Friday, May 15, 2020

African Literature Is It Truly Authentic - 1214 Words

African Literature: Is it Truly Authentic? Now lets just say an Anthropologist went on to study an African cultural group in Nigeria. Now let s consider that Anthropologist went on to live exactly like that African group, and the Anthropologist decided to report his findings as if an individual from that cultural group was writing about the experience. Now think about the controversy that will be caused, and the debate regarding if this is truly African experience. Ever since the mid 1700’s to 1800’s, European countries were taking interest in colonizing African countries. Since then there has been many works of literature that came from Africa from people who have European ancestry in them. On one side, people would argue that these writers are authentic African writers. On the other hand, some would disagree that these writers are authentic African writers because of the European influence within the writing. One African writer in particular Ngugi, believes that to be truly authentic, African literature must be written in an African language;however, another African writer Chinua Achebe thinks the opposite of Ngugi. In Achebe’s novel, â€Å"Things Fall Apart† the novel takes place in postcolonial Africa viewed in the eyes of an African instead of the European. Many people have debated whether if these writers are to be considered authentic African writers. To start off, Ngugi’s views on authentic African writers discriminates against other African literature. To be moreShow MoreRelatedThe Innate Genius Behind By Langston Hughes944 Words   |  4 PagesLangston Hughes was a pioneer of African-American literature and while he wrote an abundance of short stories, essays and plays, he is most well-known for his poetry. The innate genius behind these poems was that he wrote about the everyday lives of American men and women using simple and easily relatable language to invoke a sense of grand importance that most people could un derstand. His poetry presents a commentary in which both races can begin to better understand one another and also critiquesRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes s Poetry977 Words   |  4 Pagesthe struggle of the African American community through his poetry during the time period around the Harlem Renaissance. As a world traveler and successful African American man, he was able to use his fame to enlighten the world, namely the white population, on the inequality and abuse of African American population in the United States. Despite his own battle with unhappiness and inequality (Royster, 344), Hughes was able to capture and express the truth of the life of African Americans in his emotionallyRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God By Nora Zeale Hurston1118 Words   |  5 Pagesexcellent feminist novel and an even better speakerly text. Speakerly texts speak to the readers with an authentic black voice. This authentic black voice can only come from an African-American himself or herself, whi ch in this case, is Hurston. Speakerly text is defined as â€Å"a text whose rhetorical strategy is designed to represent an oral tradition† (Harriss). Throughout Hurston’s novel, Janie, an African-American woman, is narrating her past experiences to her good friend, Pheoby. Through her life journeyRead MoreEveryday Use Analysis Essay1708 Words   |  7 Pages[a]ssured by the makers of American fashion that black is currently beautiful, she has conformed her own style to that notion. So when she goes to visit her mother, the first thing Mama notices about Dees appearance is her newly adopted African style: A dress to the ground in this hot weather. A dress so loud it hurts my eyes. There are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun. I feel my whole face warming from the heat waves it throws out. Earrings gold, too, andRead MoreThe For The Widow By Paule Marshall, Krik ! By Edwidge Danticat And Masters Of The Dew1671 Words   |  7 Pagesby being bathed and oiled by Rosalie until she feels â€Å"this warmth and the faint stinging† that represents the awakening of her authentic self (223 Marshall). Because of the waters cleansing she is able to now pass on her story and live life as her natural and authentic self without the weight of oppression that held her down for so many years. She finalizes this authentic self by going to the gathering with Lebert Joseph and becoming Avatara Johnson. Becoming Avatara would have been impossible withoutRead MoreThe Meaning Of Slave Religion Summary1437 Words   |  6 PagesThe author, Curtis J. Evans, argues that African Americans and images of black religion in American culture have been key to the development of American ideals and culture, as well as a reflection of the nation’s failures as a country. Throughout the text, Evans never truly offers any added narrative to the events in history he speaks on, but simply historicizes the burden that has been placed on black religion, and by natural extension, black people. He documents the changes in how black religionRead MoreHow The Harlem Renaissance Shaped Literature1596 Words   |  7 Pages320 Hoeppner How the Harlem Renaissance Shaped Literature The Harlem Renaissance was a revolutionary time for African Americans in the Twentieth Century. It lasted from around 1918 until 1937 and is described as â€Å"the nation’s first self-conscious black literary and artistic movement† (Tindall 804), but the ideas cultivated within those years are still relevant in today’s society. In New York the city of Harlem had a rapidly growing population of African Americans due to the Great Migration and it wasRead MoreFrom Valiancy to Vengeance in Shakespeare ´s Othello794 Words   |  4 Pagesdemise of many innocent people. Moral lesson: Jealousy and hatred are evil and sinister, which can create a high level of destruction. It would be wise not to only believe in what one may hear, but also what you see for yourself. If a man or woman truly loves another, they will give their significant other the benefit of the doubt, instead of failing their love the second it is put to the test. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Shakespeares Tragedies. Chelsea House Publishers, 2000. Broomall, PA. PpRead More Children’s Literature through an Americanized Scope1232 Words   |  5 Pagesin Gloria Whelan’s Homeless Bird and Deborah Ellis’s Parvana’s Journey in her article â€Å"Beyond Borders: Reading ‘Other’ Places in Children’s Literature.† Stewart claims that multicultural texts are significant, and that diverse perspectives in conjunction with western existence and beliefs are poignant to a young student’s education. But multicultural literature is dismal, in regards to works about other places and experiences by non-westerners with a lack of the â€Å"other† and its representations in theRead MoreAn Analysis Of George Gershwin s An American Folk Opera 1641 Words   |  7 Pagesmusical drama before the 1935 premiere of Porgy and Bess. Much has been written about the work’s subtitle; its literal meaning, its evoluti on, and its implications for a changing cultural landscape. Porgy and Bess was the last in a triptych of literature and theater surrounding the character of Porgy, a crippled beggar living in Charleston’s semi-fictitious Catfish Row. Porgy, the 1925 novel written by white author DuBose Heyward, was â€Å"the original.† The novel received mixed reviews; white critics

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.