An Analysis of Daughters of the Dust and The Color Purple using Black Feminist Theory
Belinda Clarke Student No: 9505215 An Analysis of Daughters of the Dust and The Color Purple using Black Feminist Theory Over the last three decades traditional feminism has been attacked by black feminist theorists who say they have been racially oppressed in the Woman's Movement and sexually oppressed by men in the Black Liberation Movement. Black feminists have accused the latter of representing only black men and have accused white feminist women of concentrating on oppression in terms of gender whilst ignoring other forms of oppression like race, class and sexuality. In an effort to resist this marginalisation, new black feminist and womanist theories have been produced to represent the needs of and account for the differing historical experiences of black women. Film makers have also begun to address the misrepresentations and exclusions of black women in white aesthetics. During this essay I will use black feminist theory to analyse the films Daughters of the Dust and The Color Purple. Firstly, a brief explanation of the black feminist theory that is relevant to this essay will be given, using the work of a number of theorists. This will be a very condensed outline and will in no way encompass the full richness of black feminist thought. Then an analysis of the above two films will ensue in order to investigate if and in what ways these films
Can we write about the tragedy of Hamlet in any meaningful fashion
Can we write about the tragedy of 'Hamlet' in any meaningful fashion? It is highly problematic to use the word 'tragedy' when referring to Shakespeare's works. 'Hamlet' has long been considered the best example of what one would call a tragedy out of all Shakespeare's plays, yet this generalisation, as it proves to be, is the most troublesome of all. Perhaps the reason for this lies in the unknown extent of Shakespeare's familiarity with what one would call traditional tragedy, whose routes lie in the principles set down by the Greeks and Aristotle. Aristotle, in setting down the so-called rules of tragedy in his 'Poetics' talks of an essential element; 'Hamartia', fundamental in the downfall of the prominent (usually this prominence is reflected in a high up hierarchical figure, perhaps of the nobility)'tragic hero' and which, furthermore the character must recognise. This fall from grace marks a reversal of the character's fortune, placing great emphasis on an element of fate; the 'strumpet fortune' that Hamlet so frequently refers to. Aristotle, echoing the Greek view that tragedy is didactic also talks of a fundamental element, Catharsis, at the tragic hero's downfall where the audience's emotions are purged and purified. Taking this into account, the links between Shakespeare's dramatic works and Greek tragedy are nevertheless unproved and tenuous. It is likely,
Poetry Analysis Tatamkhulu Afrika: Nothing's Changed, Sujata Bhatt: from Search for My Tongue, Tom Leonard: from Unrelated Incidents, Derek Walcott: Love after Love
Tatamkhulu Afrika: Nothing's Changed This poem depicts a society where rich and poor are divided. In the apartheid era of racial segregation in South Africa, where the poem is set, laws, enforced by the police, kept apart black and white people. The poet looks at attempts to change this system, and shows how they are ineffective, making no real difference. Jackie Fielding writes: "I had always assumed that the poem was written post-apartheid and reflected the bitterness that knowing "one's place" in society is so deeply ingrained that the I-persona can't bring himself to accept his new-found freedom under Mandela. I also find it interesting that the poet is not South African and not black." "District Six" is the name of a poor area of Cape Town (one of South Africa's two capital cities; the other is Pretoria). This area was bulldozed as a slum in 1966, but never properly rebuilt. Although there is no sign there, the poet can feel that this is where he is: "...my feet know/and my hands." Similarly the "up-market" inn ("brash with glass" and the bright sign ,"flaring like a flag", which shows its name) is meant for white customers only. There is no sign to show this (as there would have been under apartheid) but black and coloured people, being poor, will not be allowed past the "guard at the gatepost". The "whites only inn" is elegant, with linen tablecloths and a "single
In what sense can and should social research be anti oppressive?
Peter Bazeley 5/17/2007 In what sense can and should social research be anti oppressive? Illustrate your answer with real or potential examples from an area or areas of research with which you are familiar. Policy Makers and practitioners determine the allocation of resources through the results of various forms of social research. Therefore it is crucial that social research be anti oppressive in order to ensure that these resources are utilized on appropriate non -oppressive provision. This acknowledgment that social research is a political process has called for an emancipatory paradigm that seeks to ensure that political policy is anti-oppressive. Obviously not all-social research has to take an anti oppressive stance, the positivist approach to research is their to predict and explain things and for interpretists it is based on common sense to interpret and understand people. However as Oliver (1992) highlights, both positivist and interpretive research is carried out by a small number of so called experts on a larger group of 'relatively powerless research subjects.' "Interpretive research is just as alienating as positivist research because what might be called 'the social relations of research production' have not changed, one iota." (Oliver 1992:P106) As a community educator working with the disabled community, I look at things from a critical or praxis
Theory and Practice of Work with Young People
Introduction 'The group constituted an open air society, a communal gathering which had great importance socially, culturally and economically. --------- During each nightly meeting the young worker, once fully integrated, listened, questioned, argued and received unawares an informal education..' (Roberts in Smith, 1998:24). Describing his experience of street groups in the early part of the 20th century, Roberts uses the term 'informal education' to describe the accidental learning that took place as a direct result of the interaction between young working men. But can what we call 'informal education' in the 21st century be described as accidental? Mark Smith argues that whilst: 'Learning may at first seem to be incidental it is not necessarily accidental; actions are taken with some purpose. The specific goal may not be clear at any one time - yet the process is deliberate.' (Smith, 1994:63). Throughout this assignment I shall be exploring the term 'informal education', examining its origins and meanings, its purpose and practice. Using historical information to examine the early roots of present day youth work, I shall asking whether anything has really changed in the past 150 years by exploring the issues that I face in my day to day practice as a youth and community worker. In 1755 Jean Jacques Rousseau published his work 'A Discourse on Inequality'
Votes For Women - Source related study.
