A Historical Analysis Of August Wilson - 1946 Words

As Sam Pollard, director of the PBS special - August Wilson: The Ground of Which I Stand, asserts, August Wilson may be regarded as an American Shakespeare, for â€Å"his body of work really covers the whole 20th century of American history†¦and there is no other American playwright who did that body of work over a period of time.† (American Masters, August Wilson: The Ground of Which I Stand) While such grand comparisons may or may not be merited, August Wilson’s Pittsburg Cycle stands as a literary, historical, and cultural feat in which Wilson illustrates, teaches, and preserves the African American experience through an exploration into the poetics of the Blues. No literary scholar would deny this claim; and this assertion remains completely†¦show more content†¦You don t sing to feel better. You sing cause that s a way of understanding life.† CUTLER: â€Å"That’s right. You get that understanding and you done got a grip on life to where you can hold your head up and go on to see what else life got to offer.† MA RAINEY: â€Å"The blues help you get out of bed in the morning. You get up knowing you aint alone. Tire’s something else in the world. Something’s been added by that song. This be an empty world without the blues. I take that emptiness and try to fill it up with something.† (Wilson, 82-83) In this respect, the blues functions as a means of moving through suffering. Just as musicians in the band play the blues, the blues makes instruments out of the musicians. Levee, a brash trumpeter, wants to move on from traditional blues music and into more energizing Jazz, an increasingly popular genre. Levee wants to neglect the past, and the blues function as a reawakening to the dark reality of African American history. Being fully cognizant of one’s ancestral origins and how understanding how it may help in the present is ultimately not important to Levee – â€Å"I know he ain’t talking about me. You don’t see me running around with no bone in my nose.† (Wilson, 32) Larry Neal, the author of â€Å"The Black Arts Movement† published in Drama Review, elaborates on this connection between the Blues and history: â€Å"History, like the blues, demands that we witness the painful events of our prior lives; and thatShow MoreRelatedPolice Chie f August Vollmer s Contributions Of Modern California Law Enforcement1014 Words   |  5 PagesPolice Chief August Vollmer’s Contributions to Modern California Law Enforcement With the on-going development of the United States throughout the 1900’s, the evolution of crime and the need to address it also continued to progress. New advances in technological equipment (and application) continued to spread throughout the country in all common areas of life. New ideas about crime and the way to successfully address would also need to take shape. August Vollmer was one of the key individualsRead MoreThe United States and World War I Essay1703 Words   |  7 PagesA. Plan of the Investigation When the First World War erupted in Europe on July 28, 1914; President Woodrow Wilson formally proclaimed that the United States would remain neutral on August 4, 1914. However, the United States did not stick to this proclamation, and eventually became involved in the war efforts. This investigation aims to evaluate the reasons the United States violated their neutrality in order to join the war. In inquiring into the reasons of the United States’ entry into the warRead MoreMasculinity And Self Determination And Aggression1445 Words   |  6 Pagesattainment of success and status, self-determination and aggression (Clark). August Wilson was born in 1945 and was a play writer of America who composed work consisting of a chain of ten dramas, known as The Pittsburgh Cycle. Each play of the chain was written about a different era which represented the catastrophic and amusing features of African Americans in the previous century. African American masculinity was portrayed by Wilson in his different plays to lessen the negative image of black males inRead MoreSocial, Political, And Family Issues On August Wilson s Fences1596 Words   |  7 PagesSocial, Political, and Family Issues in August Wilson’s Fences August Wilson’s Fences depicts life in the 1950s for a typical African American family. The play touches upon racism, shifting family dynamics, and the politics of war. While racism plays an important and vital role in the play, instead of lamenting the issue, Wilson uses the characters as a weapon against the rampant racism of the time. In the same fashion, the relationship between Troy, Rose, and Cory demonstrates the shifting culturalRead MoreThe Boundary Conditions For A Case Study779 Words   |  4 Pageswriting about the entire universe (Merriam, 2009). â€Å"A case study is an in-depth description and analysis of a bounded system† (Merriam, 2009, p. 40). According to Merriam, (2009), â€Å"single most defining characteristic of case study research lies in delimiting the object of study, the case† (p. 40). The presidential resignation of Richard Nixon on August 8, 1974, was a first for the United States (Wilson, 1976) and has the leadership potential for categorization as particularistic case study (MerriamRead MoreAugust Wilson3685 Words   |  15 PagesAugust Wilson: Poet, Playwright, and So Much More August Wilson is a man who, outside of the theatrical world, is not very well known. Yet there are those, like Paul Carter Harrison, who would rank him in the same artistic continuum as Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, and Thelonius Monk.1 When I began research on August Wilson I asked myself, so what? So what if hes won awards and recognition? What has he done to merit them? What makes this man important enough to do a research paperRead MoreMedia Report : Ferguson On The Ultimate Struggle Over Race, Power And Privilege3021 Words   |  13 Pagesfully understood outside the context of the social, historical, political and economic ideologies that shape the United States. I chose to critique two news reports each from different news sources, including The New York Times (NYT) and The Washington Post (TWP). Each news report focuses on different incidents which took place during Ferguson’s upheaval in the summer of 2014. I will begin by briefly summarizing each article, then I w ill do an analysis on the problems and gaps that I find within eachRead MoreHuman Deaths And The Canadian Columbia Forest Fires Of 20041198 Words   |  5 Pages(ice storms in eastern Ontario and western Quebec), September 11, 2001 (terrorists attacks in Manhattan and Washington, DC), March 5, 2003 (SARS epidemic in Toronto), August 14, 2003 (largest power blackout in North American history), September 28, 2003 (Hurricane Juan, Nova Scotia) the blackout in central and eastern Canada in August 2003 and The Emergency Management Act was passed on June 22nd, 2007. The 2007 Emergency Management Act replaces parts of the 1985 Emergency Preparedness Act to â€Å"strengthenRead MoreArcheological Investigations of the Quin Dynasty1426 Words   |  6 Pagescompletely empty tombs, which hints to the fact that the emperor may have died before the construction of the tomb had been fully completed. Another major part of the archaeological investigations that took place at this site involved looking at the historical texts available from the time period, as they provide insight into what lies buried in the main tomb area, and using them to obtain an estimation of what archaeologists will find. According to some of the most reliable records â€Å"the emperor was laidRead MoreSocial Media Activism, Centered On Police Brutality1180 Words   |  5 Pagesis Not a Moment, but a Movement†, n.d.). In 2014, activists spread the â€Å"Hands Up. Don’t Shoot.† (#DontShoot) campaign, centered on Michael Brown, an African-American young man, who was shot and subsequently killed by a white police officer back in August 2014. â€Å"Witness accounts spread after the shooting that Brown had his hands raised in surrender, mouthing the words â€Å"Don’t shoot† as his last words before being shot execution-style. The gesture of raised hands became a symbol of outrage over mistreatment

History of Sexuality - 3607 Words

| | | A Historical Critique of Homosexual Exclusions from the Armed Forces using the concepts of Michel Foucault From 1989 to 1999, the time period of the Clinton Administration, a homosexual force entered the American consciousness. Court cases and rhetoric of the 80s incited a discourse in which homosexuality was re-articulated, re-negotiated, and unmistakably re-repressed (Davis 3). Supreme Court judgment and actions taken by Congress with the Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy exemplify theories of sexuality and power expressed in the philosophies of Michel Foucault. Foucault was a French-born†¦show more content†¦Foucault saw the importance of the matter to lie in how the discourse on sexuality in our culture has paradoxically produced repression. Repression in modern society is a complex process. Foucaults work divides pre-modern sexual acts from modern sexual identities and sexualities (Lochrie 86). Foucault explained that the discussion of sexuality itself was restricted in a few areas. After the eighteenth century he noted an institutional incitement to speak about [sex]... a determination on the part of the agencies of power to hear it spoken about, and to cause it to speak through explicit articulation and endlessly accumulated detail (18). This proliferation of discourse had the effect of increasing encroachment of state law onto the issue of private sexuality. Foucaults analysis was considered radical. This aspect of societal repression and subsequent obsession plays an important role in understanding the reactionary political movements concerning homosexuals in the military. This will be examined after a discussion of the functions of sexuality and power. In The History of Sexuality, this examination also focused on the functions of sexuality and power. He created the term Biopower, which refers to the regulation of subjects by the state. 