Group items tagged

"Its use of the written word, art, and culture to heighten the consciousness of the black community also linked the movement to the Harlem Renaissance (or the New Negro Renaissance), which relied heavily on these black expressive endeavors."

"The Black Power movement was preoccupied with increasing black people's level of consciousness. Black people began calling themselves black instead of negro. "

This article provides historical information on the Black Power movement which was heavily influenced by Malcolm X. Black Power movement mimicked Malcolm X's view that the black people should not just assimilate into society and surrender to the whites. Black Power struggled to reverse the inferiority complex of the black people and gave rise to phrases such as "Black is Beautiful". This article supports an essay delving into the issue of the physiological effects of oppression and the fight against oppression.

This article describes FFN as a modern day Jungle, but continues by saying that it is more that just 'muckraking.' Rather, Schlosser exposes the motives behind large businesses and how they effect unionization and social equality.

This article portrays not only the similarity between modern day working conditions of workers to those in the early 1900s, but it also illustrates the "declining power of labor unions" which illustrates the power of companies strengthening and unfairly taking advantage of these workers.

Fast Food Nation was acclaimed a modern day version of The Jungle when first published. However, this article shows that it was more than your average muckracking novel. It explains that the power of unions fell as the "Fast Food Nation" rose. Also, Schlosser's piece explained the widening social gap of Americans, as the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.

This shows how men dominate women in society which juxtaposes the bosses domination of their low class employees. The author uses words like dominate, tyrannize, choose, or reject to show the power and contol that lies in the hands of the upper classes . Therefore, Woolf and other authors like Sinclair and Steinbeck speak out against the upper class and urge the lower classes to unite and fight.

Some Muslim guy calls the Jews racist; just like Malcolm .His point: even though both Jews and blacks are minorities, the Jews end up rich and powerful, while the blacks end up poor, in ghettos, and oppressed.

no im not saying you do, im just saying that farrakhan is an idiot because he is hahaha

You would post this.

This literary review of IM praises the plot line, and discusses its relevancy to not only Harlem, but everywhere in the world where a social norm has developed. 

For there is a way for Negro novelists to go at their problems, just as there are Jewish or Italian ways. Mr. Ellison has not adopted a minority tone. If he had done so, he would have failed to establish a true middle-of-consciousness for everyone. In all other parts of the country people live in a kind of vastly standardized cultural prairie, a sort of infinite Middle West, and that means that they don't really live and they don't really do anything. Invisibility touches everyone, and Ellison helps to bring this fact to light.

"Most Americans thus are Invisible." Discusses both the faults of the novel as well as the powerful impact of the novel, and the application of it to all Americans, both past and contemporary. 

this discusses the archetypal oppression situation. As one group is oppressed, before trying to liberate themselves, they try to conform to the way of their oppressors because they sub-consciously redefine what it is to be a human. We see examples of this in both Malcolm x and Invisible man.

This shows that the workers and consumers are at the dispense of the businesses as they dont have the power to overcome them. Due to their social and economic situations, the corporations can control their products and working conditions however they want

Interesting read about activists for anti-capitalism/environmentalist (ignore that fact) and their conclusion that working reform with the system doesn't work. Now, they see the light, and the only thing left for each of them, is subversiveness and action against the institution. 

"At the heart of Frankenstein is the tension between the power science confers on individuals and the just restraints of community. Frankenstein, both creator and creature, stands not for science in general but for the acquisition of scientific power foolishly pursued without the wisdom of the world"

This source takes a detailed look at the ethics of science, and how the novel was written as a commentary on these ethics. This also follows the pattern of Shelly's romantic side, as she created Frankenstein to have a lack of personal connections, and for it to be his downfall.

"perhaps because, for Addie, words are both the container and the contained; the empty vessel and the shape to fill that emptiness. They have the power to reveal and give form, as when she sees Anse flow out of the darkness and into the vessel of his name, but they also have the power to conceal"

This source provides an overview of the novel based solely on the language usage of each narrator. It examines specific language like Addie's, that is empty and useless because that's how she feels life is.

This shows how Faulkner uses his Gothic elements to highlight his specific themes such as isolation. this is the main theme in As I Lay Dying, as it leads the the struggles in the family and their destruction

The author of this article describes the power that the fast food industry has on the general public. Their empire is so powerful that it is almost impossible to stop even by the executives of these companies. This industry has changed every aspect of human life.

This source shows the the government does not care about its food safety thus leading to the endangered lives of the workers and consumers. The government shows it evils by aiming for profits rather than helping the workers

I completely agree with what you are saying connor. It seems to be a consumer trying to better our eating standards is a losing battle, when you have some of the most powerful corporations and influential companies cooperating with the government it seems that there is now way to win even a marginal victory.

"The way TRUSTS concentrated wealth and economic power in the hands of a few business tycoons so alarmed the American public that Congress passed the SHERMAN ANTITRUST ACT in 1890."

"At one point Standard Oil controlled more than 90 percent of the nation's petroleum refining."

This article explains the history of the regulations of businesses, federal and otherwise. The article describes certain laws to regulate the business sector and the purpose they serve. The article also gives historical examples of the power businesses gain without regulation. This article is relevant to the regulation and deregulation of businesses "Fast Food Nation" depicts.

This compares Ehrenreich's book to Orwell's (who did a similar thing but took it more seriously) and speculates on possible consequences of the novel, pointing out a lack of a plausible solution.

"Why is an author who slams the "corporate overclass" suddenly so popular with the corporate overclass? The usual masochism of the affluent accounts for some of it. The rich like to be told they're wicked, both because it confirms that they're powerful and because it makes them feel slightly less guilty." This article explains why Nickel and Dimed has popularity, even with the upper class. The rich, while they still may be wicked in some regards, have come to accept this fact rather then shy away from it. By knowing and accepting that they are the fittest in Darwin's "Survival of the Fittest" theory, which has carried over to American Capitalism, they feel "that they're powerful". The article shows interesting perspectives on which types of person read the novel and for what reasons.

The American Dream is something many aspire to, but in the reality of things, it is fair to question how far someone can actually get to that dream. One can have wealth and go for it, but in reality, there are so many factors that make one seem like swimming against the current of the super rich and powerful.

This source shows the doppelganger between the monster and Victor as they are doubles of each other. One of their connections is the fact that both are isolated and cannot communicate with society. This leads to the theme of isolation.

This talks about the theme of sanity vs insanity and chaos vs order. The gothic elements helps make the novel dark and chaotic in which Victor must define because of his responsibility. The helpful gothic elements of madness and darkenss help further these themes