cafe a respectable place to be himself. He feels the same for others out there, that might need a place like his, to vent and to run away from the nothing they are afraid of, thats why he is in no rush to close. So that the others can enjoy the free spirited cafe. The old man as well as the waiter, find that the "deep, dark nothing" can go away in a place such as the clean well-lit cafe!
The purpose of the younger waiter is to represent more of a younger generation. He does not understand why the old man could be lonely, if he has all the money in the world. This shows his lack of maturity by expressing that money can make someone "complete". He is being selfish, and at the same time thinks the old man is being selfish for not taking him or the rest he needs into consideration. He is ignorant, and does not understand that his cafe and the other "bodegas" are totally different. Those bodegas are dark and dingy and the lowest kinds of people go there, for reasons extremely different than those of the old man.
What is the plot? Base it on the five points: Rising action, conflict, complications, climax, and falling action.
The main action of the story takes place in a cafe, in a small town in Spain. Two waiters are preparing to close but there is a deaf old man, practically drunk that does not want to leave.
The rising action is the whole dialogue between the two waiters, where they share their points of view regarding the situation. The conflict than begins when the younger server becomes inpatient and tries to stop serving alcohol to the old man. Complications arive when the old man remains in the cafe and continues drinking. The climax would be when the two servers have a difference of opinion. Lastly, the falling action is when the cafe is closed and the old man leaves and the older server goes to another "bodega" in search of some kind of company.
What is the theme? Tell me the theme in one sentence?
The theme is definately conflict between generations.
Biography of Ernest Hemingway.
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), born in Oak Park, Illinois, started his career as a writer in a newspaper office in Kansas City at the age of seventeen. After the United States entered the First World War, he joined a volunteer ambulance unit in the Italian army. Serving at the front, he was wounded, was decorated by the Italian Government, and spent considerable time in hospitals. After his return to the United States, he became a reporter for Canadian and American newspapers and was soon sent back to Europe to cover such events as the Greek Revolution.During the twenties, Hemingway became a member of the group of expatriate Americans in Paris, which he described in his first important work, The Sun Also Rises (1926). Equally successful was A Farewell to Arms (1929), the study of an American ambulance officer's disillusionment in the war and his role as a deserter. Hemingway used his experiences as a reporter during the civil war in Spain as the background for his most ambitious novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940). Among his later works, the most outstanding is the short novel, The Old Man and the Sea (1952), the story of an old fisherman's journey, his long and lonely struggle with a fish and the sea, and his victory in defeat.Hemingway - himself a great sportsman - liked to portray soldiers, hunters, bullfighters - tough, at times primitive people whose courage and honesty are set against the brutal ways of modern society, and who in this confrontation lose hope and faith. His straightforward prose, his spare dialogue, and his predilection for understatement are particularly effective in his short stories, some of which are collected in Men Without Women (1927) and The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories (1938). Hemingway died in Idaho in 1961.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1954/hemingway-bio.html
The very last years, 1960 and 1961, were marked by severe paranoia. He feared FBI agents would be after him if Cuba turned to the Russians, that the "Feds" (Burgess (9.), p. 110) would be checking his bank account, and that they wanted to arrest him for gross immorality and carrying alcohol. He got upset about perfectly normal photographs in his Dangerous Summer article. Hemingway was receiving treatment in Ketchum for high blood pressure and liver problems - and also shock therapy both for depression and his continued paranoia at FBI surveillance (The FBI, it turns out, were keeping tabs on Hemingway as a result of his period spent in Cuba). He attempted suicide in the spring of 1961, and received treatment again, but this was unable to prevent his suicide on July 2, 1961 - at 5:00am, he died as a result of a self-inflicted shotgun blast to the head. He is interred in the Ketchum Cemetery in Ketchum, Idaho. In 1996, his granddaughter, actress Margaux Hemingway, would take her own life; she is interred in the same cementery.
http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Hemingway_Ernest.html
Monday, September 21, 2009
Everyday Use
What does the term "everyday use" mean in this story? Why did Walker choose this as the title?
