African American Literature Reviews Samples For Students

Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, published in 1969, is an autobiographical look into the coming-of-age years of the African-American author. Throughout the novel, Angelou’s discusses themes such as racism and segregation that she experienced, simply for being African American. She also discusses experiencing displacement throughout this period in her life, living in seven different homes in a relatively short period of time. There is also an overwhelming theme that speaks to Angelou’s resistance to racism; all of these culminated to form Angelou’s social identity. She covers many different events that helped shape ...

Using every context and all available information in their own interest, the tricksters are represented in the African American culture by small animals that make their way through stories by tricking people, getting out of difficult situations by outsmarting their much bigger opponents (Harris, “The Trickster”). In Folktales, tricksters act as fable or legendary figures that tell a story about society, about humans’ characters, personifying people, while portraying a caricatured, but vivid image of social Moravians (Rutledge 64).
The tricksters are central figures of the African American literature, exhibiting various characteristics that can be depicted in human behavior, such as ...

Introduction

The changes African American male students’ face, while joining high school can be quite overwhelming because they have to make some tough decisions that form the foundation of their future as well as having a goal and a vision of how they will graduate (Bloom and Unterum, 2012). African American male students joining high school undergo many changes and among these are physical changes in a new environment filled with new lecturers and new students with a whole range of expectations. New expectations from the teachers and administrators of the school can lead to a resultant perception of the students of the new environment ...

In Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif”, the experiences of American American women are explored through the comparison of a white female and an African American woman. It is never fully explained which woman is of which race, but because of the cultural differences the reader is led to believe that the white woman is of higher social standing than that of the African American woman.
Although the story takes place in a more modern setting with laws are in place to protect the rights of minorities, the story suggests that even in today’s world racism still exists. This ...

African American literature is a literature of a rather recent vintage compared to the literature of other civilizations. As a matter of fact, African American literature was born after United States took a break from reconstruction and where segregation emerged. It is this discrimination and oppression of the African Americans that compelled black writers to write. The American social order that was established by the constitution in 1898 was violent and intimidating towards the black Americans. African American literature started taking shape in the 1950s in the context of a challenge to enforce and justify racial exploitation and subordination by law. Art for the ...

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the many general similarities between Alice Walker’s "The Welcome Table" and Nadine Gordimer’s "Country Lovers", and the ways in which racism is presented by both writers. Both stories condemn the hypocrisy and attack the injustices of racist societies. Both stories have a symbolic element which is examined and discussed and the fact that both stories are set in very different societies and, therefore, have very different contexts and settings is always at the heart of the paper’s argument. Each story is also discussed and explored separately in order to focus on its individual qualities. ...

Society has evolved in so many ways after American slavery. Although isolated cases of racism still prevail in some places, African Americans are now enjoying the same rights and privileges that everyone else from different races have. African Americans, even women, now hold important positions in companies and government organizations. But perhaps the ultimate proof of recognition and acceptance that they were once completely stripped of is having an African American as President of the strongest nation in the world. However, despite the liberty and the success they were able to achieve in the society, female African Americans still ...

Intersectionality is one of the woman’s libbers and the most propagative conception of the critical race theory. Women of color formations are compelled to address Intersectionality and the mutual and complex interactions of race, class, gender and sexuality (Lowe & Lloyd, 1997, p.310). Many feminists debate that a kind consideration of intersectionality is an important element to gain equality in politics and community, and also to improve the autonomous system.

Queer Liberalism

Queer epistemology rethinks intersectionality not just of radical, sexual, or class simultaneity but as a meeting of two streets, and in a landscape long given over to automotivitya place of particular hazard ...

Did the Welfare System Cause the Dissolution of the Black Family?

Introduction

In 1965 when the civil rights movements was experiencing an explosion, Daniel Patrick Moynihan penned a report to President Johnson claiming that one of the major reasons for poverty amongst black Americans was the fact that a quarter of black families were being headed by women. While that report caused a lot of uproar for the then White House aide, today we still see that many African American homes are manned by single women as many black babies seem to be born outside of wedlock. This is a problem that looks to ...

