Carol Moseley Braun

Carol Moseley Braun is an American politician and lawyer. She used to be a state senator for Illinois during 1993 and 1999. In 1992, she was the first African-American woman to be elected for the U.S. Senate and remains to be the only African-American woman to have been seated, and there have only been 9 African-American men seated and another man not seated, although there have been a about 126 African-American representatives. This quite clearly shows that even nowadays there is still inequality between races, which is a topic she has touched upon herself. 

During her time as senate she tackled subjects such as civil rights, racial equality and women's rights. She is also a member of a committee in support of Southern Africa, which became active during the 80s, in Chicago.

I think being the first African-American woman to have been seated is an incredible accomplishment to have. Hopefully Moseley Braun will inspire other African-Americans to join the world of politics and represent the African-American people, in hope to achieve equality between all races.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama is an excellent example of how race is starting to means less in modern America. 50 years ago it would be insane to have a black president, but in 2008 up to the present, Barack Obama has sat in office in America. Being the first black president makes him highly iconic to African Americans. He is an example of what you can achieve no matter your skin colour and that politics, economics and culture are not shaped about ideas of race.

He has been at the head of much change in America. He is the 44th and first African American president. During his first term in office he passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. This was a massive change compared to the previously, very little help offered to the unemployed in America.

After his first term support for Obama did not change as he beat Romney but 90 electoral votes even with the opposition of states such as Texas and Oklahoma where white people take up most of the population. He has been on many headlines for his move for change in America. Obama will always be remembered for his work. He was the president that killed Bin Laden and the president that stood up against gun control in America.He has done so much that he will be remembered for and not just because of his skin colour. 

http://www.jstor.org/stable/41054118 

Just from this first page we see the massive impact that Obama's election had on the issue 
of race in america. Its says that the election unleashed optimism about the US' racial future 
and that it was a step away from the nations dark and brutal racial past.


To finish, Obama is just a prime example of what anyone can achieve, despite your race. He shows a changing America in all parts of society and how the issue of race is slowly becoming irrelevant. Barack Obama is the first black president, but I doubt he will be the last.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé is regarded as being one of the most influential musicians for her generation. With over 75 million record sales as a solo artist and a further 60 million with her girl group 'destiny's child' She is amongst the best selling artists of all time. She is also The highest paid Black musician of all time. I believe Beyoncé to be an icon to not just African Americans but to all Americans, especially young women because of her ability to connect to her young female fans with her songs that promote self-worth and independence. She is a strong supporter of Feminism and a advocate of same sex marriage. Although she has received some criticism from the media. In 2009 she appeared on a cover of a magazine in black face with tribal markings. She replied with a statement saying that she was embracing her African roots. She has also received criticism for the African American Community because of her lighter skin colour. In 2008 She was subject of accusations that L'Oreal had lightened her skin for a commercial, an accusation that she denies.  Beyoncé is also against the use of photoshop and being digitally 'touched up' during photo shoots. and has criticised companies such as 'H&M' over their use of digitally enhanced photos.

Beyoncé is in my eyes an idol. She is one of the most successful Artists of all time, singing songs that give women empowerment and ask them to strive for equality in a world which is lacking. She is a loyal wife and a loving mother on top of being a fashion icon. She has in the past been referred to as a 'Sex icon" which can be seen as another way of her empowering herself and women.

Sometimes one of the effects of putting an assignment back is that you have to put the others back too, or else the sequence of marking and returning work gets snarled. 

This has happened in AM1111. Because we put the first assignment back to help late arrivals to the class, we think it is best to put the others back too.

The next assignment is the iterative essay. That's an essay that you write twice. The first time we grade it, the second time we grade the improvements you make to it in response to our comments. It's a way of trying to get students to understand the importance not just of essays but of feedback and drafts. As you are required to re-write it, we need to make space for you to consult with us. That all pushes things back.

So, here is the change to assignment schedule:

The Iterative Essay is now due Week 9. 

We will return it to you three weeks later, Wk 11. 

That leaves you time to have a tutorial (in person or by email) in Wk12, which also gives you a chance to review your progress with us.

