Ashley 1920 Mumbo Jumbo Essays (726 words) - American Writers

Ashley Altidort Professor Keene Recent Trends in AM Fict February 25 , 2017 The 1920's Mumbo Jumbo An age of dramatic social and political change, the 1920s was the time to be. Coast-to-coast, w omen demanded more freedom, became more sexually "free" compared to their past generations, and now held the option to vote. America's economy was booming in acceleration due to their ability to provide for World Wa r I and with the new inventions, invoking a birth of mass culture. Generating from Southern states, an influx of African Americans migrated to Northern states, creating the influential Jazz Age. It allowed African Americans to not only express how they felt musically but also perform countrywide. However, the era's social tension also spoke grand measures in the infamous period , like the prohibition law that banned the manufacture and sale of liquor, but encouraged and created speakeasies, an illegal bar. Finally yet importantly, a cultural civil war broke out because some parties failed to agree with African Americans growth both socially and economically . Society 's morals and values began to chang e as Blacks chose to migrate from the countryside to the city while the nation's wealth and growth triplicated. Granting women the option to vote allowed "new w omen " to prove to men that they are of equal superiority and will not tolerate abuse and impudence. They did as they pleased without the approval of their significant other, such as dressing more provocatively, educating themselves, and occupying the city in search of jobs to avoid what they were used to, being a typical at-home wife . The availability of birth control devices, like the diaphragm, also allowed women to have more control and structure over their own life, something that's been uncommon for most . Haitian lw as , present in Reed's "Mumbo Jumbo, were voodoo masters that did black magic and always arose suspicion within the community due to the magic's inexplicability . I n Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed , Papa LaBas, which translates to "Papa's over there" is a voodoo ritualist that practiced the religion of voodoo and was rumored to do magic on people who attempted to insult the black culture/community. "A warehouse burned after it refused to deliver a special variety of herbs to his brownstone headquarters and mind haberdashery where he sized up his clients to fit their souls. His headquarters are derisively called Mumbo Jumbo Kathedral by his critics." (Reed 23) To further emphasize Papa LaBas's strength and power, Reed described a former experience where when Papa LaBas didn't get what he wanted , the supplier payed the price. To recognize the virus Warren Harding called the livelihood of the African American s in the 1920s , Reed used "Jes Grew", insinuating that African American culture "just grew" according to the whites surrounding African Americans. Jes Grew , " sleeps after the night of howling, speaking-in-tongues, dancing to drums; watching strange lights streak across the sky." (Reed 17) Reed uses a metaphor to compare the African American culture to a fierce beast that seems to sleep at night and dances to the sound of their drums, speaking in their own native language . However, the excitement and freedom African Americans sought through "Jes Grew" of course , created pr oblems within white supremacists, so they made any attempt to try to deteriorate Jes Grew , even insult ing Haiti 's image . Ishmael Reed 's "Mumbo Jumbo , " consisted of both fiction and history, depicted a story about a viral breakout of black culture , called "Jes Grew"- including song, ebonics, and dance , being spread throughout America,. Mainly because it was uncommon to those who didn't practice it, the virus induced enough confusion and rage to have groups of people aim to end it because it seemed impractical and was viewed negatively. Reed portrayed an important period for African Americans in the 1920s as a virus because in the 1920s, the African American social and economic growth was viewed as such, so hate groups like the KKK made attempts to stop them, and in the novel it was the Wallflower Order . In comparison with all the other novels

Is Female Perception of the Body Image Affected by the Media

Is Female Perception of the Body Image Affected by the Media Here is an overview of the body-image issue. Read how magazines and fashion industry determine the standards of the female body. Mass Media Effect on How We Perceive Ourselves America certainly has many problems in its own society – institutionalized racism, poverty, ignorance, teen pregnancy and drug addiction. But another major problem lies within the work of the media, the main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the Internet) regarded collectively. The media, whether we realize it or not, dictates what we let into our lives; this certainly affects how we perceive ourselves – because we compare ourselves, and are compared, to celebrities and other people we see in the media. ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY EXAMPLE: DOES VIOLENCE IN THE MEDIA CAUSE VIOLENCE IN CHILDREN? Most times, these celebrities are quite perfect-looking individuals, and so everyday people can have a low self-esteem because of new low body image – and this definitely applies to many adults and most teens, male and female alike. However, in this case, an argument will be made that illustrates how media influence the female perception of the body image. Magazine Pics Install a Lack of Confidence Let’s look at how females are portrayed in publications and on the Internet. Go to a magazine stand – you’ll see attractive, strikingly beautiful women on just about every cover. It’s sickening. This definitely over-sexualizes and objectifies the female beauty. But it’s been that way a long time, though that doesn’t justify why it still exists. Also, on the Internet, in newspaper ads and on billboards in dodgy parts of town, are billions of erotic pictures and videos of women. For young girls and insecure women, this instills a lack of confidence in their own appearance, and a body-image problem emerges. This problem could last a lifetime; maybe it’s the reason they hit the gym, get elective surgery or buy an expensive Italian sports car. Thanks to the media, the American public – heck, the world, too – adores so many of the same people, actors, athletes, and billionaires, that the public feels lost in the midst of things – they feel overlooked, irrelevant and worthless. You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful. ? Amy Bloom Secondly, non-skinny, non-model-type women do appear on magazine covers, though, but they are usually overweight, maybe handsome and funny or overweight, plain looking and rich – like Queen Latifah, Oprah, Amy Schumer and Melissa McCarthy. This is terrible for a woman’s body image because it illustrates how – if you are an average-looking woman, maybe a little chubby, without a fortune, and not an actor or media mogul – you aren’t important enough to be on the cover of a magazine. Not that this means anything in the grand scheme of things, but it does happen and will continue to happen as long as the media is running the show and influencing people. Here’s the thing: wealthy billionaires run the media companies, mostly financially supported by the advertiser who depends on the consumer’s purchasing power. A woman with a low body image buys the products advertised to them in commercials hosted by beautiful bombshells of women. They purc hase many things advertised to them in order to fill the void they have created for themselves, deeply instilled by the media. People Can’t Take Their Own Mediocrity Lastly, the two aforementioned points illustrate how media influence the female perception of the body image, and this causes the everyday woman – bombarded by advertisements, commercials, magazine covers, Web articles – to feel inferior to the women they see on TV and in the movies. This is a terrible thing, for it tends to warp the minds of insecure people, men, and women alike, who aren’t confident and comfortable in their own skin, with their own imperfect appearance and body. This is quite tragic. This is perhaps why we still see suicides and homicidal rampages, alcoholic and drug binges – they can’t take their own mediocrity, their lack of celebrity, their ordinariness. We are trained to think, in this culture, that we are nothing if we are not of some renown. TV HAS A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON TEENAGERS To conclude, let’s try hard to address this problem in the future. It’s easy to see how media influence the female’s perception of how they view their bodies, their looks. Women probably assess their value in comparison to the beauty or style or sexual features of a famous female. And because most everyday women in America do not look like Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie, many women feel inadequate and inferior and undesirable. Until the media actively tries to include the everyday American woman in advertisements, magazine covers, billboards and TV shows, America will have this problem – and it could have many socio-economic implications that could point to a shift in confidence, along with many mental-health and low self-esteem problems.