History of Culturally Adapted Intervention

Culturally adapted therapies or culturally-centered therapies refer to the psychotherapeutic intervention which addresses the cultural characteristics of diverse clients, including his beliefs and value systems, attitudes and socio-economic and historical contexts (Sperry, 2009). It utilizes traditional healing methods and pathways, like the following: cuento therapy and morita therapy. The former addresses culturally relevant concepts such as familismo and personalismo with the use of folk tales (cuento) (Sperry, 2009). Meanwhile, the latter was originated from Japan and is now widely used throughout the world for various mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and shyness (Sperry, 2009).
The idea that culturally ...

The poem entitled “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks interprets like an excerpt out of African American history. As a single work, it signifies a small piece of the struggle as experienced by African Americans, women specifically. The poem itself is about Abortion. Ironically, the statistical trend of Abortion is proportionally high in comparison to other cultures to this day. Abortions in the black community peak at about 35% of all abortions in total while the black community (both foreign and those with slave ancestry) only account for about 10% of the entire population of the country.
Ms. Brooks’ poem dates ...

Culture and identity has been enormously portrayed by authors in a number of literary works. This paper intends to discuss the culture and identity in three different literatures, The Raisin in the Sun, The Yellow Wallpaper, and I'm nobody! Who are you along with further discussion about several other related aspects of the subject matter.
The Raisin in the Sun is a brilliant piece of literary work by Lorraine Hansberry. The author is well known for his portrayal of cultural and identical issues. In the play, raisin in the sun, the author widely discusses the African American culture. The story ...

Biographical information

The selected text The Norton Anthology of African American Literature highlights the slave trade of the African population in the United States. In this tale, the author thirstily highlights his experiences in the hands of his owners and his duty as a slave (Henry & MacKay 187). At one point, he slaves were subjected to painful; marking for them, to be identified upon trade top their destined location. According to Henry & MacKay in this times the definition of slavery was still viewed as positive is the society (187). The rich slave owners in America believed they had a right to own slaves. ...

Stephen B. Oates, the author of The Fires of Jubilee; Nat Turner’s Fierce Rebellion not only gives a drill of the egregious slave defection in Virginia of the Southampton County in August 1831 but also analyzes the backlashes of the Southern culture. This book is a historical narrative that details the history of the rebelled slaves, narrowed specifically to Nat Turner, who led the insurrection to eliminate the Southern white supremacy. Inclusion, Nat Turner is highly portrayed as a talented black slave who managed to marshal slaves into the bloody rebellion against their bosses. Oates vividly explains the ...

The Role of the Teacher in Fostering a Positive Impact through Warm Demanding versus the Academic Performance of Students in Public School Setting: A Correlational Study
This part of the research is a review of literature and related studies on the role of the teachers in using warm demanding or not and how it influences the academic performance of public school students. Warm demandingness is not just about caring to students, but also include insisting them to meet expected and actual academic standards of learning. In view of the previous literature on the subject, many authors (e.g., Holland, 2012; Sullivan, ...

Literature Review

Abstract
This literature review paper focusses on the subject of the role of dreams and the relationship between those dreams and hope. For this purpose three readings of different genres have been selected, to see what and how the three writers have expressed their dreams. The three pieces of literature under study are, a poem called ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ by William Blake, Martin Luther’s speech ‘I have a dream’ and the speech by Abraham Lincoln, popularly known as the ‘Gettysburg Address’.
‘The Chimney Sweeper’ by William Blake addresses the issue of child labor and the social oppression that a ...

What does the speaker mean when he says, “I’ve known rivers.”?

‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers’ by Langston Hughes was first published in 1921 and is a very profound poem in which Hughes seems to speak as an African American (certainly not a white European) Everyman. In order to understand what the poem means, it is necessary to consider the importance of rivers in human culture and civilization, but also the very broad sweep of human history over several thousand years. In pre-historic times human settlements had to be located next to rivers: they provided water for cleaning, drinking and cooking; and the rivers could be used to water plants and to ...

ENGL 2650-201

Marcus Garvey
First of all, Marcus Garvey convinced his followers the primary need of black people was the formation of their own nation. He called it “Back to Africa” movement. Garvey encouraged the descendants of black slaves to return to their historic motherland (Sewell, “The architect of a world of free minds”). The starting point of Garvey`s reflections was the conviction in the futility of attempts to integrate black people into white society. The black diaspora did not have any possibility to fully participate in the social and political life of the West. Such a situation was generated ...

