Who Am I?

Here's the second student paper, this one from someone who wishes to remain anonymous. In the course of my career, I've given out fewer than a dozen A+s on student papers. This was one of them. [Update 4/9/08: Apparently other people on my campus think so--a version of this just won a campus-wide writing award!]

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Who am I? Who do I want to be? Why am I here? What is my identity? Why are we all different? Though these questions may seem straight out of a cheesy self-help book on “discovering who you are” or “finding yourself” that most people would be embarrassed if caught looking at in a bookstore, they are fundamental questions that most of us don’t spend enough time pursuing. We’re too busy, we say, have too much that needs to get done. Like most people, I often rush around doing things, half the time not thinking about why I am doing them, much less who the “I” is that does them.

Identity is multi-layered, multi-faceted, and nuanced, a mosaic that changes elements as the contexts of our lives change. It affects how we portray ourselves, how we read other’s behavior, and how we categorize ourselves and others into groups. Who am I? It’s a seemingly simple question. I am a student. I am a Sociology and a Women’s Studies major. I am sister, a daughter, a cousin, a friend. I am a member of several organizations. I am a Capricorn. I am a person who likes to travel. I am a middle child. I am a former mental patient. I am both a cat and a dog person. I am an American. I am white. I am a woman. The list could go on and on. We do not normally think about these things unless some crisis prompts a screeching “Who Am I?” to circle around our heads, and even then, it is more commonly a “What am I going to do?” especially during life transitions.

When asked, most of us respond to the question of identity with something related to what we do, or our relation to someone important in our lives; we respond with the more contextual/changeable aspects of our lives rather than the more obvious fundamental qualities that become taken for granted and as such, there is no need to ponder them. Or is there? And are these qualities really fundamental? Do some of the problems with conflicts among people with differing identities stem from our lack of taking the time to explore these issues? For example, I am female and identify as a woman. For some people, gender identifications are not constants and/or they are grounds for much consideration. For me, though I think about sex/gender in a theoretical way through classes, and though I do not see myself as a typically feminine woman, I identify as a woman nonetheless and it does not rouse much thought on a day-to-day basis. It is plainly there. It is what I am. But were it not for my explorations of being a woman through some of the experiences I have had and for theoretical explorations as a student, I would probably seldom/never really have thought about what it means to be a woman in our society, or how being a woman in a society in which women continue to be oppressed has shaped my life. Nor would I probably have begun to actively participate in organizations working for change.

That being said, my gender is much more salient to me than some other characteristics for the most part, due solely to the fact that being a woman in a society in which women continue to be oppressed has negative personal consequences. How many of you or your female friends been felt up in a public place? How many are survivors of sexual or domestic violence? are afraid to walk home at night? spend hours on making themselves look “pretty”? have eating disorders? are torn between being a prude or a whore? dumb themselves down in middle/high school because smart girls aren’t liked? get paid less than their male colleagues? The list could go on infinitely. I could answer “yes” to all of these at varying points in my life, a fact that both enrages me and makes me sad. And I know I am not the only one.

Race and Ethnicity have had comparatively little impact on most of my life, because I am white in a society in which white is privileged. I don’t have to worry that anything I say will be taken as representative of all “white” people. In stores, I never have to worry about being followed by managers due to an expectation that I am shoplifting. When I speak, people will listen and not pass off what I say solely on the basis of who I am. Of course, with the intersection of white female, at times what I say may be passed off as feminist rants; even then, being shut out would not be on the basis of my race. People don’t reach out to touch my hair without permission. If I turn on the television, open a magazine, or read a book, I will see people who look like me. In school, I will learn about the great things people like me--white people--did. The list could continue ad infinitum. Being white where white is privileged and is considered normative leads to much less obvious social effects than being non-white, in which otherness becomes a part of one’s daily experience.

Unlike many people, I have had the opportunities to live overseas, which has led to a comparatively early recognition of race/ethnicity as a “thing” to be explored. Being overseas was what sparked by interest in learning about the social world, and perhaps even set me on the course towards pursuing sociology academically. Race and ethnicity became a more conscious aspect of my identity during the time I have spent overseas. In sixth grade, my family lived in India for a year, and then in eleventh grade I was an exchange student in Japan. In addition, I have also traveled to Germany, Austria, Nepal and Poland.

In the European countries I visited, my race/ethnicity did not become much of an issue, as I am of European descent. However, my real “race awakening,” so to speak, occurred when I was ten and living in India. For the first time in my life, I stuck out like a sore thumb solely because of the way I looked, and it was obvious that I was an outsider. I was conspicuously “different” and at times looked on with suspicion as a foreigner. This was especially true because the area in which we were living, foreigners were seldom found. It was not an area anyone would ever visit to sight-see. To get to the university housing where we were living, we had to pass through the Navy Nagar. Getting through and into our building required identification cards, all thoroughly inspected, especially before the guards came to know us. Being so obviously different was rather unsettling, as was having people stare often and take every little thing I did as representative of the way Americans do things. It made me much more observant of how I presented myself, even at that young age.

In addition to obviously being an outsider and all of the ramifications that brings, there were times in India during which our obvious whiteness provided a possible threat. Within the first few weeks of our arrival, my mother had an interview for a teaching position at the American International School of Bombay (where we kids ended up going to school). She brought me along with her to the interview. On our taxi ride there, we suddenly found ourselves stuck in traffic that had been stopped by protestors filling the streets shouting angrily. My mother and I were alone. Not knowing the language, we could not understand what the crowd was shouting and had no way of knowing whether or not it was an anti-American demonstration. With the exponentially globalizing world of the early to mid 1990s, and India’s historic relationship with the west as a colonized country, tensions constantly simmered beneath the surface. Lingering in our memories were stories of the previous years’ infamous bloody “Bombay Riots.” While not against foreigners, these riots were recent enough to remain in collective consciousness. Our school even had “riot days” on which they closed for the anniversaries of particularly violent incidents. The protesters began walking, weaving between the stopped cars, and mom tried hurriedly to at least roll up the windows of the taxi, but they were broken. My mother yelled at me to crouch down on the floor of the taxi; she covered my blonde hair, thinking that at least with her dark hair she was less visible. The crowd eventually let us through as traffic began to flow again. We later found out it had been a demonstration against foreign, especially American, involvement in India’s university system. I think that is the only time I have actually felt that I would possibly be targeted solely for a simple fact about myself that I have no control over.

In India, though different, we were also part of a higher socioeconomic class than we were accustomed to in the United States, due to the strength of the dollar against the rupee. And although there was potential for being targeted as foreigners, the British had exported western hierarchies of race into India during its time as a colony. While different, we were not suddenly part of an oppressed group in the way that Africans who are among the elite in their home countries become when they immigrate to the United States due to the importance race plays. In other words, what I am trying to say is not that I have had experience with oppression due to my race, because that is not the case, but that living overseas did bring race awareness and the experience of being “different” than the norm with respect to race.

