Free Essay

African Studies

In:

Submitted By finest18
Words 461
Pages 2
William Carlos Williams’s, Spring and All is very intriguing. I am not quite sure about what to make of this work as of yet, but so far, I like it a lot. Williams’s writing style is very refreshing. As a modernist poet, he seems to write exactly what he feels without fearing criticism from others. His work is ordered and very simplistic. He does not seem to be taken up with the use of long and complicated words like that of Pound or Eliot. His words are more short, beautiful and filled with simple and crisply described images. Williams from what I am observing seems to be inventing a new style of writing poetry. A style that does not consist of using elaborate words or references to history in order to make its point, but rather one that requires an individual using or having their imagination stimulated when reading his work. He places great emphasis on the imagination because he explains that in the imagination the author and the reader become one. He says in one of his proses that, “The imagination, intoxicated by prohibitions, rises to drunken heights to destroy the world. Let it rage, let it kill. The imagination is supreme. To it all our works forever, from the remotest part to the farthest future, have been, are and will be dedicated,” and I think that Williams’s in this quote is trying to explain that our imaginations are like our own personal historical databases and reference center so when we read a work we must not be bombarded with references to the past but rather we must be stimulated to think about and investigate the past using our own imagination. In addition, I found the structuring of this book to be very whimsical and creative. The minor distractions are what further adds originality to his text and what keeps you engaged and alert. Throughout most of the beginning of this text, I noticed that Williams brought up the term “plagiarism” quite a few times. What does he mean by “The Traditionalists of Plagiarism,” is he referencing writers like Pound and Eliot? Given that Plagiarism is a form of copying is he in a way assuming, that writers like Pound and Eliot are copying from the writers that preceded them rather than honoring them when they choose to reference them in their works. Does Williams feel that the use of the imagination is far more advantageous and beneficial for the authors/readers than the use of tradition is? I get this feeling because he in a way states that the use of tradition stupefies the intelligence because it prevents an individual from demonstrating their personality and valuing life, while the imagination to Williams seem to do the complete opposite.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

African Study

...In the Conniff, Part I Preface, the author basically summary the book which is about African diaspora in the Americas. It includes African Americans’ individuality and personality. It “fills the continents from north to south and at all points in between”. Moreover, the book also include about global history and as well as the multicultural in classroom. In order to do so, many people contributed to finish the book, there are over fifteen main scholars and many reviewers who combine their ideas together to create the book. All of that said, the book is a combination of many people ideas, experience and surveys. Therefore it is a reliable book to read and study. Last but not lease, the author does not forget to explain to the reader more about the language term in the book to avoid misunderstanding between the author and reader. After reading the preface of the book, I feel that this should be a good book to read to understand more about African American culture and there living style. It should provide me a better view on African Americans’ individuality and personality. Furthermore, the preface mentions about the relations between Africa, Europe, and African American. That should be an interesting topic that I am looking forward to study about. I want to know more about African American normal life, their advantage and disadvantage when they live in America through the racism between black and white. That is the reason why the history of the civil rights interested me. After...

Words: 310 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

African Studies

...VALLEY VIEW UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL EDUCATION AFRICAN STUDIES: GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT 19/03/2015 1. All aspects of life are gendered and for that reason, development and gender are closely related. For a nation to be developed in all its aspects there needs to be equal and unbiased involvement of both genders in the development process. Gender cannot be easily isolated as a separate topic or sector, given its fundamental importance to all areas, ranging from employment policy to agriculture, and from environmental policy to poverty alleviation. Development cannot be realized without the very significant component of gender. Countries the world over have proved that exclusion of women in development has rendered their development efforts futile. Due to this realization, gender parity has become central to the development process everywhere, in international forums especially. As the world is focusing on development as a means of alleviating world poverty, removing particularly gender inequalities will give the world a better chance to develop. 2. As a result of criticisms of the WID approach, the Women and Development (WAD) approach arose in the latter part of the 1970s. Adopting a Marxist feminist approach, the main argument of WAD was that women had always been part of the development processes. WAD asserts that women have always been important economic actors. The work they do both inside and outside the household is critical to the maintenance of...

