“A Hideously Difficult Task”: An Exploration of American Racial Identity through the Works of James Baldwin
«In a style similar to other minority works of literature, James Baldwin’s writing encompasses the recurring theme of identity—what it means and from where it originates. This theme stems from incomplete identity of the black American community....» Document abstract
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SummaryIn a style similar to other minority works of literature, James Baldwin’s writing encompasses the recurring theme of identity—what it means and from where it originates. This theme stems from incomplete identity of the black American community. Baldwin’s writings try to explain the difficulties that this group of people has faced with a past that was essentially created by whites and reinforced by stereotypes that must be overcome in spite of racial oppression. Although Baldwin saw himself simply as an American, to the white world he was a black man and a homosexual, therefore, not truly American. Baldwin unwillingly took up the role as a spokesperson for blacks. His job was to show white America that the “Black Problem” was an American problem because blacks were not the ones who originated the racial problems in the United States. Blacks had been on the North American continent along with whites for over three hundred years by the time the Civil Rights Movement began, but were not given the same rights and were hardly even considered to belong to the mainstream American society. The identity of American blacks was created in America and is apart of the collective history of white and black Americans. Through his writing, Baldwin tries to express to the white population that this history and this identity cannot be disregarded. It must be legitimately recognized before any progress can be made.
Table of Contents
- 'Stranger in the Village' and The Fire Next Time were written almost ten years apart.
- One of the many problems that blacks face in America is the impossibility for them to identify with any group other than themselves.
- Baldwin was the literary and intellectual voice of the Civil Rights Movement.
- The identity of black Americans is found not just in the history of slavery, but also in Christianity and the influence of black churches.
- Elijah Muhammad has been able to do what welfare workers, committees, resolutions, reports, housing projects and playgrounds have failed to do
- In Europe, Baldwin knew that he would not face the same overt racism that he had endured in the United States.
- The story about the 'buying' of the African natives also draws a parallel to civil rights leaders identifying with the end of colonialism in Africa
«Sylvia Plath once said, “The blood jet is poetry, and there is no stopping it.” This was true for many poets, and especially true for Christina Rossetti. Rossetti had poetry in her blood, art in her veins. When she first wrote “Goblin Market” in...» Document abstract
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SummarySylvia Plath once said, “The blood jet is poetry, and there is no stopping it.” This was true for many poets, and especially true for Christina Rossetti. Rossetti had poetry in her blood, art in her veins. When she first wrote “Goblin Market” in 1859, some critics speculated that it was to be read aloud to the “fallen women” (i.e., prostitutes) in the company of the Anglican Sisters with whom she associated at the St. Mary Magdalene Home for Fallen Women at Highgate Hill. With the poem’s embedded images of sex and the allure of sin, one could see why Rossetti would attempt to write such a poem. She may have been trying to dissuade these “fallen women” from a lifestyle of sin. In sway with this argument, still other critics found a religious aspect to the poem, comparing its many lines to passages from the bible and citing the similarities. After all, Rossetti was a very pious woman and clung to her Christian faith like a mother to a child. And yet, throughout all of these possible interpretations, one thing remains certain: there is no one right way to analyze Goblin Market or poetry in general for that matter…or is there?
Table of Contents
- Barthes was a writer and French critic from Paris.
- The notion of the fallen woman stems from the biblical depiction of Eve.
- Is assigning an author really an imposition?
- Barthes implyies that to incorporate any aspect of the author's life into an interpretation of the work is to cut off all other interpretations or analyses.
- If the Queen's looking glass speaks with the King's voice, how do its perpetual kingly admonitions affect the Queen's own voice?
- Gilbert and Gubar touch on the notion of women being trapped.
- Gilbert and Gubar focus a great deal on the theme of the madwoman.
- As feminist critics, Gilbert and Gubar write mainly of the plight of the female writer and character.
«In his treatment of Claudia Brugman’s work on the English preposition over, Lakoff (1987) extends Brugman’s analysis of that preposition as a radial category, one in which the different meanings of the word can be described in terms of a category...» Document abstract
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SummaryIn his treatment of Claudia Brugman’s work on the English preposition over, Lakoff (1987) extends Brugman’s analysis of that preposition as a radial category, one in which the different meanings of the word can be described in terms of a category structured radically, containing with a central sense from which other senses are extended. This type of analysis has been applied to classifiers, as in Dixon’s (1982) famous look at Dyirbal’s 4-way system and Lakoff’s (1987) analysis of Japanese hon, as well as to prepositions such as English over (Brugman 1981) and out (Lindner 1981). In this paper I will attempt to use similar ideas to structure my look at two post-verbal complements in Mandarin Chinese
Table of Contents
- Wrapping Up Wan.
- Some examples of wán adapted from the CALLHOME corpus.
- Event Completion has an extended sense I will call Patient Exhaustion.
- Hao to Write a Good Ending.
- In other usages, h'o denotes attainment that is evaluatively neutral or even negative.