However, despite being fortunate enough to spend time overseas when relatively young, I think my race awareness only came early in comparison to other white people. I think of my cousin who is the product of a biracial marriage; my aunt is white and my uncle is black. As the flower girl for a wedding on her mother’s side of the family when she was about five years old, she had worn a hairpiece with fake flowers and ribbons, which were woven into a circle pinned in her hair. At the back, the multicolored ribbons came together and flowed down from the crown. For several weeks after the wedding, she wore the hairpiece, refusing to take it off even when going to bed, telling everyone it was her “hair.” She told her mother that she wanted long pretty hair like her cousins. Even at about five years old, though she did not have any theoretical understanding of race relations, nor did she know the history of her father’s family from Jamaica, she did have concrete knowledge of what was beautiful in American society, and she knew her dark, short, curly hair was not. She did eventually stop wearing the hairpiece, and I hope that as she grows up, she develops a positive self-image, but regardless, it illustrates the kinds of “race awakenings” that non-white people have from early childhood. They may not know history or theory as children, but societal messages that “white” is better than “non-white” become ingrained very early on. Not having to ever have to think about my “racial” features is part of my white privilege; white is not racialized, but rather only usually seen as the absence of non-white.

Regardless of the very real effects race/ethnicity has on people’s lives, I do not think that it is actually “real” in a biological sense. Genetic testing may be able to give us an idea of the historic migrations among people and tell us when certain groups broke off from others, forming their own sub-group that developed its own distinctive physical and cultural features throughout centuries. However, it does not tell us anything about race itself. It only tells us about the genetic variation among humans, and how that variation developed due to when certain ancestors went in certain directions or formed their own groups. It does not tell us what groups should be considered races, or provide genetic evidence supporting the ideas of race, as it is often used by those who believe race is real. They conveniently forget that it is people who decide which groups are considered “races”; these groups do not coincide well with the scientific data. For example, the most variation as far as genetics is concerned is among Africans; however, despite being the most genetically dissimilar, they are considered part of the same “race.” Just as people used science in previous generations to pick out physical features to categorize races, people today pick and choose which branches of the human family tree to use; the branches they pick just happen (by some mysterious coincidence) to fit exactly with historic notions of race that have been constructed by racist societies. Some people admit that humans decide which branches to use, but say that it does not matte--genetics still proves that race is biologically real--and it just proves that we were wrong about exactly which groups were “races.” But who decides? Where do we draw the line? Do we end up with 1,000 races? Would that be enough? NO. Because it does not matter what we know about the genetic heritage of groups of people. It is the social constructions of race that are driving its continued use and its continued effects, not the biological variation. A decision made by academics or politicians to suddenly create several racial definitions for Africans will not suddenly change the way society constructs black-ness or effects that being black has on people. It is already true that there are some Africans who are not physically black, but they are still regarded as belonging to the “Black” race, even if they can “pass” as being white. And regardless, the genetic testing from which people can find out their ancestral origin does not test their whole ancestry. It can only test one (for females) or two (for males) genetic lines--either the direct maternal or the direct paternal--ignoring all the other individuals over thousands of centuries that contributed to their genetic makeup. For example, if someone’s direct paternal line is European, but the whole rest of their ancestors are Asian, when tested through their y-chromosome, they would show up only as European.

That being said, while I definitely see race as socially constructed in nature, I sometimes am wary of simply saying that everything is socially constructed and leaving it at that, as there is a fine line between saying that something is socially constructed and invalidating the experiences of those who live with the palpable effects of such constructions in their everyday lives. It is true that something has real consequences regardless of whether or not it is real, so long as it is believed to be real. It is still a fundamental way in which we organize ourselves, and as such, it is important to not only look at the theoretical implications of race, but also at the practical implications these conceptions bring.

I tend to be someone who, despite knowing that the idea of ethnicity has a variety of problems, many of them similar to those of the conception of race, would like to hold onto it much more than I tend to feel the draw to hold onto race. I think it is perhaps that the distinction made between ethnicity and race is that of culture versus biology, respectively. The biological basis of race has been challenged, but ethnicity still seems to be cultural, whether or not the distinct and mutually exclusive categories set up under the current system of ethnicity hold up. I am not suggesting that ethnicity is actually cultural fact, but only that I find it harder to let go of notions of concrete ethnicity than those of race. Further, I am not suggesting that we simply need more categories, because that would not do much to fix anything. People, myself included, need to get away from the “add more categories and let people choose more than one category so everyone fits” fix to the problems of classifying people by race/ethnicity. And thus far, I have only figured out what I would not do about race and/or ethnicity, rather than anything about what I would do, and what they are not more so than what they actually are.

I also question how much what people view as their “ethnic” heritage is really “ethnic” and how much has more do to with specific family traditions. One could say perhaps, that ethnic traditions are those shared among groups of families who either live in or share ancestors from particular locations. But I think that sometimes ignores all the heterogeneity within groups. While in Japan, I remember taking many things my first host family did as the “Japanese” way of doing things. As I lived with subsequent host families (4 in total), I learned very quickly that many of the things I had thought were Japanese—a reflection of cultural differences--were actually specific to that particular family. This was probably especially true, as my first host father was a Shinto priest, so much of their day-today life revolved around the large shrine adjacent to their house.

However, even in my own life, I have come to learn that many of the things I have grown up with, things I believed to be part of our ethnic traditions, were actually much more recently begun, and specific to particular families. I already have a mélange of European “ethnicities” from which to take traditions--German, Polish, Alsatian, Czech, English, Irish--but many things are more closely tied to family than ethnicity. For example, the anise cookie recipe we use comes from my great-grandmother. In addition, through family members having explored genealogy, we have come to learn that in several cases, what we thought we knew about our ethnic heritage was simply wrong. On more than one occasion, someone hid what their “true” background was, probably for better marriage and job prospects. My great-grandfather hid the fact that his mother was a Jew from Buffalo, NY. My great-great grandfather on another side converted in secret from being Lutheran to Catholic on the night before his wedding, though the way my grandparents talk, one would think their family was Catholic since the dawn of time. My great-grandmother on another side told everyone that her family was French Canadian, and wove tales such as her father being the middle-heavyweight boxing champion of Quebec, when in reality her grandparents had emigrated from the Palatinate. The Jewish and French-Canadian examples probably have a lot to do with the social and political climate of the time, as my great-grandfather who hid his being Jewish, probably did so because he wanted good prospects for his daughter. I have heard that he had is heart set on her being a debutante as well, which she would not have been able to do if it was known that she had any Jewish blood. The great-grandmother who hid the German connection probably did so because she was coming of age, and looking for both a job and a husband during World War I.

