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African Cultural Retention, 2008.
This paper explores the question: Are African Americans destroying African culture?
765 words (approx. 3.1 pages), 4 sources, APA, $ 27.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that African culture retention is noticeable in many aspects of the American lifestyle. The author points out that the African heritage for U.S. blacks survived the vicious system of slavery, despite attempts to remove remnants of African culture from the slaves and to instill a European/white culture so that they could be more accepting of their situation. The paper relates that some distorted cultural practices such as violence, sometimes labeled as "African", are not even remotely related to any kind of link with the cultural diversity of the African continent. The author concludes that the issue of African cultural retention and the destruction of the African-American society is so intertwined that it is sometimes hard to examine them separately.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Tenets of African Culture In the United States
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The retention component has also been used to damage the influence of African culture; for example acts of violence or family structure, and or social interactions have sometimes been linked to the African culture, or the travesty of slavery, or even more so, the cultural practices in Africa concerning relationships, marriage, and relationships. Liberating African American cultural identity will show that the African influence or content of this identity, although not in a pure form, offers a significant amount of positive influences."
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African Labor and Western Expansion, 2008.
This paper analyzes the African contributions to the Western world, within the framework of Sheila Walker's thesis, "Are You Hip, or Are You Jive: Re (Writing)/Righting the Pan-American Discourse".
718 words (approx. 2.9 pages), 3 sources, APA, $ 25.95
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Abstract
The paper looks at Sheila Walker's thesis that the modern Western world was built by African slave labor. The paper discusses how economic growth based on cotton or sugar cane was due to the slave labor and that led to the economic expansion of the western world. The paper highlights Walker's belief that this contribution should be acknowledged by Western society.
Outline:
Introduction
Sheila Walker's Thesis: A Critical Analysis
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Walker's thesis is based on the fact that, through the contributions of Africans who had a significant presence due to slavery, the Western world was built by African slave labor. Hence there should be mention of this 'contribution', with specific reference to the fact that the Western World was built by the Africans presence in the region. Economic growth based on cotton, or sugar cane, was due to the slave labor; that led to the economic expansion of the western world, hence Africans are at the crux of Western development and civilization."
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Article Analysis: Estrogen Metabolites in a Multiracial Population, 2007.
A critical analysis of an article by Sowers, Crawford, McConnell and Randolph, entitled 'Selected Diet and Lifestyle Factors are Associated with Estrogen Metabolites in a Multiracial/Ethnic Population of Women".
955 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 33.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that there are significant problems in terms of conceptualization and methodology in the research reported by Sowers et. al. in the article 'Selected Diet and Lifestyle Factors are Associated with Estrogen Metabolites in a Multiracial/Ethnic Population of Women'. The author points out that the troubling methodological problems throughout the framework of this paper include ambiguous phrases, deceptive statistics, the overlooking of rival causes, inadequate justification of the project and the fundamental disconnect between the research questions and the results. The paper stresses that there is no justification for the authors' use of race/ethnicity as a variable in this study, particularly given that the authors pay absolutely no regard to the importance of socio-economic status as a variable. The author underscores that the harm of this research is that it implies inherently bad health to minorities, in this case, to African-American women, which risks perpetuating racist stereotypes.
From the Paper
"The authors find that African-American women have significantly lower levels of estrogen metabolites than either White or Asian women; a number that they suggest is inherent in the racial group as it is not correlated to lifestyle factors. To attain this result, the authors measure the independent variable of race/ethnicity against dependent dietary and lifestyle variables. Other variables such as age are controlled. However, one obvious variable - a particularly important one given the focus of the study - is entirely absent from the analysis: socio-economic status."
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"I'm 50/50": Case Study of a Black-Hispanic Woman, 2008.
A case study of an American-born woman of black-Hispanic descent.
1,230 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 41.95
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Abstract
This paper consists of an interview with a woman who was born in Los Angeles in 1932, during the Depression to a black mother and a Mexican citizen father who had immigrated to the United States. In the paper, the interviewee speaks of her life growing up in Los Angeles and some of the challenges she faced due to her unusual parentage. She also discusses some information about her father Renaldo and how he came to America, and the experiences he had here and how he ultimately met and married her mother, Violetta. The paper also includes some discussion based upon what the interviewee learned in her studies of race and ethnicity and how one distinguishes different aspects of one's background and culture, and how this affects one's relationships with other members of the community. Finally, the paper includes a brief discussion of her siblings and her own grown children, and the decisions they themselves made in terms of selecting what they felt to be the most appropriate genetic matches for themselves, taking into account the experiences of their mother.