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Similarly, sexuality cannot free itself from relations of power (Butler 1989:603). Indeed, the body is culturally contested; it is incapable of independence from any particular structuralized narrative. The ubiquitous yet uncertain subject of sex,Read MoreThe Controversial History Behind Sexuality1951 Words   |  8 PagesThroughout history, sexuality has been an extremely discussed and disputed topic. In the United States, views on gays and lesbians have fluctuated as social norms changed and adapted rapidly as the nation grew into a major international superpower. Even today, the topic of sexuality is one of the most controversial and progressive movements sweeping the country as more and more states pass laws allowing the marriage of gay and lesbian couples. This essay will attempt to delve into the controversialRead MoreA Long History Of Sexuality Is Conditioned And Inhibited By A Complicated History1402 Words   |  6 Pagesthink about sexuality is conditioned and inhibited by a complicated history and, to make our problems worse, that history is in the power of those who have necessarily been antagonistic to women for a very long time. Males generally have been economically and socially superior to women since they became the primary producers and possessors of private property.† (Murphy Robinson, 1984: 251) One of Western societies biggest social taboos is sex. Even more so, there is a long history of repressedRead MoreThe Perception of Human Sexuality throughout History1030 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout history it is evident that human sexuality changes do to religious, governmental and societal influences. 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In fact, this spreading of discourse on sexuality itself gives a clear account of how sexuality has been controlled and confined because it was determined in a certain kind of knowledge that carriesRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Sexual : A History Of Sexuality Essay2012 Words   |  9 PagesThe Importance of Being Sexual: A History of Sexuality Sex is the force that drives the continuation of humanity, and sexuality is an integral part of human life. Next to survival, the most primitive primal human instinct is sex. Sexuality is something carnal and pervasive, something that is responsible for and touches the lives of everyone. Understanding its history, its relativity to culture and era, and its fluidity of meaning is vital to gaining and composing a full understanding of the behaviors

Coastal Managment Free Essays

A coastal environment (Small/Regional Scale) the processes affecting this coast, Its landforms and Its management Key Questions from the GEESE syllabus: Key Questions from the GEESE syllabus: Why do coastal processes need to be managed? How are coastlines managed? Why does coastal management create controversy? The Forth-Hymnals coastline Is an area currently undergoing a major change In the way It Is managed. Your task is to find out: 1. A description of the location of this stretch of coastline 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Coastal Managment or any similar topic only for you Order Now What coastal features are found along this stretch of coastline 3. What management strategies are being developed 4. Why they are being developed 5. Collect a set of specific facts about the management strategies 6. Who will benefit from the new strategies 7. Who will be disadvantaged by the new strategies Your research must have all of this information, as the exam board may ask a case study question on any of the above aspects of this case study. You will be writing a timed Case Study answer following this work, which will only use part of your research information: For a named area of coastline, describe the management strategies being used and explain how different groups of people will be affected. Your work will be assessed using the case study Mark scheme My Hymnals Coastal management Case Study 1) A description of the location of this stretch of coastline Site Location – The site location on the beach on the seaward side of lower forth village Hymnals is located In Wales 8 miles (1 3 km) north of Abernathy and It Is 1. 5 miles north of forth. The Hymnals coast line stretches over 2 miles and Is located In the county of Correction . Hymnals is situated right next to a number of small towns and is unconnected to the main road the AAA. ) What coastal features are found along this stretch of coastline To the north of this coast lies a large estuary with a embryonic split occurring towards the mouth of the estuary. A spit is formed from alongshore drift moving material along the beaches and the material is deposited and overtime the spit forms a right angle shape 4. Waves cannot get past a spit, which creates a extends about km from the southern side of the defy estuary. T he main line of the spit is formed by gravels that are exposed at high water level along the southern part f the spit. 3) What management strategies are being developed? Work began early autumn 2010. The aim of Correction council is to protect the beaches from erosion and flooding and the surrounding communities. On cardigan