How much of what anyone knows about their “ethnicity” is true? How do we measure the “truth” of ethnicity? Especially in a world that is become more and more globalized, in which identity seems to be a thing we pick and choose from among many possible elements found worldwide--something we consume, rather than something we are--how do we define our ethnic background? How much relevance does it have to our lives? I don’t necessarily have answers to any of the questions I keep asking, but it is important for all of us to start asking these questions and to continue to ask them. There will probably never be a neat synthesis, a one-size-fits-all solution, but I don’t think that is necessary, nor something we really should be seeking. Nothing in the social world is static, so any nice solution we come up with would be obsolete very quickly. Granted, on a practical level, we need to come up with something we can generally agree upon, because without that, we would never get anything done, and bureaucratic institutions need to have an agreed-upon way to categorize people. On a more personal and interpersonal level however, I think we need to cultivate the idea of identity almost as a dialectic relationship with ourselves, the elements of who we are and who we want to be constantly shifting. We need to simply learn to be okay with multiplicity and tension and messiness, and get away from thinking about identity as fitting in a particular category, or choosing from several distinct categories. We need to learn to embrace the variety and amorphous elements and get away from dualistic thinking and rigidly-bounded categories.

Identification Project #1

I'll be posting over the next few days here a few student papers from my Introduction to Ethnicity and Race course from this past fall. Here's a link to the first!

Underworld

In this paper, I will be exploring race, ethnicity, and sexuality as portrayed in the film Underworld and further elaborated in its sequel Underworld Evolution. This science fiction/action/horror film while initially seeming only to focus on simple violence if one looks just a little deeper they learn how it can be a commentary on our past and perhaps even a statement on our future. (Please note anyone who wishes to see this movie beware because it has

Synopsis
“In the Underworld, Vampires are a secret clan of modern aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (werewolves), a shrewd gang of street thugs who prowl the city's underbelly. No one knows the origin of their bitter blood feud, but the balance of power between them turns even bloodier when a beautiful young Vampire warrior and a newly turned Lycan with a mysterious past fall in love. Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman star in this modern-day, action-packed tale of ruthless intrigue and forbidden passion all set against the dazzling backdrop of a timeless, Gothic metropolis.”(1) This is the synopsis taken directly from the Official Underworld site it seems simple predictable and straight forward and sadly loses its depth. To truly understand this movie you must start from the past and move forward.

The Past
I will start with a brief overview of the past so as not to obstruct the initial storyline. In the Underworld movie hundreds of years ago Alexander Corvinus was the only survivor of a virus that surged through his village. He was infected too but he did not die instead he was changed turned into an immortal. He then had two sons “One bit by bat and one by wolf” Marus and William respectively. These two brothers would become the first vampire and werewolf and would end up giving birth to these new races. A third son was also born; he was born human destined to walk the mortal path.

Shortly after these two races are born, the vampires soon dominate the werewolves turning them into slaves entrusted to guard their bodies as they slept during the day. During the middle Ages the werewolves, or Lycans as they are referred throughout the movie rise up against their vampire masters under the leadership of Lucian whom at the beginning of the movie is said to be "most feared and ruthless leader ever to rule the Lycan clan" but was apparently killed. With Lucian gone the Lycan strength began to disappear and the Deal Dealers, vampire agents, sought to continue their role of exterminating Lycans.

The Present
The movie opens with Selene (the character portrayed by Kate Beckinsale) a Death Dealer along with two compatriots hunting down a pair of Lycans. The Lycans led by Raze are hunting a human by the name of Michael Corvin. After following them into a subway station, the Lycans realize that they are being followed and a shootout ensues. With one of the Death Dealers killed via UV rounds.

Selene returns to her coven to speak with Kahn the head death dealer but was quickly rebuffed by Kraven saying it was nothing even when Selene reveals the UV rounds. While this is, going on Singe a Lycan scientist unsuccessfully seeks a match for the “Corvinus Strain” and decides to once again go after Michael.

Selene tracks down Michael to question him and the two of them are attacked by a horde of Lycans led by Lucian the feared Lycan leader whom was presumed dead. Michael is bitten and is taken by Selene (who is unaware that he has been bitten) back to her coven after they had escaped the Lycans. Lucian stores the blood sample in his mouth to be studied by Singe. Michael soon leaves the lair for his own safety after other vampires learn of his condition, that he will become a werewolf. Selene becomes suspicious of Kraven’s repeated attempts to silence her and decides to break vampire code and look back into history. She learns that the key battle that resulted in the fall of the Lycan uprising a group of Death Dealers attacked the Lycan fortress and the only survivor was Kraven who returned with Lucian’s branded skin the body “lost” in a fire. This new information fueled Selene’s belief that Kraven and Lucian were working together for their own ends. Pressured by this belief she used her blood to awaken Viktor an Elder Vampire and the Vampire who turned her.

Michael after he had escaped the coven seeks to get aide from his friend at the hospital only to be betrayed. He escapes again and attempts to meet with Selene. Selene drives out to meet Michael and tells him of the history between Vampires and Lycans and how now that he has been bitten he is now part of this war whether he likes it or not. At the Coven Kraven runs into Viktor. Viktor demands to know why he has been awakened in such a manner and then discovers that he has been awakened early "the Chain". The Chain is a cycle in which one elder is awake while the other two sleeps for a hundred years changing once that time has finished, has been broken and that Viktor has been awoken one hundred years before schedule.

Selene takes Michael to a safe house, while the Michael tells Selene of the nightmares he has been afflicted with ever since he had been bitten. Selene explains that these are memories transmitted from Lucian when he bit Michael. Selene then explains her hatred for Lycans when she discovered that a Lycan had killed her family only being driven off by Viktor who then gave her the chance to avenge her family's death. Another firefight breaks out and Michael is captured. Selene manages to capture Singe.

Back at the coven, Kraven is attempting to explain what had occurred when Selene enters the room bringing Singe. Singe is persuaded under duress to explain the Lycan plan to combine the bloodlines of the two species to create a hybrid that could then end the war. To complete that plan they needed a sample of the original virus as provided through the decedents of the third son of Alexander Corvinus, which was why they targeted Michael. Singe also reveals Kraven's involvement in the plan that he supported in hopes the Elders would be killed leaving him leader of all the Vampires. Once this information is revealed Kraven flees. Before the others notice he is gone Khan enters the room to inform Viktor that the Vampire council including Amelia who had been the active elder at the time returning to relinquish control back to Marcus. Viktor kills Singe and tells Selene to be exonerated is to kill Michael.

Michael wakes up in a lab in the Lycan lair, the first person who speaks to him is Lucian who then take a vial full of blood from him and injects it into himself (intending to use blood taken from Amelia to make himself the first Hybrid). As Michael looks on, he notices the pendant that Lucian always wears and the nightmares/visions/memories come together in a clear vision. He remembers an event Lucian's wife was Viktor's daughter Sonja was pregnant with his child. As punishment Lucian was chained to the floor and whipped while Sonja was tied to a stake to watch, then the vampires left the room and opened a slab in the ceiling letting the sunlight in and burning Sonja to death as Lucian watched. As night fell, the vampires reentered the room to finish him off but the moon rose allowing him to transform he broke free of his chains grabbed the pendant from his wife's neck and escaped. Michael reveals the memory to Lucian who fills him in on the details of how Viktor started the war initially due to the fear of a Hybrid (which Viktor referred to as an Abomination.)

