N.W.A. has had a long lasting impression on rap and hip-hop music. The 90’s rap group is known for being very rebellious, selling millions of records, and making gangster rap accessible to the masses. They amassed a group of people who absolutely despised their music and the messages they were promoting, however they had a…
Author: carolineshumphrey
“Eat to Live” vs. “Live to Eat”
There is a saying that people either “eat to live” or “live to eat.” Food fulfills a basic physical need of the body and provides nourishment. Aside from physical satisfaction good brings to a person, psychologically food offers so much more. The tastes, smells, places and people associated with certain food bring up strong emotions….
Taste through Time
The notion of “taste” has been a constant thread throughout reading The Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown and Cordelia the Crude by William Thurman. Although they are in very different phases of life, Henry figuring out the logistics of how he will escape his life as a slave and Cordelia navigating her…
Cordelia’s Game of Life
In Cordelia the Crude, author Wallace Thurman creates a “me vs. you” environment both for the readers and the narrator. Cordelia’s entire life is described as a long battle that she is neither winning nor losing. It is difficult for the reader to pinpoint where Cordelia stands in her life, which presents a mind game…
Science Fiction, Social Commentary, and Space Traders
The genre of science fiction is important for people to consider events, places, and living beings that are unknown in the current world. While at times it may seem ridiculous and impossible, the newness of worlds based in science fiction helps people think differently about real issues. Placing a real social issue, such as racism,…
Dr. Napolean Wellington Jackson as James Weldon Johnson
Schuyler uses very obscure names for prominent characters in Black No More. These humorous names hold tremendous meaning to his message and often link to people in real life. One of these notable characters is Dr. Napoleon Wellington Jackson who is the office chairman of the National Social Equality League. His appearance is described as…
Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
In 1959, the American journalist John Howard Griffin noticed that no white authors were writing about living in the South with Jim Crow. Living in the Jim Crow South as a white man was completely different from living with the set of laws as a black man. Since no white authors were writing and promoting…
The Humanness of “Blood” in The Souls of Black Folk
Early on in The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois, the author presents his frustration living in America separated so strongly by a “color-line”. After reading more of the book, it becomes clear DuBois is presenting anecdotes and people that prove the humanness of black Americans. One tool that stuck out to me was…
Sugar Coating Slavery
Children’s books are usually centered on happy stories, families, animals, and events. The genres main goal is to keep kids entertained, in a good mood, or to fall asleep. Slavery in America may not be the history that comes to mind when one thinks of a plot for a children’s book, but it is an…
Black Matter 