INTRODUCTION

Historically, obesity has been a pertinent issue affecting a large percentage of the American population. Obesity can be described as a medical condition in which there is an accumulation of excess fat in the body. This condition, when not controlled well can result to further body complications such as heart diseases, high blood pressure and diabetes. Therefore, once detected early, the condition should be controlled to avoid such complications. Weight loss is one sure way of reducing the severe effects of obesity as obesity manifests itself through gaining weight. In the US, obese cases have been ranked as among the ...

Introduction

Anger is an emotion that enrages a mind, increases the blood pressure and makes heart beat faster sending adrenaline rush into the system. Anger mainly has three components; physical reactions, the cognitive experience of anger and behavior (PBS Online, 2011). The physical reactions of anger show in increased blood pressure and heart rate, muscle tightening and 'fight or flight' response. The cognitive experience of anger makes one feel angry because of a situation making him feel wronged and threatened. Behavior is the expression of anger that includes a wide range of behavioral reactions from slamming doors to raising voice and from turning ...

The Grapes of Wrath is a novel written by John Steinbeck as he gives the story revolving around the family of Joad. The novel illustrates oppression and hardship that faced the migrants’ workers during the great depression. In depth it is a political tract that governed collectivist action on oppressing those looking for jobs. In the same sense, the speech that was delivered by Martin Luther King on the oppression of the black people has a lot of similarities as compared to the The Grapes of Wrath. Martin Luther speech covers the oppression nature of the blacks as well.
The Declaration's ...

Essay

Before speaking about literary techniques it should be mentioned that two stories themselves. One of them - the drama of August Wilson's called “Fences”, a second one is a work which is a part of the story called “Battle Royale” by Ralph Ellison. Both stories tell to readers about the plight of African-Americans who lived at that time in America. About how society has forced them to humility, as how it turned away and did not understand them. The stories tell about problems with which that people should deal with. Authors tell us about different stories of different people, but the goal ...

This paper focusses on the subject of deferred dreams and we study three poems in this regard. The poems ‘Wild Nights’ by Emily Dickinson, ‘Harlem’ and ‘Let America be America Again’ both by Langston Hughes, all highlight the pain of deferred dreams in different ways and related to different circumstances.
Emily Dickinson’s poem ‘Wild Nights’ is a love poem expressing sexual passion and love. The poem falls into the genre of lyric poetry, there are three stanzas in the poem and each one has a quatrain. The poem expresses ardent affections and yearning to unite with the lover. The ...

It is not a new idea, but a recent CNN report (CNN.com, 2009) brings into question again whether there is a bias in the medical community against certain categories of people, most notably African-Americans.

The report, entitled “Does your doctor judge you based on your color?”, describes the experience of a black man named John Reid who went to the emergency room with an infected toe, a result, he was sure, of his diabetes. The doctor who saw him immediately ordered an amputation. Appalled by the decision, he demanded to see the head doctor, who instead ordered a series of IV antibiotics and physical therapy. ...

Literature review

When we talk about the artists from the 19th century, readers have prejudices about them as the authors of sentimental novels whose protagonists are mostly young girls who seek justice for themselves. This is not the case with Emily Dickinson. In order to understand her poems, readers need to have an insight in the social circumstances of the time when he lived. In these days, you were not supposed to have a public opinion, your job as a female, was limited to the running of the household and that was all. Even though Emily Dickinson was a mild and condescending person, her ...

Abstract

“Cultural neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field of research that investigates interrelations among culture, mind and the brain.”. It postulates in part that culturally based daily routines yield culturally patterned neural brain patterns and lay the pattern for the embodied construction of the self and identity. Other studies have found evidence for the prevalence of the diagnosis of disorders like AD/HD in some cultures and not in others. Implications for research on a possible link between culture, cultural neuroscience, OC/HD, diagnosis methods, illness perceptions and help seeking behavior are discussed.

Introduction

The DSM-IV-TR criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and international classification ...

Introduction

The contemporary system of medical service has its respective roots in the health care system of the 19th century, where the dominating industrialization has resulted in the occurrence and further development of scientific medicine (Connerley and Wu, 2016). From the historical point of view, medical services have been provided by anyone who possesses enough skill/knowledge to be capable of healing people. In fact the majority of those people were the women (Evetts, 2000). According to the statistics of those days, it was less than 5% of women comprising the number of physicians working in the United States. The highest ...