That inevitably means the rewrite now has to be due on the first day of semester 2.

12 Years A Slave review

12 years a slave was such an emotional film. We got to see the real aspects of slavery from a man who had been previously enslaved, yet managed to become a free man again like he once was, which I found made the film a lot more emotional and upsetting to watch. It gave us a true description of what it was like for them back then from their point of view and we really did see how brutally painful and cruel some people were to them. It shows us, in such an honest way, how awfully these people were once treated without hiding any aspects of the truth on how disgustingly the white Americans treated them, and so shamelessly as well. It was very apparent that that way of life was very normal for those men and they showed no remorse for the way they treated fellow human beings. During the film we get to see parts of Solomon Northups life, from when he was a free man, a well respected member of his community with a wife and children, living a completely normal and happy life. 

But before we know it we see him locked up in chains and rags. He's ends up pretending to be uneducated, and using a name that the slave owners give him, being someone he's not.

The way scenes were constantly switching from his life before slavery and then during, really showed how differently African-Americans lived, in different areas of the country, and the respect showed for them in the north compared to the lack of in the south was really disturbing. It was like going from being treated as almost equals (some men were still enslaved in the north but it didn't appear to be anywhere near as brutal as the way they were treated in the south), and then to be treated as if they weren't human at all. It was very upsetting. 

Brad Pitts character ends up helping to save Solomon from a life of slavery by sending the letter for him, resulting in his old friend finding him and taking him home. The scenes surrounding those moments. This scene showed hope, and proof that not every man in America was for slavery and that people wanted to start changing things, which they soon would. 

Overall I thought the film was beautifully made, not in a way to suggest a nice and happy film, but as to its honesty and depth about the history of slavery.  It was incredibly touching and the casting was spot on, I couldn't imagine anyone playing Solomon Northup any better than Chiwetel Ejiofor. 

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey has consistently been voted as one of the most powerful women in the World, and is seen as an icon and idol for African Americans. She showed that being an African American doesn't mean that you cant be a success. Her chat show was one of, is not the most successful of its kind.
She has been voted onto the TIME magazine 'Most influential people' every year since it began in 2004 to 2011, the only person to have that honour.
She is often looked up to because of her generousness. In 2004, she was ranked in the top 50 most generous people, the first Black person to be included. By 2012, she had donated over $400,000,000 to educational causes.
Oprah has also been a vocal supporter of gay marriage and has been widely praised for it. She promotes many gay celebrities on her show.
In 1998 she was the first woman and first African American to top the 'most powerful people in the entertainment industry list' made by entertainment weekly. She is also North America's only Black billionaire, as well as being voted the greatest Black philanthropist in history.

12 Years A Slave Film Review

12 years a slave in an amazing film. Its uncensored view on slavery really connects with the audience and portrays what slave life was actually like on a plantation. The fact that is a true story and in the eyes of a slave makes the whole movie more moving and horrific of what some African Americans lived through during slavery. Additionally because Soloman was a free man, slavery is seen as even more evil and dark.
From the very beginning of the film we see the contrast of the life of a well educated, free black man compared to a slave, who even if educated has to say otherwise in fear of his life. Because both are the same person, it makes the contrast more dramatic than it already is and portrays the true horrors of slavery. For the first part of the movie we are always thrown from normal life to the extreme brutality of slavery. This makes the portrayal of slavery even more disturbing and brutal.
The films very explicit portrayal of slavery helps expose the harshness of slavery. We see Soloman de-personified as a slave, where his name is changed to Platt by his 'masters' and the brutal whipping and mental torture slaves had to endure. When Patsey is accused of talking about her 'master' behind her back she is forced to endure massive physical pain. Platt is also punished mentally, just for being there, as he is forced to whip Patsey or he will be killed.
Another Part that really stuck out to me was when Soloman was almost hung on his first plantation. After he is saved by the guard on the horse, he is left there, almost dying while people get on with there day all around him. The light fades so we can only assume a larger amount of time has past and he is still on his toes almost being strangled by his noose. To me this shows  how scared slaved were of their masters and the feeling of ownership the white people had over their slaves. Only the master can cut him down. We can see the slaves want to help but are in fear of their own life. Although in the film most slaves stick together and look out for one another when possible, the movie creates a very 'look out for yourself' message. They want to help Soloman but if helping him means they are both punished no action is taken.
The only white man in the film to be sympathetic of slaves is Brad Pitts character. He is willing to risk his life to help Soloman, as he sends a letter to get some help. I like this character especially because it is a representation of the people against slavery. They were few and far but to include them in the film shows a glimmer of hope to slaves. Hope that many slaves had towards the ends years and the civil war.