From the Paper
"Mrs. Diaz notes that her own reading and study has taught her that "Latin" is not a racial designation, but a language designation. While her Mexican father spoke Spanish, racially he was known as a mestizo, partly of Spanish descent and partly of Aztec descent, but, she tells us, "even he could not say in exactly what proportion," since an exact genealogy was long ago lost to memory over the generations. Like most mixed Mexicans, he did not fare as well in his country as more pure-blooded Spanish, who tended to rise to the upper castes; so, he emigrated to the United States. He worked in Arizona cotton fields, then migrated to California to work in fruit orchids; after saving some money he moved to Los Angeles to get involved in a small grocery store with a couple of partners. This would have been shortly before the Depression."
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The Documentary Film, 2008.
This paper looks at the six different modes of documentary filmmaking, with a focus on the documentaries "Out of Control: AIDS in Black America" and "Other Faces of AIDs".
2,614 words (approx. 10.5 pages), 8 sources, MLA, $ 78.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses the documentary film's six primary modes of filmmaking and illustrates some of these modes with reference to different documentaries. The paper then applies the data to two specific documentaries; "Out of Control: AIDS in Black America" and "Other Faces of AIDs," which address the growing AIDs crisis in the African-American community. The paper shows how in both films the expository mode takes over, creating a sense that the white reporters and filmmakers are lecturing, which undercuts the effectiveness of the message and separates the black community.
Outline:
Introduction
Six Primary Modes of Documentary Filmmaking
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The classification of documentary films into six modes was proposed and explained by Bill Nichols. As Nichols describes these six modes, he suggests that each of the six corresponded to a particular period in documentary filmmaking when that mode prevailed, though all persist and may be found in some films at any given time. The observational mode is considered by some to be the truest form, given that it involves the least direct interference or interpretation by the filmmaker. As Nichols writes, these are films that "eschew commentary and reenactment [and] observe things as they happen" (Nichols, Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary 138). This is considered by many to be the most "documentary-like" of all the documentary forms, and perhaps the best-known practitioner of this form is Frederick Wiseman."
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Toni Morrison as an Author, 2003.
A look at Toni Morrison's life, career and literary works.
1,420 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 47.95
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Abstract
This paper recounts Toni Morrison's acclaimed career as an author. It focuses particularly on how many of the characters, settings and themes in her narratives reflect her own background in particular and the African-American experience in general. The paper examines works such as "Beloved", "The Bluest Eye", and "Perfect Love". In conclusion, the paper claims that it is Morrison's combination of themes, her lifelike characters, and her settings that have made her a successful author.
Table of Contents:
Morrison's Background
Studying the Characters of Morrison's Books
Looking at the Settings Found in Morrison's Narratives
Themes in the Narratives Build Her Voice as an Author
From the Paper
"Reading any of Morrison's books will show how she used characters to portray the narrative she is telling. For instance, consider her short story of "Recitatif." Imagine a "white" little girl who rooms for the first time with an "African-American" little girl. Morrison does not tell which little girl is white or which one is black. She uses her characterization to emphasize her theme of racism in this story. Morrison has the ability to create characters that fit the story. "In her five subsequent novels, she established herself as one of America's leading fiction writers, a gifted, popular storyteller whose troubled characters and their struggles expose the fault lines of a society built on a racial prejudice" (Grimes). These characters touch the heart of the reader and the reader is able to see the imaginary characters as they turn page after page. Take the character of Pecola's in the novel, "The Bluest Eye," the way Morrison shows allows the readers to feel the sorrow she has (Caldwell). Or, perhaps consider the story of "Beloved." "Beloved is actually written about an African-American woman who escaped to Ohio, but when they were going to take her back as a slave she killed her child rather than let it suffer the tragedy of being a slave (Toni Morrison). Sethe believes it would be better for her baby to be dead rather than face the horrors involved in slavery. The story ends with Sethe realizing she has a future and that life can get better."
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"Life on the Color Line", 2008.