The yellow paper is a story that is usually said to be horror. This is due to the mistreatments that were accorded to the women during the period. The fact that people see the mistreatments being abnormal makes the people to refer the stories as being a horror. Gothic on the other hand is a story that combines both matters relating to romance and horror. Most of the characters in the story have the characteristics of horrors. What the stories show is that the women were taken to be the weak creatures during the period when the stories were written. They were ...

“The Little Black Boy” is a popular poem that was written by William Blake and published in the year 1789 as a part of “Songs of Innocence”. In this seven stanza poem, a young African American boy narrates his story and describes about his black identity. The poem was written in an era when slavery was widely practiced in the United States of America and it was legal too. This paper proposes a discussion on the poem “The Little Black Boy” and analyses the message that is conveyed through the poem.
A young and innocent African American child compares himself with a white ...

Factors such as race, sex and age may be significant benchmarks in the analysis or understanding of epidemiological details such as incidence and mortality rates of oral cancer.1 For instance, the incidence and mortality rates in men are twice more than in women.1 Based on race, African American males have a higher incidence rate than White males.1 This also applies between a comparison between African American females and White females respectively.
Despite the occurrence of new cases of oral cancer, the overall incidence rate trend over the last 30 years has been declining.2 The incidence rate of oral cancer among ...

The play by Lorraine Hansbury is a story that is based on the experiences of a black family within an estate in a Chicago neighborhood. Poverty and abject poverty for that matter is a central theme within the play. Various incidences and scenarios are used to describe the state of poverty of the family. The most common problems revolve around investments, and the family tends to have more conflicts in line with the money issues. Broadly, although Lorraine Hansbury’s “A Raisin in the Sun” touches on many themes, pro-integration is one of the things that come out strongly in the play. This ...

In what ways do Whites in America, as defined by the author, benefit from racism? Describe a situation in which YOU have benefitted from or been disadvantaged by, intentionally or unintentionally, your race. How might this privilege or disadvantage been affected by another of your social identities? (class, gender, religion, sexual orientation, citizenship, etc.
According to Tatum, the whites in the predominantly white society don’t notice the kind of privilege they have unless they mix with other people from other races to know the privilege they have in this country. The author notes that, the whites struggle to ...

Maya Angelou’s “still I Rise’ is a poem dealing with the theme of suffering or struggle. The poem puts in the consideration of the conditions encountered by America. The contrast and comparison between the two citizens enable the poet to prompt her own attitude and emotions about isolation and freedom. The poem applies symbolism throughout with hidden messages. Symbolism assists the poet convey her feelings and emotions regarding freedom and isolation indirectly. The White American citizen symbolize the freedom in people. She applies verbs such as `floats’ and `leaping’ as a sign of joy, happiness and energy that the citizens ...

Question 1: Research Questions and purpose

This research was purposely designed to investigate the effects associated with racial stressors on the cardio-vascular responses among both the African Americans and the Caucasian men. It was also tailored to capture the role played by hostility in exacerbating cardio-vascular responses. It was set to test the previous studies that had asserted that anger-provoking and racist stimuli elicited greater increases n the blood pressure than neutral stimuli in both the African Americans as well as their Caucasian counterparts.

Some of the research questions this study was responding to include:

- What is the role of hostility in exacerbating cardiovascular responses?
- Do race stressors increase cardiovascular responses than other ...

Education

Abstract
Minority students that can be targeted for retention programs include students from the African-American, Hispanic, Native American, Filipino and Hawaiian ethnicities. The issues that need to be addressed in order to retain minority students in higher education nursing programs include more academic preparation, more support from faculty, and the availability of health the insurance. The wrong perceptions about nurses start as young as Kindergarten and last through elementary and high school. Long term solutions to the retention problem can start when nursing associations and university departments need to reach out to local school districts by offering help ...

Introduction

Addressing the objective of this academic investigation engages in dialogue how the writings of Norma Alarcon, Kimberle' Crenshaw, Judith Butler, and Roderick Ferguson align with the rearticulation of the theory of intersectionality criticizing the liberal notion of identity and subjectivity of women social and political issues. The ensuing academic goal also includes examining how these authors' seeming discrepant situations actually allow delineation of their shared point of conjecture, critical dialogues, and challenges of women in the 21st century.

The Unified Issue of the Authors

Review of Alarcon, Crenshaw, Butler, and Ferguson dialogue on American feminism expansion including global feminism reveals the one unified issue expressed ...