The term "everyday use" refers to the things they wear and eat on a daily basis, also their work routines. In this story the family is poor so they don't have much clothes or food to vary.
The title fits because again, they are poor and can't manage to diversify themselves.
Also, in the story when Dee tells her mother to give her the quilts, she says she's afraid of Maggie putting them to "everyday use". In this case, it means that she feels they are extremely special and should be honored and respected as opposed to being treated as a dirty rag.
How do Dee, Maggie, and Mama define heritage? Which view does Walker want us to agree with?
I think they all have their own definitions as to what "heritage" means to them.
Dee: comes off as a misguided and confused girl at first. She has a superficial understanding of her heritage but there is some passion and love behind it as well. For example: the quilt incident and the name change to "Wangero". At the same time it also seems "cliche/fake" of her.
Maggie: Right off the bat, one can see that she is clearly a good-hearted girl, simple and kind. By Maggie putting the quilt to "everyday use" she will actually represent her heritage and keep the tradition alive.
Mama: An uneducated woman, but still understands her heritage. The quilt is what keeps her connected to her ancestors. She keeps her traditions alive by maintaining true to herself, she knows she is not educated and accepts it but, is not going to stop because of that. She is a fighter, it shows through the work she does, the churning, the milking, and the landwork.
Walker, wants us to see that as much pride as Dee thinks she has Mama and Maggie clearly represent better.
Describe the setting – how does it affect the characters and story?
The time at the end of the story is around the '50s, and the setting feels like they might live on a farm. The setting helps bring out the characters true personalities. Mama does nothing but "man-work", Maggie seems a little bored and plays dress up in order to be noticed and Dee runs away to look for "bigger and better" and comes back a new woman "Wangero".
What is ironic about Dee’s name change to Wangero?
Dee chooses a name that has no connection to her family and the generations that came before her. Hakim-a-barber's difficult name shows how he has rejected his heritage, especially since he's unable to eat the collard greens and pork that are traditional foods of African Americans. It's ironic that he's shed everything about his heritage in order to "find" his identity as a Muslim.
What is the significance of certain items in the story – the butter churn, dasher, bench and quilt?
Butterchurning, has been a tradition within African Americans for years, in the story it represents all the ancestors that 'churned' in it before. It represents the ones that are gone and remains alive because, of the ones who continue to 'churn' such as Mama. The bench represents the "table" that Mama uses to skin hogs, which shows how traditions are kept and how Mama is a hord-working woman. The quilt, as mentioned before represents the connection between generations.
How would the story have changed if Mama was not the narrator?
If Dee, for example, were the narrator the audience would have probably understood her reasons more and it'd be a biased story. The mom makes the story special because, she tells it like it is. She talks about her daughters for who they truly are. She doesn't try to sugar coat there personalities and I love her for that.
Explore the final scenes in the story and discuss how the narrator changes at the end.
I love that in the final scene Mama, acknowledges that Dee was lost in the "Wangero-state-of-mind" and giving the quilt to Maggie was the best choice she had made. She knew that Dee was talking non-sense with the whole "understandig heritage" and just let her be. Finally, Maggie and her continue to stay true to who they were! : )
The term "everyday use" refers to the things they wear and eat on a daily basis, also their work routines. In this story the family is poor so they don't have much clothes or food to vary.
The title fits because again, they are poor and can't manage to diversify themselves.
Also, in the story when Dee tells her mother to give her the quilts, she says she's afraid of Maggie putting them to "everyday use". In this case, it means that she feels they are extremely special and should be honored and respected as opposed to being treated as a dirty rag.
How do Dee, Maggie, and Mama define heritage? Which view does Walker want us to agree with?
I think they all have their own definitions as to what "heritage" means to them.
Dee: comes off as a misguided and confused girl at first. She has a superficial understanding of her heritage but there is some passion and love behind it as well. For example: the quilt incident and the name change to "Wangero". At the same time it also seems "cliche/fake" of her.