The vampires begin their attack on the Lycan base a heated battle. While this is going on Kraven betrays Lucian shooting him with silver nitrate bullets, which are a more lethal than the traditional solid silver. Selene manages to quickly enter the lair and locate Michael, untying him he encourages him to leave despite his protests. While they are, arguing Kraven discovers them and spitefully reveals to Selene that it was not a Lycan but Viktor who killed her family and spared her only because of her resemblance to his dead daughter. Kraven then shot Michael and tries to take Selene with him threatening her if she does not. Lucian not yet dead injures Kraven and encourages her to bite the dying Michael. She concedes turning Michael into a hybrid with the strengths of both and none of the weaknesses. Lucian is relieved to see his dream completed then dies at the hand of Kraven.

Viktor appears breaking Selene and Michael up and throwing him through the wall and into a flooded grotto. Selene confronts Viktor with the knowledge she now has about him and while Viktor does express guilt for his action he says how what he was doing is necessary and how the abomination must be destroyed.

Michael transforms into his Hybrid form for the first time and he a Viktor fight. For much of the fight they are evenly matched but Viktor soon gets the initiative and Selene intervenes killing Viktor. The movie ends with Michael and Selene leaving hand in hand as Selene narrates about the dark uncertain future to come.

How this is connected to race
There are a wide number of factors that this movie possesses that connect to race. Factors such as:
1. Slavery
2. Taboos about interbreeding
3. Severe punishment for breaking said taboos
4. Dress, culture, socioeconomics, and even slang (Bloods).

Each of these I will explore as needed.

Slavery
Slavery the act of one group treating the other as subservient or property has existed for hundred of thousands of years but the levels in which it existed have changed. Many of the "original" slaves were Slavic peoples (Slav being the precursor word for slave). These early slaves were not necessarily bound for life and their children were often allowed into said society. However when the Europeans come to Africa and received slaves which they then brought to the new world the colonial era cheap labor was in desperate demand so slaves as we know them today were formed. A hereditary basis that passed from parents and children and as time passed focused more and more on the homeland their ancestors come from and physical characteristics they possess. The Underworld movies parallel the strange and terrible form of slavery which existed. Vampires and Werewolves in this move were born of twin brothers, but one group seeing the other as dangerous enslaved the first Werewolf. The other werewolves were turned into slaves due to the fact that they did not fit into human society and that they unlike the vampires they were not afflicted by sunlight. In this fashion werewolves became the Vampires guardians by day and watchdogs at night.

The next interesting parallel is how once colonialism breaks down quite often the next logical step for the former colonial power holders (or the “masters”) goes from enslavement to genocide. As soon as the Lycans turned against the vampires the did not seek to restore relations no as Selene said “ our order remained the same hunt them down and kill them off one by one”. Mahmood Marndani in his article “When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and the Genocide in Rwanda.” As soon as a people can define another people as not human or less than human the ‘genocidal impulse’ is easy to follow, and a people who have been treated this way will respond with brutality with brutality. While the Lycans in the movie were seeking

Interbreeding
One of the primary themes of this movie is interbreeding. In vampire society vampires are not to fraternize with werewolves in any way. In the beginning of the movie when Selene shows interest in Michael it is initially seen as amusing. Michael (viewed as a human at this point) is seen as a pet but harmless. When he is discovered to be a Lycan the attitude instantly changes for both of them, the vampires being instantly antagonistic towards him and disappointed and discouraging towards her.

The key relationship showing past Vampire Lycan relationships is that of Sonja and Lucian. Lucian as a slave had no ill will towards Vampires he even married one and impregnated her. Viktor as mentioned before hard her killed brutally and him beaten and whipped. This brings up another interesting issue which was well illuminated by Joanne Nagel in her article “Race, Ethnicity, and Sexuality: Intimate intersections Forbidden Frontiers” explores how much more brutally women are treated than men when it comes sexuality. One very interesting historical comparison is the treatment of women collaborators and men collaborators. The article describes two women accused of sexually collaborating with the Nazis in the photograph the women’s heads are shaved, their clothing is stripped, they are barefoot, and they both have swastikas tattooed into their foreheads. A male collaborator is shown on the next page he is not visibly disrupted in any way he is blindfolded and about to be executed. This is just one example of how the rules are different not only for people designated as a different race but designated as a different gender they are treated differently. It is quite possible, even likely, had it been a Vampire male with a Lycan female the male might have received a light punishment while the female would be killed in a brutal fashion.

Culture
Another interesting element within the movie is the cultural elements exhibited by these different factions. For example forms of dress. Vampires in this movie wore clothing best described as gothic with the primary color of the clothing being black with on occasion red elements. They wear fine cut tailor made clothing with the primary materials being leather, latex, and silk . The Vampires both male and female all young and appealing can be seen lounging around the great hall enjoying the opulence and discussing the latest gossip. Lycan culture is very different their clothing is working class they are often shirtless wearing a work jacket which could be quickly removed if they need to transform. Lycans of all ages and degrees of heal can be seen. It should be noted that all Lycans shown have been male suggesting either that there are no female Lycans shown which suggests either there are no female Lycans or that female Lycans are not allowed to be with the males. The latter is more likely due to the fact that Lucien was born into slavery however due to the large gap of time between these periods the former is still a possibility. Lycan culture is more charged than that of the Vampire Lycans fight for dominance while the others not competing cheer them on. Lycans also on one occasion showed that they possessed a term for Vampires that being Bloods, it is unknown if the Vampires would consider that a derogatory term.

It should also be noted that both cultures to some extent could be passed on due to the fact of how memories are passed via bite and blood from one vampire to another reinforcing beliefs and traditions from one generation to the next.

Conclusion
When writing this Kevin Grevioux when interviewed on the subject stated that some of the inspiration he had had in interracial relationships in the past so it is readily apparent where these racial characteristic came from and the message the movie seeks to put across in a manner that is not overwhelming. Integration makes us stronger divided we will only destroy one another.


Works Cited
1. http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/underworld/title-navigation-5.html
2. http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:fTop_2wWfGkJ:press.princeton.edu/chapters/s7027.pdf+Mahmood+Mamdani+%22when+Victims+become+killers%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
3. http://www.jstor.org/view/03600572/ap010003/01a00070/0

Self-Exploration

Who am I?

