Thursday, January 30, 2020

Life of Being an African American Essay Example for Free

Life of Being an African American Essay Throughout my life, I have had to battle with my own identity, as many people do. It is not just a black thing, I’m sure. I know people from all different ethnicities, who struggle to find themselves, but this has little to do with the way they look on the outside – it is the quest to find out who they are on the inside. I found that person when I was thirteen years old, but then when I moved to the United States from Chicago eight years ago, I underwent another sort of struggle with identity. This time it was because of the way I looked, and it was less than a personal struggle than it was a fight against discrimination. I had never really experienced any form of racial discrimination in Chicago; almost everyone who lived in our area was African American, with a few exceptions. There were a few white people, but they apparently were not indicative of the general population in America, as I never received any mistreatment or discrimination from them, and likewise, I do not believe they suffered any discrimination by my fellow African Americans. Everyone sort of just fit in and carried on with their daily lives. I am ashamed to admit that this is how I thought that my life would be in Texas as well. I did expect things to be different. I knew that Dallas were more affluent and I knew that there were buildings as big as some of our smaller towns. The buildings in the brochures seemed to reach the sky. I believed that the sky would be bluer, the air cleaner, and the people would be as friendly as they seemed to be on television and in the brochures. All of these shiny, smiling white faces would greet me with open arms and assist me in any way possible to make my stay wonderful. However, the exact opposite has happened to me. Although I am not the only African American by far to come to Dallas, I certainly felt all alone my first six months here. While I did meet other African Americans, and they welcomed me, they were all busy struggling to make a living or to learn the language just as much as the next. It seemed even the older African Americans who had lived here for over ten years still never managed to fit in. I have been called â€Å"stupid†, â€Å"ignorant† and â€Å"dumb† despite the fact that I am more intelligent than many of the people calling me this. .One of the things that annoys me the most is when I try to talk to someone and they talk back to me with a slang accent. I have had people speak very slowly and with raised volume and exaggerated hand movements when they are trying to talk to me. I guess they think that deaf and dumb. Stereotypes exist, I understand this, and it really doesn’t affect me as much as being discriminated against does. For example, I can take people assuming that I work at a chicken place or even asking â€Å"what are you†. But when I take the time to talk to people and explain and let them into my life a little, I expect a bit more than from someone on the street, but I don’t often get it. In my small group of friends, which is mainly white people, they don’t think I’m stupid or ignorant, unlike those strangers I meet on the street, and they don’t think I’m deaf and dumb; they actually think that I’m of the most caring person, and will do anything for them. Living in America is a dream for many, and while there are so many opportunities here, I have to say that it is a struggle for an African American to fit in. I can only hope that future employers will not discriminate or that the only jobs that I can find will be dishwashing and working for a place that sells chicken. While these jobs are suitable for some, they are not why I came to America. In essence, I am chasing the American dream, and while many Americans have discriminated against me, I can only hope that the dream will not.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Analysis of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Epic Poem Ulysses Essay -- Epic Poe

Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s epic poem "Ulysses" is composed as a dramatic monologue, consisting of four stanzas each of which frankly discuss the speakers current situation and yearning for adventure. The use of iambic pentameter provides a sense of fluidity to the speaker’s voice. The speaker reveals himself to be the protagonist of the poem with the opening line â€Å"It little profits that an idle king† (1). The use of the word â€Å"idle† offers the first clue as to one of the main themes of the poem. Tennyson much like the protagonist of his poem feels the need to move on, in life. The period in which the poem was wrote, many sociable changes where occurring in Victorian England, the effects of the industrial revolution where being felt far and wide and there was, the idea that society needed to work together in order to establish conformity. Ulysses is feeling emotionally empty throughout the poem, without his mariner friends and adventures similar to times gone by, a similar situation that Tennyson had found himself in. â€Å"Ulysses† was written after the death of his close friend, soul mate and confidante Arthur Henry Hallam. This was one of many poems composed by Tennyson, upon Hallam’s death the most notable being â€Å"Memorandum† (1833-1850). Tennyson himself commented how the series of poems were a direct comparison to how he felt after the loss of his dear friend. The poem was published in the book Poems by Alfred Tennyson (1842). Mythological characters appear to play an important role within Tennyson’s poetry, from English folk law characters such as King Arthur that featured in â€Å"Morte D’Arthur and other Idyllis† to the Greek mariner and adventurer Ulysses. The character of Ulysses has featured in many great epic poems, ... ...hesterton. Tennyson. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1906. PDF. Gray, Erik. "Tennyson’s Rapture: Transformation in the Victorian Dramatic Monologue." Victorian Studies 50.3 (2008): 541-42. Project MUSE. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. . Nohrnberg, James. "Eight Reflections of Tennyson’s â€Å"Ulysses†." Victorian Poetry 47.1 (2009): 101-50. Project MUSE. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. . Robbins, Tony. "Tennyson's "Ulysses": The Significance of the Homeric and Dantesque Backgrounds." Victorian Poetry Autumn 11.3 (1979): 177-93. JSTOR. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. . Skidmore, Joel. "The Odyssey - Background - Detailed Version." Greek Mythology. 1997. Web. 20 Feb. 2015. .