bay there are around 1500 homes and about 7000 to protect from the natural elements of living near to and visiting the coast. Forth village has developed on a mobile shingle beach with many properties built on the beach, this means it is more vulnerable to flooding. Wooden Grosses Grosses protect against alongshore drift and backwash which means the beach will be fee from erosion and the beach material being washed downer by alongshore drift. In the ass’s Correction county council built some wooden grosses and breastwork defenses however they have recently been deemed as coming to the end of their life and there then was a further need for protection of the km frontage. Rock Grosses Constructed near the Craig y Delay cliffs to the south of forth. Grosses do not add extra material to a beach, but merely retain some of the existing sediment on the updraft side of the grosses At the southern end Another strategy to protect against erosion from the waves the council built a series of onshore rock breakwater grosses. The grosses are mm long each Greene is followed by a breakwater. The rock grosses are made of rock obviously and commonly are basalt. â€Å"Two rock grosses and two rock breakwaters will be placed at intervals along the beach, and these will retain the shingle, in much the same way as the timber grosses do now. † – Correction council The present coastal defenses were designed in the sass, and the timber grosses and breastworks directly fronting the village were constructed in stages urine the early sass’s, with the grosses reducing the alongshore drift of sediment, and the breastwork providing a back stop to protect the shingle bank on which so much of Forth has been founded. The Multi-Purpose Reef The multi-purpose reef is located mm offshore which will be unobstructed and only to be seen when the shore is out. The idea is that the waves brake over the reef which will reduce the energy in the waves so they arrive at the beach with less force therefore reducing the amount of erosion and to encourage the development of a broader beach inshore. The reef has been created to protect the shingle beach from erosion however it has created a better surfing facility and so encouraging surfers to the area. Beach Nourishment â€Å"Sand and shingle will be placed on the beach to increase its width. This will provide Forth Village with more protection from incoming waves, as waves will be breaking further offshore and they will therefore have a wider beach over which their energy is released. † – Correction council Beach nourishment took place along all of the lower forth village frontage. The shingle was imported and placed along the village frontage to create a stable beach. Along the village frontage , the aim was to create and sustain a shingle beer with a minimum crest width of mm. Multipurpose reef – The reasons behind the construction of the multipurpose reef is to encourage the waves to brake on the reef and so losing their energy out offshore so when they reach the beach they have little energy therefore minimizing the chance of erosion by hydrophilic action. Another benefit of the reef is that it provides a very good surfing facility as it acts to focus and shape the waves to improve curability. The final aim of the reef was to encourage a wider beach inshore which is nether coast protection component. Beach Rock Grosses and Rock Breakwaters They placed to rock Grosses and two break waters in intervals along the beach which will stop long shore drift and protect the shingle beach the same as the timber ones but obviously much more durable. Beach Nourishment Sand and shingles will be bought by Correction council and deposited on the beach to extend its width. This therefore will increase the protection of Forth village from the incoming waves as they will be breaking further offshore and also have more beach for the waves to break their energy down on. 5. Collect a set of specific facts about the management strategies See within questions three and four 6. Who will benefit from the new strategies There are many people who will benefit for example The Locals It has become evident throughout my research that there is a main concern concerning this locals and the protection of their homes and businesses. All the protection elements of the scheme aim to protect against the erosion of the beaches which would eventually get further inland and destroy their homes. Tourists The beach nourishment means that there is a wider beach therefore making it deter for tourists as there will be more room for more people and the beach will be more appealing to them. Also the construction of the multi purpose reef means there is a better surf facility for surfer visiting the forth coastline. Entrepreneurs of Forth and Hymnals Inevitably the Attraction of tourists to the beaches will benefit the local shop owners and restaurant owners and also holiday makers as there will be more people interested in visiting forth and hymnals because of the better coast conditions and so therefore more people to spend money in the local businesses How to cite Coastal Managment, Papers