An analysis of "Life on the Color Line" by Gregory H. Williams
1,379 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
The paper looks at "Life on the Color Line" by Gregory H. Williams, which is an autobiographical story of a man who found himself trapped between two different racial worlds. The paper describes how Williams, a white man with one-quarter black heritage, decides to consciously attempt to embrace a black racial identity. The paper addresses the question of race construction, how certain people might live the life of one given race or another based upon different influencing factors. Finally, this analysis considers how Williams' life might have been different in sports and education had he been fully accepted as white.
From the Paper
"Growing up in suburban Virginia in the 1950s, Gregory and his brother Michael find themselves at the mercy of their troubled and abusive father, who despite having achieved a respectable amount of success as a businessman and owner of a roadside cafe, repeatedly sabotages his life and that of his family due to his alcoholism and related dysfunctional behavior. Though taken for a dark-skinned "Italian," by the time their father's businesses fail, Mike and Greg discover to their shock that their father has been deceiving them all their lives, and is in fact half-black: the product of a white Kentucky man and his black mistress. (Their mother, who was also white, obviously was in on the deception, but by the time of the move to Muncie, Indiana, she had already left.)"
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Martin Luther King's Leadership, 2008.
This paper discusses the charismatic leadership of Martin Luther King Jr.
1,097 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 3 sources, APA, $ 38.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses Martin Luther King's belief in freedom for his people, which affected the way he gave many of his speeches and the way he lived his life. The paper shows how his charismatic personality grabbed the attention of his audience and motivated them into making changes.
From the Paper
"Most people when they hear the name, Martin Luther King Jr., they immediately remember his persuasive speech called, "I Have a Dream." Yet, what made people stop and listen to Martin Luther King Jr. a leader that both whites and African Americans would listen to? Yes, he was a civil rights activist, but others stood behind the beliefs of civil rights and did not get the attention that King did. A study of Martin Luther King Jr. will show that he was a charismatic, persuasive leader with spiritual energy that grabbed the attention of his audience and his persuasion led people to make changes."
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Racism in the United States and Europe, 2008.
An analysis of racism in the United States and Europe and the legislation that is introduced in an effort to control it.
1,506 words (approx. 6.0 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 49.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the similarities and differences between cultural racism in the United States and Europe. It discusses the strength of racism in both regions and the fact that in many cases it seems to be on the rise. The paper then looks at current efforts to control racism through legislation, but suggests that this will be ineffectual when there is a base cultural support for racisim.
From the Paper
"With such vigilance and fervor against racism, one must ask why it not only persists but seems to be thriving in Europe. In the United States, First Amendment protections allow citizens to organize and talk about nearly anything they'd like, including racist ideology. Combined with tensions over immigration, fear of people of Middle Eastern descent, and a standing racism with African Americans, it is little wonder that the United States not only has a history of racism but also a strong culture of racism. In Europe, however, many believe that legal prohibitions against racism and hate speech should be enough to protect ethnic minorities from racism and create a more egalitarian society. Unfortunately, Europe's record on racism is no better than the United States' (Kudnani, 1998). Tensions over immigration, rising populism, and antagonism toward Jews and Arabs all feed into a healthy subculture of racism. The conclusion we must draw from this is that racism cannot be dealt with on a political or legal level, but must be examined on a cultural level. Racism is rooted in a desire to protect members of one's own culture from outside threats. That this desire to protect manifests as racism is an unfortunate result."
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"White Over Black", 2008.
A review of "White Over Black: American Attitudes Toward the Negro, 1550-1812" by Winthrop D. Jordan.
1,075 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
The paper looks at "White Over Black: American Attitudes Toward the Negro, 1550-1812" by Winthrop D. Jordan where he discusses the history of relations between whites and blacks leading to the slave era. The paper looks at how Jordan identifies the institution of slavery and the development of its own rules and customs. The paper describes how Winthrop shows how attitudes changed over time and how slavery in particular altered relations between black and white. The paper notes that Jordan provides a list of resources for those who want to examine these issues in more detail.
From the Paper
"Europeans were seeking empire when they first arrived in West Africa, originally just to trade goods with the natives. English traders wrote accounts of their journeys and described the people they saw, people very different from themselves, with skin color the most obvious difference. Different terms were used to apply to natives from different parts of Africa, meaning natives of differing blackness. The idea of color itself became part of the vocabulary. English travelers eventually came to see blacks as not only different but as savage and so as uncivilized. This fact alone became a lure for travelers who wanted to see the savages up close. In time, the English started to project attitudes they did not want to admit in themselves onto the savages they saw as so different, and blackness became a metaphor for some of the darker aspects of human nature."
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