Maggie: Right off the bat, one can see that she is clearly a good-hearted girl, simple and kind. By Maggie putting the quilt to "everyday use" she will actually represent her heritage and keep the tradition alive.
Mama: An uneducated woman, but still understands her heritage. The quilt is what keeps her connected to her ancestors. She keeps her traditions alive by maintaining true to herself, she knows she is not educated and accepts it but, is not going to stop because of that. She is a fighter, it shows through the work she does, the churning, the milking, and the landwork.
Walker, wants us to see that as much pride as Dee thinks she has Mama and Maggie clearly represent better.
Describe the setting – how does it affect the characters and story?
The time at the end of the story is around the '50s, and the setting feels like they might live on a farm. The setting helps bring out the characters true personalities. Mama does nothing but "man-work", Maggie seems a little bored and plays dress up in order to be noticed and Dee runs away to look for "bigger and better" and comes back a new woman "Wangero".
What is ironic about Dee’s name change to Wangero?
Dee chooses a name that has no connection to her family and the generations that came before her. Hakim-a-barber's difficult name shows how he has rejected his heritage, especially since he's unable to eat the collard greens and pork that are traditional foods of African Americans. It's ironic that he's shed everything about his heritage in order to "find" his identity as a Muslim.
What is the significance of certain items in the story – the butter churn, dasher, bench and quilt?
Butterchurning, has been a tradition within African Americans for years, in the story it represents all the ancestors that 'churned' in it before. It represents the ones that are gone and remains alive because, of the ones who continue to 'churn' such as Mama. The bench represents the "table" that Mama uses to skin hogs, which shows how traditions are kept and how Mama is a hord-working woman. The quilt, as mentioned before represents the connection between generations.
How would the story have changed if Mama was not the narrator?
If Dee, for example, were the narrator the audience would have probably understood her reasons more and it'd be a biased story. The mom makes the story special because, she tells it like it is. She talks about her daughters for who they truly are. She doesn't try to sugar coat there personalities and I love her for that.
Explore the final scenes in the story and discuss how the narrator changes at the end.
I love that in the final scene Mama, acknowledges that Dee was lost in the "Wangero-state-of-mind" and giving the quilt to Maggie was the best choice she had made. She knew that Dee was talking non-sense with the whole "understandig heritage" and just let her be. Finally, Maggie and her continue to stay true to who they were! : )
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Sonny's Blues
Research the setting of “Sonny’s Blues” – Harlem, NYC.
The 1950s was a very politically unstable time for African Americans. Their rights were constantly under attack. All the efforts made during the Forties to integrate the Armed Forces were abolished during the Korean War. A new era of racist assassinations began to occur and African Americans started to take a stand against blatant racism. The NAACP argued cases in Southern states against the discriminatory practices in public schools. In May of 1954, the Brown vs. Board of Education occurred. This case ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. The African American non-violent movement began taking the form of boycotts, sit-ins, and peaceful protests. The African American authors during this decade were writing about love, discrimination, the prison system, protest, black sexuality, and black life in Harlem.
By 1950, Central Harlem was about 98 percent black, while Greater Harlem was 57.5 percent black. Central Harlem lost more than half of its population between 1950 and 1980, and Greater Harlem also saw its population drop as well. This was a period of sharp economic decline in New York City, especially for the black community. This also marked the era of urban renewal, and many older housing units were razed either for public housing projects or for other apartment developments. The new developments did not come close to housing the same number of people. Almost all of the people who remained in Central Harlem, though, were black.
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/demographics/20080827/5/2620
How does the setting affect/shape Sonny’s character and create conflict/complications in the story?
Around that time Harlem was a "lost" city and everyone that lived there was bound to run into the same things; poverty, drugs, racism, etc. Some people are strong and can overcome negative things but, others like Sonny are weak of the mind and soul and are easily influenced.
