One example of a song in which explicit and potentially demeaning language seems necessary is in Rihanna’s popular hit, “Bitch Better Have My Money”. In the song, Rihanna discusses a theme that is prevalent throughout the hip hop genre, artists’ discussion of their wealth and general success over others. Rihanna’s use of the term “bitch”…
Author: yacines
Sassafrass’s Loom and its Relationship to Womanhood
In Ntozake Shange’s novel, Sassafrass, Cypress, & Indigo, the loom seems to represent something of particular importance for the character Sassafrass, especially when things take a more negative turn in her life. The craft of weaving was something passed down by the women in her family for generations, and due to this it was something…
The Beauty and Pain of “The Southern Road”
In Helene Johnson’s poem “A Southern Road”, Johnson describes both the beauty and pain of the South. What starts off as a beautiful piece describing the nature of the environment the reader is in soon takes a turn into something that becomes much more morbid. This shift is evident especially in terms of the use…
Using Science Fiction to Analyze Blackness
The genre of science fiction allows authors to create a world where they are able to exaggerate the position of blacks in society. In his piece “Space Traders”, Derrick Bell creates a fictional world where the United States is forced to decide between fixing all of their economic and environmental problems for the exchange of…
“Black No More” vs. “Black Like Me”
Griffin, J., & Bonazzi, Robert. (2010). Black like me (50th Anniversary ed.). New York: Signet. While reading George S. Schuyler’s satirical novel Black No More I saw many similarities between this story and a book I read for one of my classes last year, Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. Rather than being satirical…
Colors of Oppression within ‘The Color-Line’
In chapter eleven of W.E.B. DuBois’ “The Souls of Black Folk”, titled “Of the Passing of the First-Born”, DuBois’ highlighting of colors stands out as a method of emphasizing the significance of colors in the world he lives in. Throughout the chapter, there are multiple instances where DuBois’ descriptions underline the colors of his surroundings….
The Importance of Language in Depicting Emotion
In Sally M. Walker’s children’s book “Freedom Song: The Story of Henry ‘Box’ Brown” Walker’s use of short, simple sentences were somewhat reminiscent of poetry. The simplicity of the language she used, paired with the strong descriptors of Henry’s life on the field and relationship with his family highlighted those positive aspects of his life…
Black Matter 