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Compare and Contrast Seabiscuit vs Secretariat

Seabiscuit vs. Secretariat Impossible. A word the average English speaking individual fears. It is defined as: incapable of being done. In 2010 Walt Disney released Secretariat, a movie that tells the impossible true story of possibly, the greatest racehorse ever. Universal Studios DreamWorks released Seabiscuit several years prior. Similarly, the movie Seabiscuit provides its audience with a portal back in time to tell yet another seemingly impossible true story. Except this movie tales the journey of three men and one very special horses’ rise to success and fame.While both films recount inspirational and seemingly impossible true stories, Seabiscuit edges out Secretariat at the wire through the use of a more historically accurate plot, first-class acting and far more believable cinematography. The sheer amount of historical accuracy maintained throughout Seabiscuit far outweighs Walt Disney’s portrayal of Secretariat. In Seabiscuit, each of the main character’ s personal struggles is told throughout the first part of the film.These struggles show how the characters came together in real life, provides the audience with an adequate understanding of the effect of the Great Depression on them and allows the viewers to connect emotionally to them as well. In Secretariat, many of the people who were major parts of his journey were completely omitted. The overall feel of the film is very Disney like; in the essence of follow your dreams and they will come true. Ultimately, Walt Disney turned Secretariat into just another dramatic fairy tale.Too many actual events and characters were left out of the film, which in turn, took away from the real drama of Secretariat’s story. Seabiscuit incorporates a narration of the times and also includes historic photos and footage that capture the era. Unlike Secretariat, Seabiscuit manages to not only maintain historical integrity but is quite entertaining as well. Thus making Seabiscuit the clear winn er. The first-class acting in Seabiscuit undoubtedly surpasses the acting in Secretariat. Toby Maguire stars in Seabiscuit as Seabiscuit’s jockey John â€Å"Red† Pollard.First off, Maguire had to dramatically change his physical appearance in order to fit the part of a skinny impoverished jockey. His character â€Å"Red† faced the Great Depression head on, forced to leave his family at the mere age of fifteen. The movie follows Pollard from this point on and lets the audience see the adversity he faced throughout his life. Maguire delivers an award-winning performance by capturing and delivering the sheer emotion that fueled Red Pollard through his life and eventually onto the back of Seabiscuit.His stellar acting was a quintessential part of the movie’s success. On the other hand, in Secretariat the main character Penny Chennery played by Diane Lane was not as fulfilling. Her character felt very forced and dramatized for the big screen. Throughout the mo vie the audience is able to predict her every move, her character feels like just another typical Hollywood role; nothing compared to the woman she actually was. The loss of her actual prowess takes away from the overall movie. When compared to Maguire’s performance, Lane failed to cross the finish line.While both Seabiscuit and Secretariat are true stories based on phenomenal racehorses, Seabiscuit has a much more coherent flow. For example, both movies originate from very distinguished eras; Seabiscuit however, makes it very clear to the audience that the story took place during the Great Depression. The use of actual photos and video footage from the time allows the audience to actually understand the tribulations of the times. The camera angles used during racing scenes literally places you in the saddle, allowing viewers to take their very own ride down the home stretch.Overall, Seabiscuit feels real. The transitions from scene to scene are smooth and are never predictab le. On the contrary, Secretariat feels forced. Walt Disney in a sense destroyed the movie by adding too much drama. Many scenes are obviously fabricated to a point where the audience loses sight of the true story behind the movie. Furthermore, Seabiscuit yet again edges out Secretariat by staying true to the seemingly impossible story that was already complete for Hollywood.In conclusion, like many movies based on a true story Secretariat and Seabiscuit are both very informative. However, Seabiscuit managed to maintain historical integrity through first-class acting and believable cinematography. Seabiscuit and Secretariat’s story of overcoming the impossible was already perfect for Hollywood. Walt Disney fell short by not sticking to the real script and adding too much drama to Secretariat. All in all Seabiscuit raced into the heart of its viewers and never looked back.