On some days I am not sure which better defines me my race or my ethnicity, in some ways I have always known this, but it wasn’t as dramatically apparent as it is now. If you were to ask me what I am you could receive four answers:

I am White
One of the ways I define myself is as a White male. I do not know when I first defined myself as White I lived in a very rural area with a very low level of diversity. There was no real reason to define myself as White to differentiate myself from a different group. I believe that the first time I probably defined myself as White was when I first learned about slavery and I must admit it was not a positive experience. Even though my ancestors had never owned slaves (in American history) I was ashamed for what my race had done to others and both fascinated and disgusted about the advances it had made and the great and terrible destruction it had reaped on the others. Nowadays I generally define myself as White as a joke. Such as, "I can’t dance I’m a white boy." However I also realize that although I don’t define myself as white or only do so in jest I am still judged and a member of that category which is in someways an advantage and disadvantage. It is an advantage in that my ancestors tried very hard to be white and to instill white culture into their children. As a result of this we have lost much of our culture but white culture is still one of the best ways to get a job. Employers look for specific desirable behavior and as bad as that sounds that is "white" behavior and is a lingering artifact of a bygone era. It is a disadvantage in that I am subject to affirmative action, while I believe that affirmative action is creating better racial equality for races that have been brutalized and subjugated in the past, I do not understand why I should be punished. As I mentioned earlier my ancestors never had slaves (most whites didn’t but that is beside the point for the moment) my ancestors came to this country and became farmers and soldiers working from rags to riches in their own way to give their children a better life why should we get passed over for a job because of what a rich white guy did hundreds of years ago? But also there is another factor that should be considered the negative stereotypical images that are usually rather mild or about issues that do not typically concern me to be surrounded by negative images and to be defined in that way on sight would haunt me I thankfully have never had to deal with this issue. That is one of the odd factors about race while it is generally easy to identify someone as a member of a race there are other factors. People can be accused or not being White enough if they wear clothing, portray behaviors, or speak in slangs that are generally associated with a different races. Such as wearing the baggy clothes and listening to rap which is closely associated with black culture. Non-white cultures face the same issue and can face ridicule, insults, and violence for what they wear or what they listen to. If race is skin color how can it be clothing, or music or slang? Race is a construct and while I may be identified and identify as white till the end of my days I do not believe in it and look forward to the day that races are no longer used to define people and culture can be enjoyed by all.

Part of the reason I enjoy the concept of being identified as being "white", I must admit, is the conceit that "we" conquered the world. Now as I mentioned before I do not support the concept of subjugation and genocide but the idea of the race that you are a part of exploring the world and then conquering it, while I am not a violent man, give the impression of superiority and strength.

This however is a fallacy is that as pointed out by Jared Diamond in his book Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. He points out how Europe as opposed to nearly every other continent has most of its most fertile lands running latitudinal as opposed to longitudinal. Now you may be wondering, why is this important? Simply because as longitude changes so does climate, this all has to do with the curve of the earth. The closer you are to the equator the more sunlight that area receives and that changes the climate. The variation in climate may cause great difficulty in the colonization of new areas. For example if I were the leader of a tribe that lived in an area like New York whose primary crop was apples and I decided to travel south down to an area the equivalent of Georgia my people and I would face major difficulty. Our primary crop would not grow here it would be far too warm so we would have to grow a new crop but it takes many generations to domesticate plants. So my people would have to be hunters and gatherers hunting and gathering plants and animals new to them which also may cause difficulty. Aside from these trials my people and I may have to worry about the consequence of diseases in certain climates certain diseases thrive. In the jungles of Africa and South America malaria is a great threat, in the forests of North America and Eurasia diseases are not a threat at all. My people may have to face new diseases due to my entering them into a new climate. If however I had a tribe in Europe if I took them the same distance east or west they would encounter the same climate and largely the same animals, plants and diseases. This lead to a rapid exchange of people, goods, and food across Europe. Which in turn lead to a rapidly advancing society and technology level which caused the creation of cities. Cities were the secret key to success for the Europeans conquering Europe. The crowded disgusting waste-filled cities were a breeding ground for disease and when those Spanish reached the Americas swimming with disease the Americans who believed in bathing and cleanliness were wiped out. It is believed that nearly 99% of the Native American population was wiped out by disease alone. The Europeans had given them a finishing blow accidentally within possibly minutes of their first contact without even knowing it. So it becomes quite obvious that this small subconscious pride that I had for my "race" that small undercurrent of belief that, that race is somehow superior is complete bologna. The only reason that white people as opposed to any other race were the most capable of conquering the others is the luck of the draw when it came to continents, and the fact that the design for European countries were at one point extremely filthy and disgusting which gave Europeans a form of biological warfare that they were unaware they possessed. That is not the glamourous picture that textbooks originally wished to express.

I am the product of my Ancestors
I you asked me what I am this first might my knee jerk answer that I am half Greek, a quarter Polish, part, Austrian, Hungarian, Swiss, and German and possibly Native American. The second would be a White guy who can’t dance or jump. The third way would be an American. Now these answers are put up there in this particular order for a reason I often define myself in that order.

This answer at the beginning of the course is what I perceived as my ancestry and as I now look at it... I was wrong. These genetic heritages named from countries most of which still exist to this day although are in fact closer to ethnic ancestries which catalogs my ancestors homelands and cultures more than my genetic makeup simply because my genetic ancestry and the reasons I look the way I do date back tens of thousands of years before that when my first ancestors traveled across the plains of the Sahara from Africa I am still quite proud of my newly redefined ethnic ancestry because I am exceedingly proud of my family history and my family itself, we are a rather tight knit bunch. Since I was very young I have been proud of one particular part of my ancestry above the others and that was the Greek part. How gratifying and fascinating it is to be Greek, to be a descendent of a society who created the pillars of the civilization we have today, and whom we still celebrate to this day with films, books, and television. While the other students in my class were speaking of their Irish and Italian heritage I proudly spoke of my Greek which my family celebrated with food and religious ceremonies (of the Greek orthodox church) and even just with how proudly I bore my last name.

However another part of my ancestry was for a long time carried with shame. Mentioned quickly and largely ignored, this was the Polish part of my ancestry. It was not that I was ashamed of my ancestors, quite the opposite in fact, I was proud of my grandfather Edward Zarzecki a marine who fought in the Korean war, a good, handsome, hardworking and at times eccentric man. It was the jokes, you’ve probably heard them, the manned space mission to the sun, the screen door on the submarine etc. etc. These hurt me because I knew they were not true! I knew I was not stupid and that my mother was not stupid either, however there are no movies made about Polish heroes. It took a beautiful and brilliant Polish foreign exchange student named Kasha and learning about propaganda in World War II to learn the truth and to truly appreciate and celebrate all of my "ancestry".

