An expansion of this is the black women and problems faced by them in the name of race and ethnicity. In this paper we are going to briefly compare the literary works of Nadine Gordime, “Country Lovers”, and Patricia Smith's, “What it's like to be a Black Girl”. The comparison of African American literary works “Country Lovers”, and “What it's like to be a black girl” dates back to the late eighteenth century. The writings of both the poets strictly tend to focus on the issues
Black women living in the United States leading up to and during the civil rights era were unable to express themselves due to the closed minds of white America. In the essay “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens” Alice Walker goes into great detail about the oppressions of African American women who were forced to endure not only racism and sexism, but classism as well. Walker goes on to talk about how spirituality is the only tool they had that could not be taken away. This was kept alive through folklore and anything else they could get a hold of that helped them to escape reality. Within the essay Walker speaks of several different instances of women before and during her time that were visionaries of indescribable proportions.
ntroduction The theme I chose to write about for my paper was race/ethnicity. For the literary works, I will compare and contrast “What It's Like To Be A Black Girl” by Patricia Smith who is African-American and “Child Of The Americas” by Aurora Morales who is Latino. Being born in America, an important fact for both because minorities in the United States have experienced racism and prejudice for years compared to other countries. The stories tell about two young women who are both from different cultures and beliefs. The poems deal with racism ans discrimination.
The Fight for Change Ever since human beings have walked this Earth, they have formulated various standards and stereotypes towards what they believe are truly sublime in human appearance. As for “the others” who are believed to not reach these standards, they suffer from self-degradation and the cruelty of others. In Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye, she tells the story about a young black girl who believes she is ugly and wishes for blue eyes because the community bases their ideals of beauty on whiteness. Throughout her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou gives an account of her journey of becoming a woman and dominating the misfortunes and racist oppressions of her life. Both authors illustrate the idea that because of oppression the victim develops a self-hatred that enforces a desire to change.
This poem is an explanation in its finest form of “What it’s like to be a Black Girl (for those of you who aren’t)” by Patricia Smith, it is just that, an explanation. From the beginning of her poem “First of all,” this author gives a sense of a story being told. She uses the jagged sentence structure and the powerful language to show the reader the importance of her topic. Smith’s poem give her audience an insider’s view into a young black girls transition into black woman hood during a time where being a black young girl and a black woman was not very welcoming. Puberty is very hard for both boys and girls biologically their bodies undergo many changes from the age of 8 up until their about 16.
Counseling African American Woman i Reflection Paper on Counseling African American Woman on Substance Abuse Tricia Raber Diversity in CD Counseling, HUS 217M Patricia Bax November 7, 2011 Counseling African American Woman ii Abstract This paper will discuss, as an Addiciton Treatment Counselor, the skill set needed to council a African American woman in a addiction treatment center setting. Included will be a brief description of my personal understanding of the cultural issues that African American women face. Counseling African American Woman 1 African American woman have suffered many hardships throughout history. They have had to deal with racism, sexism, classism and colorization, but to name a few. It is
The movie depicts different women of different color in the black community dealing with their own problems which are all based on the reality of life setting in without warning. ‘The film is based on Ntozake Shange’s electric play, the self-described choreopoem ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf’ (Debruge).” The problems that women go through in the film are pregnancy, financial instabilities, contracting HIV/AIDS from down low men sexually involved with other men, date rape, and domestic violent relationships. This film really depicts the realistic struggles of black women day to day in the 20th Century dealing with teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, insecurities with men, and domestic violence in which the sisterhood of each other’s comfort provides the unity they need to survive. Teen pregnancy is becoming more common today than in previous years. Accepting this sinful deed is not yet open in all households.
Angelou forgives herself for not loving herself, and begins to gain self-respect. She explains that “the real difficulty is to overcome how you think about yourself” (interview). Throughout the novel, Angelou depicts tragedy after tragedy. She is raped, bullied, and suffers from low self-esteem. Yet, she rises up.
Colored women are seen in a different light, where they are powerful, intelligent, and independent. The new light shining on colored women is seen in the movie For Colored Girls directed by actor, producer, playwright, and director Tyler Perry in 2010. The movie is based on Ntozake Shange's 1975 play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf." Each of the women portrays one of the characters represented in the collection of twenty poems. Each of the poems deal with intense issues that particularly impact women in a thought-provoking commentary on what it means to be a female of color in the world.
Collins and other theorist, poets, and writers that Black women can be and are “agents of knowledge” dismiss this idea of Eurocentric masculinist knowledge. Historically, blues singers, poets, autobiographers, storytellers, and orators were the only Black women who were validated by other Black women as agents of knowledge. She discusses the conflicting standards of three key groups of Black women scholars that want to develop Afrocentric feminist thought. Ordinary Black women are the first key group that must validate the ideas surrounding Black feminist thought. Black feminist must have personal life experiences, must interact with the ordinary Black woman to develop deeper thoughts and ideas, and must maintain accountability for their work and whatever backlash it might receive.