Carter:
The African American culture is a culture with many unique features and values. One very important characteristic is there value of religion. This characteristic is exhibited in the literature from African American writers. For example in the poem “Soon I will be done” the author writes “I’m going to live with my God,”(Soon 2). This quote identifies that the African American culture strongly believes in god and heaven. The quote reinforces the idea that they firmly believe in life after death. Another great example from the same poem, “Soon I Will be Done”, is, “I want to meet my Jesus,” (Soon 2). It shows that African Americans have a great biblical understandings and go to church. Also it displays that they know who Jesus of Nazareth is and that they are strong Christians. Another example from “Soon I Will be Done” is, “I want to go meet my mother in heaven,” (Soon 2). As the quote states, the reader wants to go meet his mom in heaven. This once again supports that African Americans strongly value religion. The African American culture is very unique and diverse when it comes to characteristics and values. One of their characteristics that is very obvious is their strong value of religion. The characteristic is most often expressed through African American literature.
“Soon I Will be Done”. African American Literature. Needham: Prentice Hall Library 1999, 2, Print.
Lars:
The characteristic that was chosen was pride as it is a very known African American characteristic. The text that best represents the characteristic that was chosen was the origins of African-American family structure. The author says many different things about how because of tough things that happen to them, they become stronger as a family. "This interpretation is frequently accompanied by the thesis that the black extended family has been a means of coping with both poverty and single parenthood," (Parenthood 1). This was written in a response to the stereotype that because of single parenthood, black families are not as close. This represented how it was believed that African Americans actually functioned as a family. In the passage it is written “Since the turn of the century, social theorists have argued that slavery resulted in disorganization and instability in the black family,"(Theorists 2) This was written to express the fact that the author disagrees with theorists who claim this fact. Facts are supplied about family values that disagree with what other theorists said. It is said in the passage “the percentage of African American children living with one parent is exaggerated," (Family 7) The author disagrees with other theorists and believes that most African American families stay together. Throughout the whole passage, family values are evident. You can see it in the word choice and in the way he is talking. That is yet another source showing his belief in the fact that family values are a prevalent feature of the African American Culture.
"The origins of African-American Family Structure." University of Minnesota. 8 April,1980. 1-7. 267 19th avenue south, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Brianna:
In the African American culture a big characteristic is their strong sense of pride. In this quote, "You may trod me in the dirt, but still, like dust, I'll rise," (Angelou 89). Maya is saying that you can step all over her and treat her like dirt but she will still rise with pride because she knows she is a strong woman. She is referring to herself as dust because they can stomp on her like dirt but she will rise like dust because dust flies and rises in the air. In this quote, "You may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise," (Angelou 89). People would bully and harass her as a child and she is saying that she will rise even if they kill her with hatefulness. She would often be hated on my kids and sometimes her family and she knew that she could rise like air even if they were mean to her. In this quote, "Up from a past that's rooted in pain, I rise," (Angelou 89). In her childhood she had bad experiences with poverty, racism, and sexism, she had a very bad childhood and she is trying to rise from that. Maya had very bad experiences with her childhood but she still rises even though she had those bad memories and experiences.
Maya had lots of bad things happen to her but she still rises and still has lots of pride. Lots of people in the African American culture have lots of pride and rise even though some might have bad memories or experiences.
Angelou, Maya. "And I Still Rise". African American Literature. Upper Saddle River; Prentice Hall, 1999. 89. Print
Maya was born in 1936 in St. Louis, Missouri. She grew up in California and Arkansas, she had a difficult childhood and writes about her own experiences with poverty, racism, and sexism. She wrote "And I Still Rise" because her childhood was bad but she still had pride in herself.
Madeline
In African Americans culture, strong pride is a large characteristic. Even when the U.S. had slavery, the slaves did their work 100%. Claude McKay, an African American, wrote in his poem If We Must Die, "If we must die, let it not be like dogs", (McKay 45). McKay is saying that if they must die, at least let them die respectfully. Do not let them die because of a dumb situation. In this quote, "If we must die, O let us nobly die", (McKay 45). he is saying if they you want them to die, let them die die thinking they were doing something right. Let them die doing something they believe in. In this quote, "Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly back!", (Mackey 45). If African Americans are being murdered, they will fight like men against them because they have pride. They'll do the right thing. Claude McKay's poem shows that African Americans have had strong pride since the very beginning with anything they did.
Sources:
Claude McKay. "If We Must Die." African- American Literature. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1999. 45. Print.