Votes For Women - Coursework Assignment Two Source A depicts pictorially a list of positive roles a woman could have at the time and a list of negative things a man could have been. It shows that while a woman could be a respected member of society she was still not allowed to vote, whereas a man could be a criminal or unfit in the eyes of society yet still have the vote. The poster is a peaceful means of protest, yet quite crude in the way it is presented, for example it contains bold drawings of a "drunkard" and "proprietor of white slaves". Other pictures, such as those of a "lunatic" and one "unfit for service" were compared directly above to possible female positions of a "nurse" and "doctor or teacher" respectively. These are the closest opposites in roles that existed at the time so are effective in comparison. The main implication of the picture is that a man could vote whatever his stature, be it worthless or not, but a woman could not either way. The poster is a useful source as it shows the law of the time, 1912, that all men could vote no matter what they had been but women could not. This was unjust from the women's point of view and added to their frustration at not being allowed the vote. The designers of the poster used it to illustrate the double standards employed by the Government. Source C is a cartoon by Bernard Partridge drawn in 1906 of two female
mayfield high school handling data coursework
GCSE HANDLING DATA COURSEW0RK Faisal Iqbal 10rj CANDIDATE NUMBER-4067 Mrs Panesar Contents page Introduction In this statistical enquiry I will be investigating the relationship between heights and weights and also some more hypotheses, I will investigate this data using the Mayfield high school data this is data on students in all years in a fictitious school the data for the students contain there name, age,, height, weight, I.Q, however once I had got my data I had to delete the unnecessary columns because they were no use to me during this project. For me to prove my hypotheses I first of all would need to select a sample size which I feel will help me prove my hypotheses, once I have collected my data I will then go on to process them into a range of tables, graphs and charts I will do this because it will help me to notice any patterns in my data and also help me establish whether my data is correct. After the processing of my data I will then go on to analyse my data I will do this because it will help me find any clear patterns or relationships that will help me prove my hypothesis. Once I have done all that I will then go on to my evaluation on this part of the investigation I will evaluate on how I went on my project saying where I felt I done well in and also where I felt I could of done better in and finally I will say how I could make this project better
Criticism on Hamlet
**HAMLET** [189] Act I. Scene i. (I. i. 63.) He smote the sleaded Polack on the ice. Polack was in that age, the term for an inhabitant of Poland: Polaque, French. As in a translation of Passeratius's epitaph on Henry III of France, published byCamden : Whether thy chance or choice thee hither brings, Stay, passenger, and wail the best of kings. This little stone a great king's heart doth hold, Who rul'd the fickle French and Polacks bold: So frail are even the highest earthly things. Go, passenger, and wail the hap of kings. Act I. Scene i. (I. i. 138.) If thou hast any sound. The speech of Horatio to the spectre is very elegant and noble, and congruous to the common traditions of the causes of apparitions. Act I. Scene i. (I. i. 153 foll.) Whether in sea or fire, &c. According to the pneumatology of that time, every element was inhabited by its peculiar order of spirits, who had dispositions different, according to their various places of abode. The meaning therefore is, that all spirits extravagant, wandering out of their element, whether aerial spirits visiting earth, or earthly spirits ranging the air, return to their station, to their proper limits in which they are confined. [190] Act I. Scene ix. (I. v. 154) Swear by my sword. Mr. Garrick produced me a passage, I think, in Brant ôme, from which it appeared, that it was common to swear upon the sword,
Between 1933 and 1945 Hitler and the Nazi Part were successful in their creation of a new united German Nation, or Volksgemeinshaft. Discuss the validity of this claim.
Between 1933 and 1945 Hitler and the Nazi Part were successful in their creation of a new united German Nation, or Volksgemeinshaft. Discuss the validity of this claim. Hitler realised the need to recreate German society to form an ideal Nazi community, in order to create his 1000-year Reich. His new society is more commonly known as the Volksgemeinshaft, which can be literally translated as people's community. Such society would be classless, a racially pure community, with no division where people had the same thinking, or views and they acted for the state, they all thought the same way, and Gleichschaltung was achieved. People in this community were also expected to share a common worldview and philosophy, or Welschauung, which made the Nazis hostile to outsiders or people who did not belong in the community. As a part of the drive to achieve social conformity the term Volksgenossen or the national comrades was adopted. In order to penetrate the idea of a Volksgemeinshaft, the people were expected to attend parades and speeches, which became a feature of the new public ritual. Ultimately, no regime which failed to survive even a generation could create a "social revolution" in the sense of a total transformation of society, as many of the Nazis ideals were contradictory, and the fact that no one can dictate on individuals beliefs and values. One of the most
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action "Affirmative action" means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. When those steps involve preferential selection -- selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity -- affirmative action generates intense controversy. The development, defense, and contestation of preferential affirmative action has proceeded in two streams. One has been legal and administrative, as courts, legislatures, and executive departments of government have applied laws and rules requiring affirmative action. The other has been public debate, where the practice of preferential treatment has spawned a vast literature, pro and con. Often enough, the two streams have failed to make adequate contact, with the public quarrels not always very securely anchored in any existing legal basis or practice. The ebb and flow of public controversy over affirmative action can be pictured as two spikes on a line, the first spike representing a period of passionate debate that began around 1972 and tapered off after 1980, and the second indicating a resurgence of debate in the 1990s. The first spike encompassed controversy about gender and racial preferences alike. This is because in the beginning, affirmative action was as much about the factory, firehouse, and
