Post #5: "Arts and Politics"

ENN 191-0920
04/29/2010
Prof. Tanenbaun.
Jackelyn G. Cortez.


“Arts and Politics”

Since 1926, with “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” by Langston Hughes, the African American community started to question if: “the word white comes to be unconsciously a symbol of all virtues, that holds for the children beauty, morality, and money.” (Langston Hughes, Page1). Certainly, they did not see that in their future. Because that kind of thought created a resentful generation but also one that through education could fight for the rights of black people. “The Black Arts Movement” by Larry Neal helped black people to find their identity and be proud of it, while “Towards Black Liberation” by Stockely Carmichael urge black people to defend their rights as Americans in order to fight racism and discrimination, and there is no better way than being involved in the affairs of the community in relation to politics. Arts and politics in their own way helped the African American community to be more aware of their position in American society.
“The Black Arts Movement” by Larry Neal is a manifesto that talks about art and the way it should be for African Americans. The author states that art should focus on ethics rather than aesthetics. Because Western society tends to use art more as entertainment praising beauty instead of something useful and inspiring for black people. This movement is against white aesthetics because it supports the idea that the African American community should value their roots, history, and culture. I think that it could be a way in which black people can be united as a whole and become a Black power that can help to change the fate of African Americans. As Larry Neal, says: “The motive behind the Black aesthetic is the destruction of the white thing, the destruction of white ideas, and white ways of looking at the world. The new aesthetic is mostly predicated on an Ethics which ask the question: Whose vision of the world is finally more meaningful, ours or the white oppressors’?”(Larry Neal, 448). He also states that the Black arts and the Black power are directly related because one complements the other in order to make it stronger. I think this is true, because it applies to any kind of art like poetry, music, acting, or sculpture that can help in a way to push a movement into a particular direction like a common goal or when Beltroch Betch says: “Art is not a mirror to reflect reality but a hammer with which to shape it.” This means that art could be useful in many ways like in politics, too because we as citizens have the right to protest before injustice. But the Black Arts movement is against “protest” literature, too. This is because it does not respect the ethics of the Black Arts Movement which is about moral, values, and nationalism. As a movement, it encourages the African American community to create their own “Black aesthetics’” with innovative forms of art, new history, culture and traditions.
“Towards Black Liberation” by Stockely Carmichael is a manifesto about racism and discrimination toward black stereotypes and the fight in order to achieve the integration of black people in America. It is basically against these two issues towards the African American community. They as a minority have to face abuse, violence, oppression and injustice because they live in a white society. This form of totalitarism reinforces individual racism which is the personal violence or hate towards black people and the institutional racism which is the government neglect towards black people. The author, states:” Negroes are defined by two forces, their blackness and their powerlessness. There have been traditionally two communities in America: the white community, which controlled and defined the forms of all institutions within the society, would take and the Negro community, which have been excluded from participation in the power decisions that shaped the society, and has traditionally been dependent upon, and subservient to, the white community.” Here the author accentuates that African Americans have the right to be active members of the American society, and not just observers around a white society. These lines called my attention because they are about getting involved into important issues in order to help the African American community, as well as others, nowadays. They emphasize the importance of participation of black people into their own affairs in order to better their conditions. But the main goal here is “integration” because it would let the African American community to have more opportunities on education, jobs, and in life itself. It would be beneficial for African Americans and whites also, because “ You can integrate communities, but you assimilate individuals”.(Stockely Carmichael, 128) These individuals that once professionals can come back to their communities in order to make it better, educating their people, having more political participation, etc. The author, in this manifesto is responding to an incident that happened in 1964, in Mississipi with L. B. Johnson and Hubert H. Humphrey, because they took advantage of the African American community in order to achieve some political representation. It was a shameful and intolerable situation, because political racism undermined black people in their effort to have some political participation in America.
I think that the “Black Arts Movement” by Larry Neal and “Towards Black Liberation” by Stockely Carmichael would be in favor of “The Black Panther Party, 10 Point Platform” because they all pursue the same goal which is real freedom for black people in America and the power to determine the fate of their community. Even though these two manifestos by Larry Neal and Carmichael focus on the African American community, they have different responses towards it. Larry Neal talks about arts and its function within the black community, considering ethics and black aesthetics as the main regulators of black art. In the other hand, Carmichael talks about the active participation of black people in American politics because it concerns them, too; and the kind of racism African Americans are prey of in the white society. From my point of view, I find “Towards Black Liberation” more persuasive because it calls the attention of the reader, that being or not African American gets caught into the learning of politics in America, and how it works. That is the reason why I would like to follow the purpose of the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), because their main goal was the integration of the African American community into the white society and the abolition of racism. And this example could be applied, nowadays for minority groups in America that are still fighting for their rights before American society like blind people, especial not retarded people, gays, lesbians, disabled and many others; because they are supposed to have the same rights as any other citizen of America.