The overall feel of the movie is very dark and the slaves are portrayed as helpless. This is evident throughout the whole movie, especially when Platt comes across the hanging of two black men. He almost has to walk by and do nothing because if he says anything and tries to help he will be killed as well.
This film is unique in its approach to slavery. Its true story nature makes it that bit more dramatic and touching in its message. This includes the contrast of Solomans life on and off of the plantation. Its explicit approach to slavery and slave life, portrays slavery very accurately as a dark, painful, degrading experience. One, unfortunately many people died at the hands of.

12 Years a Slave Review

 12 Years a Slave is a great film. It's an unrivaled showcase of what life was like for slaves. It's a brutally honest film that is amazingly, but not unexpectedly, based on a true story. It amazes me that this is true and yet it seems perfectly normal. The film begins showing Soloman's life, in New York with his family. He is shown to be an educated, well spoken, family man, which was rare for a black man, even in the North. Suddenly, we're thrown into the world of slavery, having been kidnapped and sold to a slave owner called Ford in the vastly different world of Louisiana. This is when the film becomes most real. It, unlike so many other films, perfectly tells the story of the slaves. Forced to be something he's not, illiterate, not educated, and a slave, rather than the free man he really is. Chiwetel Ejiofor is perfect in the role. He takes the role and really brings it to life.
 The film has its cringe-worthy moments, not for bad quality, but for what occurs in the film, something that is too shocking to even comprehend. Paul Dano's twisted and mocking version of 'Run Nigger Run' is a horrible and haunting realisation for what the slaves had to live through. Another moment is when Patsey, a slave who caught the attention of the slave owner, is brutally whipped, multiple times. Epps declares there is no sin as far as his property was concerned and this shows the view that the slaves were property, not seen as human, just as something that can be bought and sold, traded and killed with no second thought. This is shown when Platt is on his way to the store to pick up items and he comes across a scene where 2 slaves are about to be hung. What really hits home is that he knows he can't do anything about it unless he wishes to join them with a noose around his neck. As he walks away, the camera looks back and we are shown the 2 being pulled into the air as they struggle before the camera leaves and we already know what happens next. Perhaps the best part of the film is when Brad Pitt's character is introduced, as we see a white man who is against slavery and is the only source of a voice of anti-slavery in the film.
 This film is unlike any other on slavery. Its brutally honest in its telling of the story and is by no means an easy film to watch. Expect to feel some white guilt as the characters are so easy to pity and feel sorry for, credit the outstanding acting for this. It may be the one of the best films since the turn of the century and is worth watching, but don't expect to enjoy the film in the traditional sense of the word.

William More, Age 82

For my post, I have decided to write about William More. 

In his narrative he first talks about sometimes going to the church with his master on Sundays, "Some Sundays we went to church some place. We allus liked to go any place. A white preacher allus told us to 'bey our masters and work hard" and although the preacher told the slaves to always obey their master and to work hard, they still enjoyed going, as they enjoyed going anywhere, I'm assuming this was because it meant they could actually leave the masters home and not have to worry about work or being punished or whipped if they had done something to the masters dislike. 

But despite being allowed to go to church, he says "but we better not let him cotch us prayin" "Seems like niggers jus' got to pray. Half they life am in prayin'. Some nigger take turn 'bout to watch and see if Marse Tom anyways 'bout, then they circle theyselves on the floor in the cabin and pray. They git to moanin' low and gentle, 'Some day, some day, some day, this yoke gwine be lifted offen our shoulders." I'm not quite sure why they wouldn't be allowed to pray, but by the way he talks about praying it's like that was all the hope they had to hold on to,  and if they didn't pray they would have no chance of being freed one day.