I am an American
I am proud to be an American, and I do believe for all its problems America is the greatest country on Earth. Now you are probably wondering if I believe all this (which I do) why isn’t American in first place. Well that is for one reason because as I am in America now. While in America being American becomes something of an afterthought because everyone is an American. However when I traveled abroad things changed dramatically my first two answers were completely stripped away I defined myself as an American. It wasn’t until later that I truly understood how much of an American I am. I don’t know if others believe this but I often see that if you are immersed in a culture you often don’t realize that it’s there and palpable. Many Americans "can’t see the forest for the trees" so to speak and are afraid that new cultures are going to over take our own because ours isn’t "strong" enough. They don’t realize that Thanksgiving is unique (largely) to the U.S., that we learn more about the history of our country than most other countries do, that we are the only successful bi-partisan presidential style democracy in the world, and even little things like food and the pledge of allegiance. American is a fully functioning rich culture that I am a member of which shapes my life and who I am I just simply don’t realize it all the time.

I am Human
I have learned much about my genetic ancestry and have learned a great deal. Humanity in spite of our vast differences in appearance which has caused to much war and suffering, humans are 99.9 percent alike and that is even between races. I also learned that the distinctiveness between humans is simply the result of natural selection. Humans do not often believe that they are affected by nature, we believe that our advanced technology and superior wisdom, but this is simply not the case. In the Southern hemisphere humans are exposed to high levels of solar radiation which can lead to cancer which will lead to death so humans with darker pigmentation survived to pass on their genetics. In the Northern hemisphere however humans faced a different issue with a lower amount of sunlight available humans with a darker skin tone suffer from the lack of vitamin D because their skin would screen out too much sunlight.

There are other factors as well diseases can greatly influence what genes are passed on Diseases such as Cholera, Malaria, and the Bubonic Plague are highly infectious diseases with high mortality rates genetic mutations within the populace which make them more resistance to disease and then make them far more likely to pass on their genetic traits to their offspring. Another factor is that much of the Earth was colonized by small familial tribes that were largely separated from one another due to deserts frozen wastes, glaciers, and Oceans. This led to population groups having a large number of common repeated traits causing some groups to look very similar and other groups very different.

Conclusion and My View on the Future of Race
These are the ethnic and racial classifications that I am defined as and that define me. From least important to most important. I have learned much about race and the politics and false beliefs behind it. Linnaeus was wrong we are one race, one species, Homo Sapiens. We should celebrate our tremendous diversity a testament to the trials our ancestors went through as they traveled across this planet on foot and on raft, and in remembrance to the distant lands that were once their home which they held sacred.

I hope one day race will no longer exist but that the subcultures that have grown within these artificially constructed classifications can be explored and celebrated by all people. Over the years each has left their mark some marks I hope may some day be erased and others I hope grow stronger and richer with my understanding. As time passes these things may change and I along with them I am only this man once and for only a short while but I hope what is passed on is a wiser and greater things. I personally believe that race will not be an issue Race is a social construction originally created around a biased view based on the color of one skin that over time adopted or were inflicted by others cultural and linguistic characteristics. The simple fact is that race while still based around a prejudiced view of skin color it is in many ways now more of a culture than a genetic trait. Some races even developed holidays to celebrate their heritage (Kwanzaa). The difference between races and cultures are how they are treated. Races are often much like a cross to bear while culture is celebrated in festivals of food and music. As soon as race is treated as culture it can be understood and celebrated by everyone and will no longer have a negative impact on our culture and way of life leading to a stronger nation and better understanding of our fellow men and women.

Female Black Writers

This is a brief introduction on the definition of the New Black woman which developed during the Harlem Renainassance as the movement for the new Negro occurred.

Before we can touch on the New Black woman we must examine and discuss the old female Negro. The most common stereo type of the Black woman during the civil war was the mammy. To many the figure of the mammy referred to a large, strongly built black woman, who catered to the needs of the white master and his family. She knew instinctively how to care for the white children; tending to every hurt, celebrating every achievement. She provides a high level of nurturing maternal care that the main house required. This role of mammy was established to provide ease to the white southern woman, who literally did nothing but seat pretty.

Another well known stereotypical role of the black woman was the Jezebel. Jezebel was an often an attractive young black woman who was seen as morally loose as well as sexually inappropriate. This was a black tempest that lured innocent unknowingly white men into sexual activities. This role was more fictional than based on reality. It was the means by which the white community of the times justified the immoral sexual treatment of the beautiful young black female slaves. It is easy to recognize the purpose of the controlling white population in the establishment of these roles as well as its emphasizing it so that the recipient had no control or power to change it.

Moving forward in time to the establishment of the New Negro during the Harlem Renaissance we can clearly see an active role of the black woman as well as the control and power she reclaims. It is at this point in time that the black woman not only aided in defining the New Negro; but in turn created the new black woman. The New Black woman saw the importance of preserving and learning from the past; while working in the present to improve the future of the black community as a whole. Whereas the new black man did not want to recall the past as much as focus his energies on catching up with the white man. His belief was that by being economically equal to the white man his position within society would be changed. His direction and focus was on the moment fighting old stereo typical concepts of the black man while competing with the white man within the white world. The black man had a strong drive and dream they just lacked clear direction and guidance to obtain it.

During this time of discovery we observe the work of many brilliant and talent black female writers that offered direction, option and food for thought. Margarita Washington felt that the black woman should focus on establishing the home structure while Pauline Hopkins felt that the black woman should concentrate on individual achievements and freedoms. Where as Marita Bonner wrote to make black woman aware of social issues such as outdated gender roles and segregation. Fauset wrote of the past giving her black characters a reality that the reader could connection with reinforced through visual illustration.

The New Black woman was a product of the institutional education; seeing herself having to battle more in terms of gender than color/race. The New Black woman was challenged from within her own culture and community by those who could not understand the need to move forward and questioned her objectives. The need for a black woman to obtain formal education or training in preparation for something other that being a wife or mother as feared. The concept of a black woman marketable employment would create a level of independence that would/could remove the black man’s control over her.

Historically we can trace the battles and challenges faced by the black community in defining itself as either man, woman or community. Their struggles in defining themselves as a group was often complicated by the individual needs of gender role definitions.

A journal along the Silk Roads though the eyes of a Women (B.C.)

Day 1,

Today is the start of my new life in a foreign land. I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t afraid, but I have come too far, done too much to stop now. But I am getting ahead of myself, to move forward one must know where one has been. So with this inspiration in my mind I will start from the beginning.

My birth mother named me Mei Mei, which means little sister in Chinese. My mother was a concubine for the mighty emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. After living a life that met serving a harsh, uncaring master; she decides to rescue me from that kind of serve and give me what she herself could never have: freedom. Mother, with the help of a slave girl, secretly got me out of the inner palace and to a Christian missionary. It was here that I learn to read, write and to think critical about my world and my place in it. I can remember my mother visiting when she could leave the palace without being caught, but after a while she stopped coming. I could tell if it was because someone caught her and killed her because she felt she wasn’t apart of my life anymore, so she thought it best to stay away.

Day 12,

In the monastery the other girls and I have hear talk of other different philosophical ideas that are taking root as religions. Emperor Wu has recently allowed Confucian thinkers to come and teach about their new ideas, but this as to be a conflict for those in his court for they are traditional legalist.