"The streets and communities of Harlem are described as being a harsh environment which claims the lives of many who have struggled against the constant enticement of emotional escape through drugs, and financial escape through crime."
Sonny tries to cope with heroin and the crime scene by doing the only thing he had a passion for, which was "JAZZ"!! He tells his brother his hopes and dreams and the only thing he does is criticize him. His advice was to think of something he can actually make a living out of. This makes Sonny shut his brother out of his life, and find "friends and family figures" through other sources, such as heroin and jazz. This creates conflict within the story and Sonny because he ends up deep into heroin, thus trying to "kill himself" like his brother stated in the story and eventually getting locked up. Sonny and his brother became distant and barely spoke, creating tension between their relationship.
Research the history of African-American men in the military – Pre-Civil Rights movement.
Blacks have always participated in the wars but it wasn't until the 50's that credit was given to them for there bravery and so on.
By the beginning of World War II, African Americans were putting increased pressure on the government to make conditions more equal for blacks in the armed forces. Still reluctant to integrate the military, the government took a step forward in 1941 by creating the first all-black military aviation program, at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The action received a great deal of criticism from black Americans who were outraged by their continued segregation.In May 1943, the first group of Tuskegee-trained pilots was sent to North Africa to join the Allied forces. They were headed by Capt. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., who would later become the first African-American Air Force general. The accomplishments made by the 99th Fighter Squadron, especially in it's collaboration with the all-white 79th Fighter Group in October 1943, helped pave the way for integration in the Air Force.
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmmilitary1.html
Why is it ironic that Sonny wants to enlist?
It's ironic that Sonny wants to enlist because he thinks that he will be getting out of the crime scene and drugs. At the same time, enlisting into the military is all about that, just in different places, other people and cultures. He is basically, escaping the same thing he would be thrown into.
Research song lyrics by Billie Holiday. Find a song or verse that you feel best represents the suffering of Sonny – his blues. Include song title and lyrics here. Explain why.
I'm afraid-The masquerade is over (Billie Holiday)
"Your words don't mean what they used to me.
They were once inspired, now they're just routine.
I'm afraid the masquerade is over".
These specific lyrics represent the two sides of Sonny i saw in the story. The first two lines are Sonny in the beginning, when he was a lost soul. Addicts constantly tell people the same lines and do the same routines, it comes to a point where nobody believes anything you say anymore. You go through life and your addiction in a monotonous way. I think when Sonny had his first epiphany and did well playing his jazz his other "face/persona/mask" was finally off and done with. He was a new person!
Research Bebop.
Bebop emerged in the 1940s a as a style of jazz in great contrast to the music of the big bands. It featured a small group of musicians -- four to six players -- rather than the 10 or more associated with the big bands. The smaller size allowed more solo opportunities for the players. The music itself was characterized by more complex melodies and chord progressions, as well as more emphasis on the role the rhythm section. Furthermore, phrases within the music were often irregular in length, making bebop interesting to listen to, but in contrast to music of the big bands, unsuitable for dancing.
The development of bebop is attributed in large part to trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and alto saxophonist Charlie Parker. The unique styles of Gillespie and Parker contributed to and typified the bebop sound. They experimented with unconventional chromaticism, discordant sounds, and placement of accents in melodies. In contrast to the regular phrasing of big band music, Gillespie and Parker often created irregular phrases of odd length, and combined swing and straight eighth-note rhythms within the swing style.
http://www.hypermusic.ca/jazz/bop.html
Bebop is the music that Sonny favors. What does the music represent politically and socially to Sonny? What does the music represent to Sonny’s brother?
Politically, the music represents change and protest from blacks in the U.S.
Socially, it represented everything Sonny was about. Deep, passionate, complex and was also linked to drug use and a new era of music for all cultures. Sonny's brother in my opinion, didnt really appreciate music like Sonny did and did not comprehend it. Which was exactly how his relationship with Sonny was; misunderstood. At the end, he saw how happy Sonny was and even though he fully didnt understand him or his music he learned to accept it and love him for who he was.
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