«In 1990, Colorado was a state of about 3.3 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001b). By 2000, Colorado’s population had grown to 4,301,261 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001b). Colorado’s new residents spurred development in areas once sparsely inhabited. The...» Document abstract
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SummaryIn 1990, Colorado was a state of about 3.3 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001b). By 2000, Colorado’s population had grown to 4,301,261 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001b). Colorado’s new residents spurred development in areas once sparsely inhabited. The population of Superior in Boulder County, for instance, shot from 351 to 9,011 residents over the 10-year period (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001a; 2003). Land throughout the state, and especially on the Front Range In 2000, Janna Six and Ramon Ajero reported that “the land encompassed by the Denver Metropolitan area is growing four times faster than its population growth rate”
Table of Contents
- Colorado's Business Climate at a Glance.
- Governor Owens' remark, speak to what he calls 'that special Colorado way of life,? .
- Respect for the wilderness and respect for the individual are both central to the Coloradan identity.
- The amount of land that growth has consumed and the rate of its consumption.
- Another letter, this one from Dorothy Unruh, expresses a similar sentiment:
- Negative typifications at more local levels show how Coloradans define their communities in opposition to other regions of Colorado.
- The use of Environmental Future in this letter signifies that concern for the environment is assumed to be universal.
«The Chicano Art Movement began in part as an effort on the part of Chicanos to take agency in their own representation. Before the Movement, most available representation of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans cast them in a negative light — often as...» Document abstract
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SummaryThe Chicano Art Movement began in part as an effort on the part of Chicanos to take agency in their own representation. Before the Movement, most available representation of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans cast them in a negative light — often as servile or violent (Davalos 3). It is arguable whether this has changed, but the Movement has allowed Chicanas and Chicanos to offer alternative representations of themselves. However, to convey these new representations to the mainstream — to get them past the “cultural gatekeepers” Luis Camnitzer points out — the Movement has turned to mainstream museums (Alba 21). This has presented a set of complications inherent to exhibition practices. In the case of Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge, an exhibition curated mostly from the private collection of Cheech and Patti Marin, these complications become particularly problematic.
Table of Contents
- The art of Chicano Visions - selected primarily from Cheech Marin's private collection.
- Among those is one painting by Ester Hernández - far more eminent figure in the Chicano Art Movement.
- One mythical icon that many Chicanas have chosen to revisit is La Llorona.
- No collaborative efforts were established with scholars except to write descriptive essays for the book.
«The foundation for the unification of Chinese has already come into being. It is none other than the standard form of Modern Chinese with the Beijing phonological system as its norm of pronunciation, Northern dialects as its base dialects, and...» Document abstract
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SummaryThe foundation for the unification of Chinese has already come into being. It is none other than the standard form of Modern Chinese with the Beijing phonological system as its norm of pronunciation, Northern dialects as its base dialects, and looking to exemplary modern works in vernacular literary language for its grammatical norms.]
Table of Contents
- Regional P't'nghuà – An Investigation of Three Speakers
- Introduction.
- Investigation.
- Retroflex-Dental Merger.
«When the people of Rome exile Coriolanus, he seeks refuge in Antium, throwing himself before his longtime enemy, Tullus Aufidius, and offering himself as a weapon against Rome. Although he has fought countless times for Rome, bringing himself to the...» Document abstract
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SummaryWhen the people of Rome exile Coriolanus, he seeks refuge in Antium, throwing himself before his longtime enemy, Tullus Aufidius, and offering himself as a weapon against Rome. Although he has fought countless times for Rome, bringing himself to the brink of death time and time again, the Roman populace disapproves of him from the outset of the play, first for his unbending refusal to give them corn freely, and then for his undiplomatic tendencies in office. They banish him from the city when he refuses to mollycoddle them, as he might put it. Like two other Shakespearian protagonists, Hamlet and King Lear, Coriolanus is exiled under the pretense of protecting the health and stability of the state, but in all three cases, those who do the exiling clearly have ulterior motives. The key difference between these men is how they react to their exiles. Hamlet leaves with the image of Fortinbras’ army imprinted on his brain, spurring him towards action, but somehow he returns calm and collected, save for his brief outburst with Laertes in Act V.i.
Table of Contents
- Trained by his mother, Volumnia, to cherishs glory and valor above all else.
- Claudius wants Hamlet far away from Elsinore so that he cannot kill Claudius.
- Coriolanus is bent upon wreaking vengeance on the city he once called home.
- Coriolanus warns them that he is unbending, unchanged.
- King Claudius sends Hamlet off to England, under the pretense of protecting him from those who would avenge Polonius.
- Coriolanus uses exile to his greatest advantage.