Legalism was also a philosophical idea created during the spring and autumn period of the Warring states period by Han Fei. Legalism is the harshest form of government that China has seen, because it calls for the emperor to rule by unsympathetic, cruel laws and to punish swiftly and without hesitation. The emperor also has ministers of legalist that advise him on how to rule as custom. But now that Confucianism is being allowed once again into the district, things will change; for the better or worst who knows.

The missionaries have explained just how different Confucian ideas are from legalism. In Confucian’s thought is base on ethics, moralities and how man should involve himself in society, politics to creative a world of peace. The ruler is responsible for his people and rules by the mandate of heaven, which means, the Gods have given him the authority to rule of them. Also in Confucians ideas there are different some main concepts that are stress: Loyalty, Humanity, the gentleman, rectification of names. I for one think that these ideas should be use for government, it is better than legalism and the people seem to enjoy listening and learning from these teachers of Confucianism.

Day 27,

Today is the day. I have deiced to leave the missionary and go in search of advantage. I can’t become a nun like the Christian’s leaders want, I am too free willed, undisciplined, and outspoken. I want to go explore the Silk Road, and see what can be found there, and what else I can learn. But, unfortunately, I am a girl and women don’t usually travel along or will be respected because we are women and not men. There is only one thing to do, is to conceal my identity. I have the help of my friend, Chan to cut all my hair off and steal men’s clothes. A regret that I will have to leave Chan. She is my best friend and is truly graceful and beautiful on the inside, just as her name says. But I most go. I need more than these walls and listening to prayers all day. I will leave at sunrise while the sisters are preparing for early mass.

Day 30,

Traveling through the Taklamakan desert is harder than I thought, even with all the preparation and help with Chan. Even thou I miss Chan everyday; I can’t help but love this new life and all the wonders I have seen. The desert it self is of course hot and dry, which is why I travel long distances at night and hide in what little shade there is during the day. But there are many Oases here, and there are actual tribal people living in these oases. And the best part is that no one knows that I am a girl, so I can learn about Buddhism, trade precious jade for food and talk with the tribal leaders as equals. Buddhism seems to be a new religion that comes from a place named India, it is really hard for me to understand the teachers of Buddhism because they speak a different language that I haven’t heard before now, so a lot of things get lost in translation from others who speak this Indian language.

Day 40,

So this is the last page of my journal, I have share many events with you and it pains me to end our journey together. But I don’t think that I will every stop learning and uncovering the new ideas and new beginnings. There is still so much for me to see, do, and experience in this life; and in the next according to Buddhist believe. So I am sure I will be seeing you in my next life.

A true New Yorker at heart?

Place is define in the dictionary as ; Place is a term that has a variety of meanings in a dictionary sense, but which is principally used in a geographic sense as a noun to denote location, though in a sense of a location identified with that which is located there. Even though most people recognize that place is about location but they don’t dentifrice with the idea of a “place”. By this I mean they do know where on a map it is but to them place is more about what it looks like, sounds and smells like. Place is not just a point on a map it’s a feeling, its family, its home.

I was born and raised in New York City, the Bronx to be specific. We lived in a good neighborhood and rented a house, which if you are familiar with the city is not easy to come by. The city had a lot to do with the person I have become; how I deal with people, things and most importantly how I view the world. My perceptive isn’t so small or closed I would say. A large part of that is because of my mom wanting me to experience all the city had to offer. On my block we were the only young family for many years, the neighbors were all older, some retired. They love me and my family, to them we were family. I can remember one time my baby brother walked away from home at got lost, then we started running around the block looking for him, and the neighbors hear us yelling and instantly jumped in their cars to go look for him. We found him in ten minutes, but that’s how it was for us. I always knew I was welcomed in their homes, could walk down the street and feel safe and just as if I belong. It was like having the best of both worlds, I was safe and loved in my little community but at the same time I saw so many different things. I felt so full of life, so ready for anything, just so alive.

I think it was because outside of my little safe community was this big bad world and I was living in it and a part of it, soaked in it. I would take the subway to school in the morning or just walk down the street and think way “wow”. There is always so much going on, so much to see. Whether it’s waiting for a taxi, watching the newspaper stands get ready for a long day of sealing chips and soda to kids before school or men and women rushing for that first slip of great New York coffee.

Also growing up I was surround by so many diversities I tend to more open about many political and social issues. It is so normal for me to see two men kissing on the train, or a Muslim woman dressed in a burqa, or debating the battle of abortion with my grandmother before Sunday mass. I’m not saying that if you never visit or are from the city that you are ignorant or a tight fitted bible thumper from the south. I am trying to state that more people come to the cities for jobs, for their different lifestyles, entertainment, transportation, this then can lead to a more expressiveness and comfort ness of cultural and a willingness to share who you are with the world.

The Bronx to me is home, even though my family now lives in Dunkirk, NY. I used to go to school in Manhattan and was there during 9/11, after that my mom said “no we’re leaving the city and moving to the country.” I had a cousin who lived in Dunkirk and said it’s great up here, good for the kids and what not. So the next thing I know we’re moving from the only home I ever knew, moving away from my best friends and leaving an amazing high school that I loved so much. My life was never the same, not even now in my adult years.

In the future I would like to live once again in the city or a city similar to New York. It’s like the old saying “You can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl”. I need the fast pace people with your true New York attitude and rudeness, the fast talking mean girls in the line to use the dirty restroom. It truly doesn’t sound too appealing, but to those true hearted, New Yorkers it’s everything.

A chance to move forward for Blacks

During the aftermath of the civil war a black man or woman was legally free from slavery in the United States of America. Slavery in the traditional sense was the physical ownership of another human being. Even though blacks were legally “free people” in the eyes of the government they still weren’t social or cultural free. Blacks were still under the control of whites and were always taught to behave in a proper way in which whites approved of, also they were taught to reject their blackness.

But during the 1920’s after many blacks returned from World War I then started to question why they were fighting for freedom in another country but not in their own. So after the war many individuals started to explore their blackness and share it with the world; by listening to new music, such as jazz, writing poems and novels about their people’s experiences, developing new images of blackness. Though song, dance, literature, and art black people were redefining themselves for the first time and starting a culture for themselves without limitations, this movement was known as the Harlem Renaissance or the new Negro.

In the black community during the movement of the new Negro there was no one vision of true blackness. Many of the leaders at this time were constantly struggle with the definition of who and what the new Negro was. In addition to the internal arguments between black leaders there was of course the hostility from the white community as well because of the new changes ideas around them. On one side there were people like Langston Hughes and Alain Locke who believed in the new Negro and his ability to break away from the old stereotype or old Negro. It was time for the new Negro to admire him or herself and take pride in their blackness. Langston Hughes states that just as the new Negro can’t let the white community set limits or regulations for him, the black community shouldn’t do so also.