Natural selection is a premise advanced by Charles Darwin to explain the evolution of the human race. Darwin argued that evolution was based on a survival for the fittest strategy, and so some features of early humans evolved to ensure they dominated their ecosystems. This premise is applicable in analyzing the evolution of racism among the American society. Howard Zinn recognizes that whereas early African-Americans in the United States were treated as servants and not slaves, they were never regarded as equals to the Americans. Borrowing from Darwin’s arguments, it is evident that the natives considered the introduction of another ...

Introduction

Pregnancy is a milestone characterized by changes in many aspects of women’s lives in ways that can promote or undermine health. It is important for women to cope successfully and be healthy from conception through birth and beyond to achieve the best health outcomes for them and their newborns. Adequate physical activity has many health benefits and should be continued throughout pregnancy. Programs that promote exercise help pregnant women initiate and maintain greater physical activity and a healthier lifestyle. Such programs must consider the unique characteristics, circumstances, and health status of gravid women to be appropriate and effective. Using guidelines ...

Although Claude McKay had started to enjoy some fame after his sonnet "If We Must Die" was published but it was 'Home to Harlem' that made him a celebrity and also eased his financial difficulties, though for a brief period only. The depiction of the life in Harlem also attracted the attention of some black leaders in America. For some of them, the emphasis of the novel was on the instinctual and the sensual which was against the general image of respectability which these black leaders have tried to contain among their people. In their opinion, it also reinforced some of ...

Fences

Story explores the lives of two African American friends, Troy and Bono and their families illustrating their struggles as they face discrimination and racism. ‘Fences’ is an educative story that story highlights the problems and struggles of a typical African American family under biased ideologies of racism. “Fences” is a good comical story that is engaging, but has a sad ending.
Wilson presents an interesting play that explores and gives equal advantage to all the characters by developing their roles through their struggles. Lyons, Troy’s son before getting married to Rose had never experienced the fatherly side of Troy. This ...

Introduction

Thoreau’s civil disobedience emerges from Thoreau’s refusal to pay church tax claiming that the church has no right to impose tax. His reasoning is that if all institutions were to present their tax bills to the government, then he would be bound to pay his; but, there is no justification for “taxing the schoolmaster to support the priest” (Thoreau 49). This implies that though the policy may be ethical, the underlying structure is disputable. His reasoning is influential; it stirs a logical query of every aspect of one’s own life, indicating a close connection between text and action. ...

Introduction

Sexual harassment is the coercion or the bullying of a sexual nature. It refers to the inappropriate or the unwelcome promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment has been outlawed in many societies and legal action is usually taken against offenders. Sexual harassment usually increases when there is some unrest of any sort. Women demonstrators are targets of rape and other forms of sexual harassment during demonstrations as happened during the Arab uprising. Women demonstrators who opt to join counteraction groups sometimes face harassments not only from their oppressors but also from fellow male members of their ...

August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson

As part of August Wilson’s ten play cycle, The Piano Lesson concerns issues that African-Americans deal with in the 1930s, primarily the effect of the past, its bearing on the present, and the consequences for the future. The weight of the past in the play is represented by the piano. This piano once belonged to the Sutter family, slaveholders who owned the members of the Charles family who currently possess the piano. As Doaker reveals when he explains to Boy Willy why Berniece will not consent to the sale of the piano, members of the Charles family stole ...

Multicultural and Diversity Aspects of Empowerment Counseling

The realization that the demographics of the United States of America will be made up of a considerably large number of ethnic groups who have been considered minorities before has raised the importance of multicultural and diversity training among counselors dealing with mental health (National Association Of Social Workers, 2001). According to Nassar-McMillian & Niles (2010) empowerment counseling focuses on enhancing clients self esteem, decision making skills, and developing his or her social, life, and health skills. This literature review will provide insight into multicultural and diversity aspects of empowerment counseling. The focus of the literature will be why it is ...

Part of the enjoyment of poetry is the acceptance that some poems or parts of poems cannot be pinned down to a single meaning. Explore this view of poetry, and the ways in which poets use of language and from invites different readings.

In this essay I will be exploring ‘Blackberry-Picking’ by Seamus Heaney, ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck’ by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ by Maya Angelou. In different ways they show that poems cannot be pinned down to a single meaning.

The structure of ‘Blackberry-Picking’ is essentially that of two, not-quite-equal halves. The first 16 ...