Slave Narrative Recordings

If you have time you might want to have a browse through this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnQqSlWHHgQ

Walter Rimm The man The Legend

I chose my post about the man that was Walter Rimm an ex-slave from Ft.Worth. He lived through the slave trade during the 1800's, with most of his encounters with slavery   as a child involved run away slaves trying to avoid what they called "patrollers" and make it to the Mexican border.

"One old fellow name John been a run-awayer for four years and de patterrollers* tries all dey tricks, but dey can't cotch him."

One run away Walter Rimm recalls more than most was John. probably for the reason of how much effort the patrollers had put in trying to catch one slave. This does seem to indicate on how animal like black people were treated with traps set to be sprung just to return what they thought of as property to the "rightful" owner.

Tempie Cummins

  Tempie Cummins, Age unknown

 

I've chosen to write about Tempie Cummins and what he had to say. 
"The white chillun tries teach me to read and write but I didn' larn much, 'cause I allus workin'." 
Here Tempie talks about that the children, more likely the children of his owners, would teach him how to read and write. This maybe shows that the children of slave owners didn't agree with or even really know why the blacks were being treated the way that they were. He also talks about how was always working. Another sign that maybe the children didn't understand that they were there to work.

Mother was workin' in the house, and she cooked too. She say she used to hide in the chimney corner and listen to what the white folks say. When freedom was 'clared, marster wouldn' tell 'em, but mother she hear him tellin' mistus that the slaves was free but they didn' know it and he's not gwineter tell 'em till he makes another crop or two. When mother hear that she say she slip out the chimney corner and crack her heels together four times and shouts, 'I's free, I's free.' Then she runs to the field, 'gainst marster's will and tol' all the other slaves and they quit work. 
This shows that even though slavery had been abolished many slave owners carried on to keep their slaves as they weren't educated enough to read the news. This information would have also been kept from them by slave owners. It shows the lack of power shown by the federal government to in force the new law. 

Then she run away and in the night she slip into a big ravine near the house and have them bring me to her. Marster, he come out with his gun and shot at mother but she run down the ravine and gits away with me." 

Bill Homer, Age 87

I chose to write about Bill Homer, a former slave writing about his life in a plantation. The narrative stands out straight away for me. It says "I is 87 years old cause I is born on June 17th in 1850. and that's 'cording to de statement my missy give me." It seems shocking that a person does not even know the day they were born and has to rely on the word of his 'owner' to know his age. It shows a lack of care and almost alienates Bill. It portrays him as a lesser person, almost saying that his age and DOB is not relevant, he is just a slave.

Another part that stands out is where he says they had a lot of food. "we has lots of food, too - cornmeal and vegetables and milk and lassas of meat". It goes against the general idea that slaves had very little food and were struggling to survive. however it does say they got the left over meat. Meat no whit folk wanted, which does show that they survive on the bare minimum unless the plantation owner had too big of a stake.

Bill also talks about how he was given as a wedding present. " Missy Mary gits married to Bill Johnson  and at dat weddin' massa Homer gives me and 49 other niggers to her for de weddin' persent". This shows the feeling of ownership over the slaves that the planters had, that they could just give them away like cattle or pigs. As a present for marriage.

He lastly talks about his stay with Missy Mary. How it was better than his last place. " De treatment from new messa am good , 'casue of Missy Mary". This goes against the stereo type that all plantations are brutal. However they are still slaves working for no money and they are only being treated well because it makes them work better. They still don't have their own identity or an individual life away from slave labor. It is important to realize that planters only cared for their slaves so they worked faster, not because they valued them as people or equal.

Bill story does goes against some of the typical elements of slavery. he says he was treated well, fed and lived more comfortably than some other slaves who each have their own story. But at the same time he is still beneath the white man and treated much differently. Living in houses with mud floors and wooden walls. really bad conditions that makes them seem more like animals than humans. This shows that slaves were cared for very little and were just workers without their own identity. 

WHERE ARE TODAY'S POSTS?


Well done to Josh for posting but where are the rest of you?  You really must post earlier as it makes it impossible for me to read your commentaries and organise group discussions.