«Every culture defines different entities and ideas in relation to which the individual can experience his or her identity and physical or mental substances on which one’s identities are located. Mortuary rites described in Hiroaki Mori and Yukari...» Document abstract
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SummaryEvery culture defines different entities and ideas in relation to which the individual can experience his or her identity and physical or mental substances on which one’s identities are located. Mortuary rites described in Hiroaki Mori and Yukari Hayashi’s film The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Way of Life and Beth A. Conklin’s essay “‘Thus Are Our Bodies, Thus Is Our Custom’: Mortuary Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society,” reveal how the Tibetan Indians of Ladakh and the Wari’ of Rondônia define their identities. The Wari’ experience identity in relation to their familiar, tribal, and ecological circumstances, and these identities are corporeal — they are located in the body. Tibetans, on the other hand, express identity at individual, community, universal, and absolute levels; individual identity is located equally in body and mind, while community and universal identities are progressively more mental as the scope of identification increases. The absolute identity, which is of the broadest scope, is purely mental. This analysis is borne out by an examination of how Wari’ and Tibetan communities interact physically with the corpse and reincarnation mythology in both cultures.Pre-contact Wari’ culture’s physical interaction with the body of the deceased illustrates the nature of familiar identity in that society
Table of Contents
- Pre-contact Wari' culture's physical interaction with the body of the deceased.
- Tibetan mortuary practices reveal that familiar and community interactions play a similar role as the Wari' family does.
- To find where the body plays a more central role, examine the individual identity.
- The broadest level of identity in Tibetan culture is the absolute or ideal identity.
«If Martin Luther’s assumptions on faith in the Word of God are correct, then humanity has nothing to doubt. But his skepticism of the Catholic Church is not a complete philosophical skepticism: at no point in his work is the notion of God...» Document abstract
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SummaryIf Martin Luther’s assumptions on faith in the Word of God are correct, then humanity has nothing to doubt. But his skepticism of the Catholic Church is not a complete philosophical skepticism: at no point in his work is the notion of God questioned. Descartes does question the existence of God, but after answering his skeptical objections he is able to “prove” God’s existence. Since God exists and is the perfect being, he reasons in his fourth meditation that therefore “I acknowledge that it is impossible for God ever to deceive me, for trickery and deception is always indicative of some imperfection” (Meditations on First Philosophy 81). Luther says that “one thing, and only one thing, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom. That one thing is the most holy Word of God” (The Protestant Reformation 7). Descartes would probably acknowledge that the Word of God exists, but it is difficult to tell if he would accept that it came from God.
Table of Contents
- No one saw the creation of the Word of God
- How could an assumption, which leads to God and the Christian life, be a sin?
- Descartes says that initially he doubts the very existence of God
- Luther isn't making a Cartesian error however
- If Descartes has proven the existence of God, he is claiming to actually know that God exists
«William Shakespeare is among the most notable playwrights of all time. Some of his works have been so popular that they have been turned into modern movies, aimed at attracting a new generation to this author’s works. While Shakespeare has been able...» Document abstract
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SummaryWilliam Shakespeare is among the most notable playwrights of all time. Some of his works have been so popular that they have been turned into modern movies, aimed at attracting a new generation to this author’s works. While Shakespeare has been able to provide audiences with theatrical entertainment for several centuries now, it has only been in the twentieth century that author authors and playwrights have been able to capitalize on the popularity of Shakespeare’s works. Specifically, Tom Stoppard in his play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead utilizes two of Hamlet’s minor characters—Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—to bring to life a comedic reenactment of Hamlet as told through the eyes of these characters.
Clearly, the idea to use the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to create a farce out of a notably serious work is quite significant. Stoppard took a notable risk that, upon reflection, appears to have been one that was quite positive for the playwright overall. Stoppard’s play opened to rave reviews in 1966 and became a worldwide hit that is still performed in theaters across the globe. In 1990, the play was turned into a move staring, among others, veteran actor Richard Dreyfuss. Although there are those who continue to offer criticism of the work, a precursory overview of what has been written about the work and its performance history seems to suggest that Stoppard has created a memorable play that is destined to become a classic in the world of theater.
Clearly, the idea to use the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to create a farce out of a notably serious work is quite significant. Stoppard took a notable risk that, upon reflection, appears to have been one that was quite positive for the playwright overall. Stoppard’s play opened to rave reviews in 1966 and became a worldwide hit that is still performed in theaters across the globe. In 1990, the play was turned into a move staring, among others, veteran actor Richard Dreyfuss. Although there are those who continue to offer criticism of the work, a precursory overview of what has been written about the work and its performance history seems to suggest that Stoppard has created a memorable play that is destined to become a classic in the world of theater.
Table of Contents
- Arguably, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead breaks from tradition in both its plot and methods.
- When the production took place in Scotland in 1967, it opened on a stage, 'the size of a ping pong table?
- Chetta goes on to argue that through the use of characters from Hamlet, Stoppard was able to break with traditional theater to create another layer of the absurd.
- Despite the fact that so many critics have offered clear support for Stoppard and his work, it is evident that not everyone reviewing the play has had a positive opinion.
- Unfortunately, Stoppard's movie version of his hit play failed to attract the critical acclaim that his play had garnered.
- Although the film was not met with crucial acclaim, some critics have noted that the inability of this film to capture the attention of the general public has made it a cult classic in some circles
- In spite of the fact that the theatrical version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern has been able to capture and hold the attention of the public for more than five decades now, it is evident that the cinematic version was not as successful.
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