The dancer is symbolic of America's distorted value system, the perception of African Americans seen by the white males. The dancers tattoo suggests American freedom, something that the African American society wants. ... She, the dancer, is allegorical of how little authority both African Americans and women have in a society lead by white males. ... The African American boys are reprimanded for watching the dancer's performance as well as not watching. ... The dancer has essentially no choice other than to dance, though she doesn't want to, for all of the men in the room. ...

• Word Count: 677
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

CHANGES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE 1920"S In the 1920's, African Americans were going through many changes and were doing many new things that they hadn't even thought about doing before that. ... Not only did African Americans start jazz, but some of the best jazz musicians were African American. ... This is when African American literature, art, music, dance, and social commentary began to flourish in Harlem, which is an area of New York City. ... It was a celebration of the unique culture of African Americans, and gave the world a new view of African American expressio...

• Word Count: 840
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Sam had been training Willie to be a dancer at the start of the play. ... Sam counters by explaining that dancing is an art much like painting or music. Sam also goes on to compare dancing to politics. ... Fugard was demonstrating the religious tensions that plagued South Africa. ... All three of which plague South Africa even to this day. ...

• Word Count: 428
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

The Watershed is a contemporary piece including nine dancers that is choreographed by Kyle Abraham. ... There were 4 female dancers and 5 male dancers in the piece, one of them being the choreographer; Kyle Abraham. ... I believe history repeats itself considering how African Americans are still currently fighting for the same rights that they were fighting for back in the 1950's. ... Unarmed teen Michael Brown was shot an murdered by a white police officer back in august and there is outrage throughout the entire African American community. ... Watermelon, African americans stereotypical...

• Word Count: 744
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Battle Royal, is mainly a description of the African American struggle for equality and identity. The narrator of the story is an above average youth of the African American community. ... Then the young black men are "forced" to watch this attractive white woman dance in the middle of the ring, this in a time when being sexually attracted to a white woman is a taboo in the racist world. ...

• Word Count: 769
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

African American's Great Migration to a better Economy and Freedom After the Reconstruction era the African American's population changed in the south during the 19th and early 20th centuries. ... The Jim Crow laws were a big reason why the African Americans moved. ... Many African Americans found this as an advantage to change their economy. ... Soon the Whites would lessen the African American control on these towns. ... The African Americans brought with them to these states many of their African cultures though art, dance, music and life African heritage, which are seen t...

• Word Count: 558
• Approx Pages: 2

More specifically the battle royal is emblematic of the "battle" for egalitarianism in America's white society by African Americans in the 1950's; when the story was set and written. The battle royal and the narrator's attempt to give his speech while being mocked by the white men are directly representative of the trials and tribulations African Americans had to endure to achieve equality. ... The boys are first shepherded into a room, where they are forced to watch a naked woman dancing, while being yelled at for and for not watching the nude woman. ... This is symbolic of ...

• Word Count: 327
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

Being an African American in the 1900's was not an easy thing to do. ... That didn't stop her; she learned the chorus line's routines while working as a dresser and was the backup performer when a dancer wasn't available. ... They were most thrilled from her silliness on stage and how comical her dancing was. ... Her story and perseverance of never giving up regardless of being sold short because of being African American will always be remembered....

• Word Count: 702
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

During the time of its premiere, The Octoroon, inspired conversations about the abolition of slavery as well as the overall mistreatment of the African Americans. ... Boucicault's play focuses on the denial of liberty, identity, and dignity, while ironically preserving common African-American stereotypes of the antebellum period. ... While the author attempts to evoke anti-slavery sentiments, the play is largely in ineffectual of being a true indictment of slavery by further perpetuating the African American stereotypes. ... With the tragic mulatto, the author romantically stresses the p...

• Word Count: 1218
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

THE BOONDOCKS - "A Right to Be Hostile " The comic strip, The Boondocks by Aaron McGruder, introduces African Americans, referred to as "Blacks- in the comic strip, into the media in a different light from what is typically portrayed on television and newspapers. ... The Black characters' communication style was open and direct, which may come across as hostile and angry, contrasting from the White's character's way of dancing around an issue. ... I agree with McGruder that society still has a long way to go in dealing with multicultural issues, especially towards African ...

• Word Count: 805
• Approx Pages: 3

In Ralph Ellison's short story, "Battle Royal", there is an African American man living during 1947. ... Possibly one of the mot symbolic things in this short story is the woman dancing before the battle actually starts. ... He is an African American; someone looked at as unimportant and inferior to the white race. There is nothing significant about him when looked at by a racist, and he is looked through just like all other African Americans during the 20th century. ... His history as an African American and the racism we know in our country are both examples of this story, an...

• Word Count: 874
• Approx Pages: 3

Athol Fugard was from South Africa and he was a supporter of the Anti-Apartheid movement. The play, "'Master Harold'... and the Boys," written by Athol Fugard in 1982,which takes place in South Africa during the apartheid era,depicts how institutionalized racism or hatred can become absorbed by those who live under it and affect their relationships. The characters in the play are Hally, a white seventeen year old, Sam and Willie, african servants who are middle aged and work for Hally's mother at St. ... We know that Hally in a way teaches Sam through what he learns at scho...

• Word Count: 992
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

What Are People Really in Search Of In his play, Joe Turner's Come and Gone August Wilson dramatizes the introduction of African Americans into the industrial economy of the twentieth century. ... He refuses to acknowledge any suggestion of his African heritage. ... The revealing aspect of Seth is his scorn for the African American movement north. ... The expression reveals Seth's refusal to acknowledge any affinity with his African past. ... He enters into a mystical trance, dancing and speaking in the tongues only to lapse into semi-unconsciousness and begins to prophesy. ...

• Word Count: 1250
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Can I have a Seat at the Black Table Please In most situations, African -Americans come together for comfort, support, and self-awareness. ... The young woman indicated she was not going .teacher said "Oh come one, I know you people love to dance white friends doesn't get it. ... A black female student tells a teacher she is not attending the school dance. ... African-American in general like to feel accepted, so they naturally turn to someone of the same color who can relate to their everyday life. ...

• Word Count: 963
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Some topics are as foolish as saying whites cannot dance or blacks are better athletes, but most are disputes leading to controversy, lawsuits, and violence. ... These views about the African-American race kept blacks from voting, interracial marriages from occurring, and integrated schools from existing because people let the color of skin dictate how they felt about an entire group of people. ... African-Americans have an uphill battle for equality where hundreds of years of antiquated opinions must be erased to enjoy the same opportunities as everyone else. ...

• Word Count: 890
• Approx Pages: 4

1.) The Film draws you into the Lakota lifestyle and makes you feel sympathetic toward the Native Americans by having them speak in their native language. This made them appear as if they were ordinary people like a person from today's world. Also the film showed how they interacted with each other ...

• Word Count: 830
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

In Ralph Ellison's short story, "Battle Royal", a young man is coming to the realization of what his ailing grandfather was asking of him on his deathbed. The main character or narrator of the story goes through a dramatic ordeal that will hopefully open his eyes to ways of the world. The story has ...

• Word Count: 1103
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

If we look at rap videos with all those light-skinned girls dancing around the black rapper, surely that tells us something? ... African-Americans" historic battle equality is still being tested today. ...

• Word Count: 1054
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School