Post # 4: " Revolution"

This is a remarkable poem about courage, strength, and honor. the author is calling to a great movement that will end injustice against black people. He aims for unity among black Americans, so they can fight for the right causes instead of wasting more valuable lives. The author knows that there is a risk to take but it would be worth it. The main goal of the movement will be for white people to be conscious about their actions against black people and the consequences. Then, black Americans will fight until the last breath and even when their bodies wouldn't be alive, their spirits will rise up to go on with the revolution. This is the part that I really enjoyed from the poem ! I think this is an effective work of political arts because it relates the aesthetics and ethics in such a way that gets the reader's attention at once.
"Our deaths shall be noisy and beautiful to the last swing".(Line 3)This is another part of the poem that from my point of view,expresses the ideals of a hero willing to sacrifice his own life as an analogy.I think that "Revolution" represents pure art that combined with politics make a blend of political lyric expressionism.

Essay #1 : "Revision"

ENN 191-0920
04/05/2010
Prof. Tanenbaun.
Jackelyn G. Cortez.


“Strange Fruit” and “The Case Stated”

“Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol and performed by Billie Holliday can give different meanings with the same message because it shows African Americans from the inside out. This means black people’s souls from passive and obedient to fighters with strong minds and character before injustice and abuse. That is the reason why I have chosen this remarkable work along with “The Case Stated” by Ida B. Wells-Barnet.
In every single line the metaphors and allegories about the south, black people and their suffering is evident. For example when talking about the south, it may refer to all the states in the south under the white power or just a few in which the abuse and torture was really horrible. The first line talks about the south as the cradle of black people’s suffering. The southern states sheltered these people becoming a witness of the lynching, rape, and abuse towards them. These places were infested with deaths and torture that the smell of hate and intolerance could be smelled from far away. Black people were considered inferior in relation to white people. And, I think that is the reason why the author calls them “Strange Fruit”, because even though they share the same space with white Americans there is some disadvantage for black people before society. The line “The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth” (Line 6), has a metaphor towards the physical abuse that black people suffer in the hands of white people. There is imagery and rhythm in this poem, in every single line that along with symbols made the perfect song for freedom. I think the main purpose of the song is to get to know about what is happening to black people in the south and their suffering. Later in the poem the author says: “Scent magnolias, sweet and fresh.” (Line 7) In this line there is imagery and real peace can be felt. But suddenly the quiet and harmony are destroyed by screams and grumbles coming from black people being tortured. After the massacre is done, what is left is just rotten fruit. This contrast becomes a good imagery of slavery from its beginning in Africa, because that is the way black people were treated since they became slaves.
“The Case Stated” sheds light on “Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol because writing like this shows that the arts and culture play an important role on freedom of speech, social change and justice among individuals of a society. These two powerful tools were really effective in the fight against racism and segregation because the major goal of these artists was the recognition of the black community as Americans, too. Wells-Barnett says: “In Slave times the Negro was kept subservient and submissive by the frequency and severity of the scourging, but, with freedom, a new system of intimidation came into vogue; the Negro was not only whipped and scourged; he was killed.” This excerpt shows that even when many African Americans were emancipated, they were not really free from the hands of white Americans. Then the struggle for freedom was still a goal to reach. The author also talks about the anarchy and outlawry of 1894, when the white power over the black people was at its peak because even though some African Americans could go to school and become professionals, they were always persecuted and charged with false statements before law. I think racism and bad education were the excuses for many white Americans in order to exert power over black people.
The reception of the song “Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol could have been really positive in the sense that many black Americans woke up from the lethargy of being walking people with no souls or purpose in life. I think that is the way many slaves felt at the end of their days. Because through my learning of history, I have known about many slaves who rise up against their oppressors with no success or change of their conditions, and of course the Emancipation Proclamation was a success but with the help of white people. I think that a new song like this and writings like The Case Stated by Wells-Barnett were a big change for the black people because they acknowledge themselves as citizens that have the right to rise their voices and protest against impunity and injustice. The understanding of these issues became a turning point over what was left to do politically in rallies, sit ins, strikes and sometimes boycotts. The awakening to a better future for African Americans was just around the corner! Because through the knowledge of black people’s suffering in America, educated people like Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (An early leader in the civil rights movement) started to get more people or followers involved into these matters in order to help and fight for African American’s rights.

Post # 3: " The Black Arts Movement" by Larry Neal

I think that Larry Neal calls for a kind of writing that "speaks directly to the needs and aspirations of Black America." (Larry Neal's Manifesto). This means that the aesthetics and ethics should create anew form of art for African Americans. Because the white American thinking was the only thing they have known since black people were emancipated. Black people knew that they had the right to be free in America but they were not white Americans. So the journey through their roots began with the arts.
Western Cultural aesthetic was another issue that Larry Neal exposed saying that black Americans have their own identities. The relationship between arts and politics in the Black Arts Movement becomes a turning point in order to explain the Black power because it was not about the literal meaning of these words but the sovereignty of African Americans over society.
This manifesto was published in 1968, the same year of the Vietnam War. The United States of America , the great power of the world, was losing against a poor country like Vietnam. The main reason of this war was allegedly the one about politics. Communism was a powerful party at that time so America decided to stop it.I think this event shaped Neal's ideas in the way that radical politics were not effective as well as the art of politics.