Southern Hemisphere

As immigration from other countries into the United States grew, conflicts of culture have been a prominent issue that have affected immigrants, resulting in cultural alienation. This sense of isolation has been established and enforced by the white Americans, dating back to the early 1900’s, due to the beginning of non-European immigrants coming to America. In the two excerpts from “Bless Me, Ultima” and “The Buddha in the Attic” the speakers are people who have experienced immense cultural…

Being black is not a matter of pigmentation – being black is a reflection of mental attitude is a quote from Steve Biko, a man who was significant in world history as well as in Apartheid history. In the movie, Cry Freedom, directed by Richard Attenborough, Steve Biko is portrayed in the movie with his associates and what he went through to achieve his goal of Black Consciousness. This movie is historically significant because it shows the atrocities that a white minority committed against the…

Nihilism: a viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that existence is senseless and useless (Merriam-Webster). The origin of the word is from the early 19th century, where the Latin root “nihil,” meaning nothing, was combined with the English suffix “ism.” (Merriam-Webster) While the word “nihilism” was first heard in the 19th century, it is generally associated with the Lost Generation or the Roaring 20s in America. After coming home from the Great War, now know as…

Racial injustice has played a tremendous role in world history and still does to this day today in countries like the US, where systemic racism still is a big problem, even in the 21st century. This issue is also one of the main themes in the South African writer Nadine Gordimer’s short story “Comrades”, which was published in 1991. In the short story, contrasts play a big role. However, the main contrast portrayed in the short story is the contrast between black South Africans and white…

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for freedom and equality of African American people and is now a well known historical person for what he did for people all around the nation. Segregation and discrimination have been going on for quite some time now. Negroes didn’t have their rights, there are separate places for white people and colored people, white people feel superior to African Americans, and nothing is changing. This is until Martin Luther King Jr., a minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist…

An American minster who led the Civil Rights Movement famously said, “One day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed… that all men are created equal”, that man is known as Martin Luther King Jr. Similar to kings’ beliefs on equality stood Langston Hughes. Langston Hughes was an American poet and social activist whose poetic themes targeted African American Culture, furthermore bringing about his conurbations to the Harlem Renaissance. Two of his poems titled, “Harlem”…

Imagine if you were a black family living in the 1950's during the height of racism and the civil rights movement. How difficult would your life be, and what obstacles would have to be overcome? In Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansberry, the Youngers family live in a rundown Chicago Black neighborhood and face many challenges throughout their lives, including racial discrimination and sexism. Hansberry's message talks about the importance of achieving dreams, awareness of racial discrimination,…

James McPherson in the accurate historical account, “What They Fought For” provides quotations from Civil War letters about why the North went to war and endured the South. McPherson’s describes the passionate and sincere desires of Union soldiers in order to preserve the “Temple” of democracy. Mark Twain in the 1st person novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” explains that Huck wants freedom from the Widow Douglas that tries to change him. Twain’s humorously writing shows the hypocrisy…

“Invisible Man” is a novel written during the 1930’s. Written by a black author, Ralph Ellison, it could be seen as an attempt to illuminate the invisibility pertaining to the social difficulties faced by blacks. Central to this attempt are the motifs of invisibility and blindness. Ellison demonstrates these different, physical and mental states on different levels through allegories depicting the real acts of savage black people were subjected to. In this essay I will discuss how Ellison…

Hundreds of people risked their lives to stop segregation in America in the 1960’s and, finally, they earned their desired freedom. The Watsons Go To Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis is a historical fiction story that talks about a family that goes to Birmingham and experiences racism. It is an excellent example of an allegory because it relates to America during the Civil Rights Movement in many ways by facing issues that they must resolve or overcome. An allegory is a story, poem…