The African American culture is a culture with many unique features and values. One very important characteristic is there value of religion. This characteristic is exhibited in the literature from African American writers. For example in the poem “Soon I will be done” the author writes “I’m going to live with my God,”(Soon 2). This quote identifies that the African American culture strongly believes in god and heaven. The quote reinforces the idea that they firmly believe in life after death. Another great example from the same poem, “Soon I Will be Done”, is, “I want to meet my Jesus,” (Soon 2). It shows that African Americans have a great biblical understandings and go to church. Also it displays that they know who Jesus of Nazareth is and that they are strong Christians. Another example from “Soon I Will be Done” is, “I want to go meet my mother in heaven,” (Soon 2). As the quote states, the reader wants to go meet his mom in heaven. This once again supports that African Americans strongly value religion. The African American culture is very unique and diverse when it comes to characteristics and values. One of their characteristics that is very obvious is their strong value of religion. The characteristic is most often expressed through African American literature.
“Soon I Will be Done”. African American Literature. Needham: Prentice Hall Library 1999, 2, Print.
Lars:
The characteristic that was chosen was pride as it is a very known African American characteristic. The text that best represents the characteristic that was chosen was the origins of African-American family structure. The author says many different things about how because of tough things that happen to them, they become stronger as a family. "This interpretation is frequently accompanied by the thesis that the black extended family has been a means of coping with both poverty and single parenthood," (Parenthood 1). This was written in a response to the stereotype that because of single parenthood, black families are not as close. This represented how it was believed that African Americans actually functioned as a family. In the passage it is written “Since the turn of the century, social theorists have argued that slavery resulted in disorganization and instability in the black family,"(Theorists 2) This was written to express the fact that the author disagrees with theorists who claim this fact. Facts are supplied about family values that disagree with what other theorists said. It is said in the passage “the percentage of African American children living with one parent is exaggerated," (Family 7) The author disagrees with other theorists and believes that most African American families stay together. Throughout the whole passage, family values are evident. You can see it in the word choice and in the way he is talking. That is yet another source showing his belief in the fact that family values are a prevalent feature of the African American Culture.
"The origins of African-American Family Structure." University of Minnesota. 8 April,1980. 1-7. 267 19th avenue south, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Brianna:
In the African American culture a big characteristic is their strong sense of pride. In this quote, "You may trod me in the dirt, but still, like dust, I'll rise," (Angelou 89). Maya is saying that you can step all over her and treat her like dirt but she will still rise with pride because she knows she is a strong woman. She is referring to herself as dust because they can stomp on her like dirt but she will rise like dust because dust flies and rises in the air. In this quote, "You may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise," (Angelou 89). People would bully and harass her as a child and she is saying that she will rise even if they kill her with hatefulness. She would often be hated on my kids and sometimes her family and she knew that she could rise like air even if they were mean to her. In this quote, "Up from a past that's rooted in pain, I rise," (Angelou 89). In her childhood she had bad experiences with poverty, racism, and sexism, she had a very bad childhood and she is trying to rise from that. Maya had very bad experiences with her childhood but she still rises even though she had those bad memories and experiences.
Maya had lots of bad things happen to her but she still rises and still has lots of pride. Lots of people in the African American culture have lots of pride and rise even though some might have bad memories or experiences.
Angelou, Maya. "And I Still Rise". African American Literature. Upper Saddle River; Prentice Hall, 1999. 89. Print
Maya was born in 1936 in St. Louis, Missouri. She grew up in California and Arkansas, she had a difficult childhood and writes about her own experiences with poverty, racism, and sexism. She wrote "And I Still Rise" because her childhood was bad but she still had pride in herself.
Madeline
In African Americans culture, strong pride is a large characteristic. Even when the U.S. had slavery, the slaves did their work 100%. Claude McKay, an African American, wrote in his poem If We Must Die, "If we must die, let it not be like dogs", (McKay 45). McKay is saying that if they must die, at least let them die respectfully. Do not let them die because of a dumb situation. In this quote, "If we must die, O let us nobly die", (McKay 45). he is saying if they you want them to die, let them die die thinking they were doing something right. Let them die doing something they believe in. In this quote, "Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly back!", (Mackey 45). If African Americans are being murdered, they will fight like men against them because they have pride. They'll do the right thing. Claude McKay's poem shows that African Americans have had strong pride since the very beginning with anything they did.
Sources:
Claude McKay. "If We Must Die." African- American Literature. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1999. 45. Print.