Words: 284 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

African Studies

...Stephan Soliman Professor Hebert Johnson AFR-121 3-2-1 Exercise: Black Leadership In The Twenty-First Century-Donald Cunningen 3 Things I Learned: 1. According to the article “Black Leadership In The Twenty-First Century” written by Donald Cunnigen I learned that at the time of the Katrina disaster, New Orleans was a city defined by several decades of black leadership. More precisely, an original black leadership at the highest level derived from various elements of the descendants of an elite “Creole of Color” community that still is a distinct identifiable group within a southern city that has always prided itself on its diversity. Beginning with Ernest “Dutch” Morial, serving 1978-1986, the Crescent City’s black community developed into a powerful political force. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s onslaught, blacks were found in all aspects of city government, including the offices of mayor, city council (3 of 7 members), police chief, district attorney, judiciary, and other areas of city government. This leadership was complemented by national political figures such as Representative William Jefferson. The 67percent black population made such political gains a reality. (Black Leadership In The Twenty-First Century, Cunnigen, pg.25) 2. Also, what I learned that was based on this article was that the idea of black leaders, particularly “a” black leader, has been a part of the black American social discourse throughout American history. In 1903, W.E.B. DuBois...

Words: 896 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

African American Studies

...clarification: • African identity- this term will be used interchangeable. (1) realizing the African continent commonality, (2) the culture and behavior of the slaves (African born and creoles)—basically what defines the slaves’ identity. • Creoles- (1) Atlantic creoles that are phenotypically and culturally mixed with African and European cultures. The Dynamic African identity: Coping with Slavery Upon considering the changes and the creation of an “African” identity (definition 2), it is important to realize that similar to the constantly changing slavery due to the frequent shifts in the social, political, and economic contexts, the “African” identity was also dynamic. Although the overall reason that prompted the development of the notion of the African continent (definition 1) might be similar across the board of slavery, the specifics of what constituted this identity (ex: religion, family formation) is largely dependent on the time period and region being discussed—ex: the 17th Century African identity in North America is different from the 18th Century identity in Europe. Several factors that enhanced the creation of the African identity (definition 2) include: (1) ability to form families as a result of the gender ratio, mortality rates, segregation from other slaves, (2) population ratio of native-born to creolized slaves, and (3) religious movement that were characteristic of the time and space. These three factors allowed for the African identity to...

Words: 1702 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Harriot Washingotn African American Studies Essay

...Harriet Washington – Medical Apartheid Book Essay QUESTION 1: Iatrophobia “One of the most harmful contemporary legacies of this history of abusive medical experimentation is that many African Americans are wary of participating in potentially life saving medical studies. A recent study in the American Journal of Law and Medicine estimated that only 1 percent of the nearly 20 million Americans enrolled in biomedical studies are black. This reluctance, though justified, has meant that blacks often miss out on the latest treatments and breakthroughs.” – Amara Rivera Given the History of Medical Apartheid in the U.S., African-Americans have tended to be iatrophobic. Should African-Americans continue to participate in medical research and trust their doctors today? Would Harriet Washington and Tim Wise be in support of your argument? QUESTION 2: Ebola Watch this Press TV video: The Debate: Ebola Man-made (pt1) (11 mins) Based on his arguments, is Dr. Short a conspiracy theorist? Comment on the validity of Dr. Short’s arguments and examples given the arguments provided by Washington in Medical Apartheid in the Epilogue of the book and in the rest of the text. Use the relevant examples and ideas Washington uses to draw connections between medical apartheid practiced on Blacks in the U.S and Blacks in Africa from her book. QUESTION 3: Scientific Racism and Eugenics The "science" of eugenics proposed that human perfection could be developed through selective breeding and...

Words: 1335 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Incarceration Of African American Youth: Mendel Study

...problem or issue I wish to address is mass incarceration of African Americans as it affects the adolescent population. In Mendel study (as cited in Rubinstein, Craven & McCormack, 2014) “African American youth accounts for 16% of the total number of adolescent in the United States and make up nearly 40% of the total youth currently imprison”. Our social justice’s system has been driven by racism in the days of slavery till today as more and more black and brown adolescents are languishing in jail. In addition to this, Arya and Augarten study (as cited in Rubinstein et al, 2014) found that “African American youth are more likely to be sentenced in adult jails compared to their White counterparts.” African American adolescents are...