Slave Narrative, Sarah Frances Shaw Graves

Sarah Frances Shaw Graves Died aged 87

I have chosen to do my blog post on Sarah Graves. Born in 1850 in Kentucky. She was taken to Missouri at around 6 months old, along with her 'Mama'. She was never alloted out, meaning rented to, neither was she sold.

Yes'm when a slave was allotted, somebody made a down payment and gave a mortgage for the rest. A chattel mortgage. . . ."  This is an extract from her story, explaining what 'Allottment actually meant

 "We left my papa in Kentucky, 'cause he was allotted to another man. My papa never knew where my mama went, an' my mama never knew where papa went." Aunt Sally paused a moment, then went on bitterly. "They never wanted mama to know, 'cause they knowed she would never marry so long she knew where he was. Our master wanted her to marry again and raise more children to be slaves. They never wanted mama to know where papa was, an' she never did,"  This extract explains how she and her mother were separated from her father, or Papa. I believe this shows how little the slaves were cared for that the masters would just give no thought to splitting up a family as they saw the slaves as something that could just be bought and sold and traded, regardless of how they felt about what was happening. 

Texas

Texas is the second largest state in the U.S with a immense population of 26.4 million people living in it and a great deal of those living in the northern border. Pretty much since the founding of this state the majority of the people have been scattered across the great plains of Texas but it in the last 20-30 years the population has been in increasing, not only that but in certain locations. you'll find that people are now trending on staying in one of three places (Houston, San Antonio and Dallas) . Just to show how powerful Texas has become in recent times if you removed it and treated like its own country it would have the 5th largest economy in the world. The population race divide is still quite bad as around 80% are white and only 12% under African American. other than that Texas landscape is open vast and hot.

Washington state

Washington state is the 18th largest state in America with just over 71,000 square miles of land. It has a population of just over 6 million making it the 13th most populated state. Washington has a very diverst environment which means that much of the land in Washington is uninhabited. The cascade mountains run through the heart of state and with barren land to the south east. The largest ancestry groups are German (20.7%) Irish (12.6%) English (12.3%) and Hispanic (8.2%) I find this interesting as western Washington has a climate very similar to Britain and northern Germany,  especially in the costal cities which are the most populated. This could be an indication that many europeans that ventured west chose to settle somewhere that reminded them of 'home'.

77% of the population are White with Black/African American's making up only 3.8%. The second largest ethnic group is Asian with 7.2%. Seattle is the most populated state with 634,000 people within it.

California

California is located on the West Cost of America. One in 8 people in the United Sates live here and it is the third largest state in the USA by area, and the largest state by population, with a population of roughly 38,332,521. It is a very widely ethnic state, with a wide number of different ethnicities living here, such as Asian Americans, Middle Eastern Americans, African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic, which is probably the largest ethnic group in the state, with over 40% of the countries Latino population living in LA. 

The climate in California is also quite varied, with Southern and Costal area's having more Mediterranean type weather, which I think has a big influence on the ethnic groups that live there, seeing as the weather would be similar to what they're used to from there own countries, meaning that they wouldn't have to adapt to new living conditions, for example, the high number of Mexicans living in Southern California would have near enough identical weather conditions to that in Mexico as it's just over the boarder. Where as Northern California tends to see more rainfall and and inlands have more continental seasons. 

With that being said, due to the hot climate conditions and famous beaches, California has adopted a "surf culture", with it being first popularised in southern California in the early 60s. It has become a huge industry, and has also had a huge impact on the environment, as it is a sport that is very dependent on a clean and healthy environment. 