Words: 610 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

African Studies

...African Studies Exam III 2. The reason the Ku Klux Klan wanted to beat up Hernandez was because he voted radical tickets. Although men who happened to vote radical tickets quickly disappeared, the KKK thought the best way to get to them was through their families. Therefore, instead of the men taking the beating, they decided to focus their violence on the women. 4. The difference between the Presidential Reconstruction and the Radical Reconstruction was that the president allowed states to entitle a constitutional convention to set up a new government and by the end of the war; the president permitted the reconstruction of the Border States such as (West Virginia, Maryland, and Missouri). Whereas, the radical reconstruction found and supported their achievements through Republican allies to command complete citizenship rights and access to land. Therefore, the radical Reconstruction had a downfall due to the escalation of racial violence. 6. Blacks joined forces to demand full citizenship rights when southern whites reclaimed profitable and political power. Although blacks were hindered by republicans and so forth, African Americans expressed their feelings through the convention, newspapers, and mass meetings. 7. The reason why so many White female Abolitionists failed to support the Fifteenth Amendment was that it enraged women suffragists because the draft favored the men by including the word male into the constitution. Although, black men could become...

Words: 803 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Mini-Ethnographic Study: African-American Women’s Hair Salon

...Mini-Ethnographic Study: African-American women’s hair salon Introduction: The present study aims to provide an ethnographic description of the population of an African-American women’s hair salon located in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The study was carried out through a 3-hour field interaction that occurred in the afternoon of May 22, 2013. The field observation comprised the following techniques: picture, drawing, spontaneous conversation, interview and note-taking. The first part of the study introduces the environment where the interaction took place and the population studied. The second part presents the observation itself and a detailed description of the population’s cultural traits. And finally, the third part of the study summarizes the key findings of the observation under a socioeconomic perspective. Subject: The subject of this study is the African-American women’s hair salon Foxy Diva’s, located in Germantown. I chose this subject of study for three main reasons. First, I currently live in Germantown and I wished to get a better understanding of the neighborhood and its population. Second, I wanted to learn more about the socioeconomic environment of the African-American population. And finally, making a parallel with Brazil, I expected hair salons in American poor neighborhoods to be relevant social spaces and, consequently, to be interesting environments for an ethnographic observation. Germantown is a neighborhood located in the northwestern suburbs of...

Words: 2595 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

African Studies

...William Julius Wilson has argued convincingly that increasing levels of nonmarriage and female-headed households are a manifestation of the high levels of economic dislocation experienced by lower-class black men in recent decades.' When joblessness is combined with high rates of incarceration and premature mortality among black men, it becomes clearer that there are fewer marriageable black men relative to black women, men who are able to provide the economic support needed to sustain a family. While joblessness is a reasonable explanation for the growth of female headed families among lower-class blacks, joblessness does not explain why upper-class blacks, for whom joblessness is not a problem, also have high rates of family-formation problems and female-headed household. The post-World War I1 mass migration of blacks to inner city areas, particularly in the North, presaged their family formation problems because it both facilitated the civil rights mobilization and made the inner-city residents vulnerable to postindustrial changes in the economy that transformed the opportunity structure of the inner city. While urbanization and economic change have created adverse job market conditions for lower-class blacks, the civil rights revolution and affirmative action programs have opened up opportunities for upper-class blacks. Ironically, it may be that the economic uncertainty inherent in the rapid upward mobility experienced by upper-class blacks has generated high levels of...

Words: 467 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

African American Studies

...“mammy”. Why were black women defined in these two extreme ways? By contrast, how were Southern white women characterized? * One of the most standout images of black women in white slavery America was of a woman who ran entirely off of her sex drive, a Jezebel. A jezebel was considered to be the complete opposite of a proper white woman. She was thought to have little to none religious affiliation. A jezebel took no instances to cover her body, and showed no signs of prudery. The idea that black women were over-sexualized first gained credence when Englishmen went to Africa to buy slaves. Not being accustomed to the traditional wear, Europeans mistook semi-nudity for lewdness. They also misinterpreted African cultural tradition of polygamy and claimed to be the Africans' uncontrolled lust, tribal dances were considered to be an orgy. The travel accounts of Europeans spurred inaccurate analysis of black women livelihood. Perhaps it was the warm climate of Africa that prompted William Bosman to describe the women he saw on the coast of Guinea as "fiery" and "warm" and "so much hotter than the men."' William Smith must have fallen under the same influence, since he wrote of "hot constitution'd Ladies" who "are continually contriving stratagems how to gain a lover."' The conditions under which women worked, were sold and were punished also contributed to this way of thinking. Southerners were extremely prudish about what they felt a woman should be. A "respectable" white woman...

Words: 4189 - Pages: 17

Free Essay

African-American Studies

...name Instructor’s name Course Date African American Community in the Law System of US The problem of racial discrimination is being actual one for few decades and still is not exhausted. The deal is always about non-white people because many people consider them as “different.” With such social pressure when you are chased during all your life only for the fact that you belong to a different ethnic group but you are not considered as an equal person in a root, in some moment it might cause a reason to actually behave differently. Many sociological and psychological researches study outcomes that are forced by microaggressions and results are expectable enough. So the consequence is that many African American are pushed to criminality by society. In my opinion, the fact that a defender, who pleads guilty, is not informed that he would lose his main civil rights is absolutely not right. On the other hand, every citizen must know his constitutional rights and the law in order to be a proper citizen. As we know, the fact that you do not know the law does not relieve you from a charge. As we see African American as an equal to White, we cannot expect another type of behavior from them. Withal in the case when an African American does plead guilty but he was not informed about the loss of rights he might find discrimination in that action. The community might perceive this very aggressively. As the result, the community of African American might see this as the discrimination...

Words: 334 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Intro. African American Studies

...Exam 1: Introduction to Africana Studies Short Answer Questions: Be sure to respond to the ENTIRE question, since each question has two parts. (4 points each/100 points total) 1) Why would you say that some see Africa as a country? How would you describe the size of Africa in relation to the size of the United States? 2) The view of Africa as a jungle is erroneous, since a jungle or forested area is not one of the continent’s major environmental features. Name two that are. 3) Africa can be discussed from either an Afrocentric perspective or a Eurocentric perspective. Give two examples of the way Africa is portrayed that support a Eurocentric perspective. 4) Turning to an Afrocentric perspective, name the African scholar honored for exerting the greatest influence on Black thought in the 20th century at the Black World Festival of Arts and Culture in Senegal, West Africa. Name the African American scholar honored for the same reason. 5) Name the Origin of Humankind theory that Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop said was so rigorously defended until science cast it aside. What reason did he cite for its rigorous defense? 6) From “Journey of Man,” name the reason humankind took so long to populate Europe. How many years did it take? 7) What delayed the American geneticist’s travel into Central Asia? Why was getting to that destination so important to him? 8) Name the word that the Navajo man took issue with the geneticist using...

Words: 903 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

African Minerals Case Study

...Strategic Direction of the African minerals Limited A company's strategy is management's action plan for running the business and conducting operations. "Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfill stakeholder expectations". It now refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. The African Minerals is concerned with how different engagements are linked. They are concerned with a certain course of action to meet designed goals and objectives, generally supposed to remain unchanged for a fairly long time period as the change in strategy...

Words: 1092 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Case Study African American Counseling

...In the case study as described a seemingly cultural competent white counselor meets with African-American male. Although during the intake evaluation the client was listed as depression, he early on indicated that he was frustrated with finding employment and hoped that he could receive help with making this become reality. The counselor felt that the client hoped to get everything on a “silver” platter and unwilling to do some work to achieve this to happen. The counselor felt that he should go to an employment office. This issue created frustration in the relationship between the counselor and his client. Because of a single incident the counselor felt at some time threatened and concerned for a physical altercation. With this experience he felt that...

Words: 461 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Counseling African Americans: A Case Study

...Counseling African Americans A multicultural competent counselor is, someone who’s able to work efficiently with groups of students from culturally distinct groups (Thomas & Vines, 2008). Furthermore, culture competency plays a key role in how counselors diagnose and treat their patients from any background or culture. The (Surgeon General, 2001) broadly defines culture as a common heritage or set beliefs, norms and values. Culture applies to all groups of people but unfortunately; there are major mental health disparities amongst minority individuals compared to white individuals. According to the Surgeon General (2001), ethnic minorities have less access to mental health services than their white counterparts. Additionally, minorities are...

Words: 1279 - Pages: 6