Nevada

NEVADA

• Nevada is the Driest state in America. Its area consists of mainly desert, which can reach up to 52°C in the day and go as low as -46°C at night. These harsh living conditions make it difficult to navigate over the whole state and makes mobility very limited to less populated parts of Nevada such as Ely, compared to Las Vegas. Because it is easier to get to certain places in Nevada such as Las Vegas, population is much more dense in these areas. 1/5th of the people in Nevada live in Las Vegas alone.
• The population of Nevada is 2.79 million and has grown 2.2 percent over the last two years. Rank 35th in America. Approximately 54 percent of Nevada is now white (non-Hispanic) 27 percent Hispanic or Latino, 8.6 percent black and 7.7 percent Asian. Nevada is dominated by white non-Hispanic inhabitants. Despite this low population, Nevada is the 7th biggest sate in terms of Area. This is because much of Nevada is uninhabitable desert.
• 24 percent of the population of Nevada were born there. That means 76 percent of the people living in Nevada are either tourists or immigrants. 

I think up to a certain point the state does determine the identity and characteristics of its inhabitants. Because of its low population for its size, people in Nevada would be use to seeing less people than people who live in a heavily populated area such as New York and would be use to much harsher living conditions. People living in Nevada are basically living in a desert so would be much tolerable hotter temperatures than a person living in Alaska. Living conditions in Nevada do determine its inhabitants identity. 

However because it has such a high transient population it seems difficult to say that all of the people that live in Nevada are influenced by its features. Because a fifth of Nevada's population lives in Las Veags they may be less influenced by the features of Nevada and more influenced by the concentrated tourism in Vegas. More use to a high dense population. But most of the people travelling in and out of Nevada are concentrated in Las Vegas meaning that people living in the rest of Nevada, such as Ely or Carson city, are not affected by the transient population and are more influenced by the features of Nevada.

Features of Nevada do determine its inhabitants identity.

Oregon

I have chosen to use Oregon as the state to investigate. Oregon has a population of around 3,960,564, making it the 27th most populous state in the US despite being the 9th largest state in terms of land area. The population has continued to rise since the population statistics were begun to be collected in 1850. In 2013, Oregon had the highest % (61%) of people moving into the state of any state in the US, beating Washington D.C which had been highest for the last 5 years. Statistics also show that less and less people are moving out of Oregon. This number can explain the continued rise in population, having been 2nd on the list in 2012.
78.5% of the population is White, 1.7% is Black and 11.7% is Hispanic and/or Latino.
Oregon has many different climates, from temperate rainforest climates on the Oregon coast. Mediterranean in the inland valleys, alpine in the higher mountain regions and desert in the southeast.
46% of the state is covered in forest. West of the cascades, 80% of the land is covered in forest.
Portland was voted the 3rd most popular city in the US for hipsters, losing to Washington D.C and New Orleans.

Ethnic diversity in America

I chose this map because it shows ethnic diversity in America and explains why people in the USA (a combined nation) react differently in American society. Using the example of the coca cola advert I studied in week one, I can see why some people reacted so negatively to the diverse American advert. The largely populated areas of America are dominated by White(non-Hispanic) citizens, the south by Black(non-Hispanic) and multi-ethnic areas are spread throughout the country. These people, although living in the same country amongst people from different backgrounds, live day-to-day life very differently, causing their reaction to be different. We see this in the reaction to the coke advert. some liked it but others thought it was an insult to America.

American society, although very diverse when it comes to background, is still very separated. A lot of American areas are dominated by a majority and very few are truly multicultural where there is not one dominant background.

        

Most popular attractions in each US Stat

I have chosen to use a map showing the most popular attractions in each state in the USA. I find it interesting how the most popular attractions tend to be man made, multi-million dollar industries such as Disneyland/ Walt Disney Wold and Times Square, where as the less popular attractions are more natural landmark type places, like the Grand Canyon, and various national parks, which I would personally find more interesting to visit. 

Gas prices per state.

I've chosen to look at gas prices per state. I was interested to see how much American's paid for their gas compared to others. As you can see by the map above, the states which pay the most are those located on the west coast and New york. I'd believe this to be that states such as California, Oregon and Washington are much more Environmentally conscious than states such as Texas which are steriotypically seen as a oil hungry state. I was then interested to see how much we pay in comparison to the Americans. Each of the prices shown above is the amount for a US gallon of gas. a US gallon is equivalent to 3.7 litres. At the current exchange rate the we pay on average $8.09 for a US gallon while the american in say Utah will pay around 58p per litre and Arkansas 38p per litre. The US uses a total of 144 million litres of gasoline per day.