In one of Langston Hughes’ essay he advises Negro writers and artist not to paint or write for propaganda or to please whites or blacks for that matter. It shouldn’t matter, that isn’t the reason why writers write or painter paint, one should write or paint to please him. And if whites or blacks like his work then wonderful but first and foremost it should be about what the artist wants or feels the need to say. (Langston Hughes: The Negro artist and the racial Mountain)

In an essay by Amy Jacques Garvey, she agrees with Hughes’ argument that more blacks need to stop the old belief of “…peel their skins off, and straighten their hair, in a mad effort to look like their ideal type.” These images were not how the Negro’s should live, they see the glory in the blackness because black is beautiful and use that to empower themselves. (Amy J. Garvey, On the Langston Hughes: I Am a Negro-and beautiful)

On the other side of the argument some feel that the new Negro should stay “within the lines” in a way. George S. Schuyler believes that the new Negro needs to cutoff the branch that links them to Africa. His reasoning for this is because the new Negro resides in America and should try not keep acknowledging all the reasons he/she is different from the whites. Leaders like Schuyler want these views spend because in their minds constantly telling the whites why blacks are so different from whites will only make or help the whites stop the new Negro movement. This is because by saying time and time again

“We are black, we are different” it only strengths the argument that blacks are not equal to whites and should be treated differently. (George S. Schuyler: The Negro-Art Hokum)

As the reader can see there are many ways in which to state what or who the new Negro is. When I personal speak about the new Negro I have more of a middle ground point of view on how he should be defined. When discussing the race or ethnicity of one group you should always keep in mind how that race wants to define themselves or what do feel they are. It is my position that the New Negro should understand himself by looking into his past, so he can move forward in the new world. This means by exploring his African ancient history and applying it to his American lifestyle he can find more balance in his life.

Also I agree with Langston Hughes when he says that an artist shouldn’t make all his work about propaganda, his work is his work and should be what he wants it to be. An artist shouldn’t limit himself to one type of suggestion or one point of view, he should be free to express himself in all ways and send his message to the world.

So in short the new Negro is an individual who takes his life experiences and the knowledge of his past to try and move forward with his life. He wants the same rights as any other person in America would want but he also wants the right to develop his own culture. He seems to be always growing, changing with the new times yet you can see his roots are still firmly planted in the past.

Different Images of black women

Thought out history women have proven to be not only present in society but also leading members. In the past more women may have been view as passive members but with time and grown women have shown history that there is a great and bright spark that has not yet been dim. During the Harlem Renaissance black women were trying to redefine themselves to all humanity and were also pushing the buriers of the color line. Women and men were re-examining their individual place in the black community as well as their place in the world. And if and when they came up against an idea or image that they disprove of them were going to do everything in their power to make it anew, change the times and move forward with the future.

In Beyond the Gibson Girl, Martha H. Patterson is trying to explore the foundation of this new inspiration called the New Woman. She is not limiting herself to the social, political and economics that the “New Woman” stood for but is interested in how she got there. Patterson wants to observe the “…both possibilities and pitfalls, change and status quo” (Beyond the Gibson Girl, pg.3) of the New Woman. Martha Patterson turned to women, such as, Margaret Murray Washington, Pauline Hopkins, Edith Wharton, Sui Sin Far and many more to show that this movement of the New Woman is not just in the white society but also present in the Black, Mexican, and Asian societies. Also Martha Patterson focuses on a few writers that show a “…multicultural and feminist literary studies” (Patterson, pg.26) that reflexes a different discourse for the New Woman but in addition a new physical image for woman during this time.

The term “Gibson Girl” was coined because of the artist Charles Dana Gibson. Charles Gibson was known for his paintings, cartoons and drawings of women during the suffrage movement. He usually painted woman with a specific body type, they were “tall, distant, elegant, and white, with a pert nose, voluminous upswept hair, corseted waist, and large bust.” (Patterson, pg. 28) Martha Patterson is challenging this idea of the New Woman’s image, by presenting more women from different backgrounds, different cultures and examining their writing’s, to prove this notion of Gibson girl incorrect.

Patterson describes Margaret Murray Washington in 1901 as a new woman changing to gain the social status of a Gibson Girl for several reasons. One reason was because she was trying to prove to middle class black women in this time it was possible to be an educated, Victorian woman and assimilate in the white world because they need to get their voices hear. Another reason Mrs. Washington was trying to become a Gibson girl was because it was the only social norm and it was acceptable. But Margaret Washington was a black woman, so she couldn’t acquire the status of a true Gibson Girl because even thought she was “light skin, [with] a Grecian noise, and a poise of the head like a Gibson girl. Her hands are white as mine and beautifully shaped.” (Patterson, pg. 50) she was a black woman with kinky hair.

Allison Berg wrote Mothering the Race: Women’s Narratives of Reproduction to help confront the truth about birthing and motherhood. She is trying to explain through works of fiction that the idea of maturity “….Served as forms of cultural intervention, even as they reproduced the racial and sexual ideologies….” (Mothering the Race: Women’s Narratives of Reproduction pg. 13) By this Berg means to address some of the issues women were having with their previous role in society. These questions were being raised during the suffrage movement, a political movement that would affect their social surrounding, and some of these questions are still being debate even today. A main conflict that was reflected on was: should woman become mothers because they have a desire inside them? Or because it is what their society wants and instruct them to do?

Allison Berg is discovering the truth about women and why they do indeed become mothers. If they do decide to give birth to a child, Berg feels these women, especial the New Negro Woman, need to do more then raise a child. They must raise a race; give their children the knowledge of the past, teach them self-love for their people, and help to develop the young minds of the next generation. So to Allison Berg the New Negro woman has a greater responsible not only to their children but to their race because she must improve the next generation.

During the Harlem Renaissance many black women were redefining blackness and the idea or image of beauty for black men and women. In Portraits of the New Negro Woman Cherene Sherrard-Johnson is trying to do just that, by establish a rebirth of self image that the black community was having. She is focusing on the Mulatta image, and turning it into an icon. Because of writers, such as, Cherene Sherrard-Johnson black women can start considering there skin color and race has a thing of beauty. In addition black women can now have another standard of beauty beside the negative images that were trained to them during slavery.

In Black Women Intellectuals: Strategies of Nation, Family, and Neighborhoods in the Works of Pauline Hopkins, Jessie Fauset, and Marita Bonner Carol Allen found that there were more women during 1880-1940 that were indeed not passive, as she had once thought, but they there active with their struggle for not only women’s rights but for the New Negro. Also Allen used the factors in Pauline Hopkins, Jessie Fauset, and Marita Bonner lives, such as, their nation, families, and neighborhoods as positives that help these women go father than they could.

During the New Negro movement historians observe many different changes in women. Many women developed into historical leaders and some of their thoughts and ideas are stilling being used today. Their ideas did change of time though, for example in the beginning they thought it was positive to be like a Gibson girl, but later they learn to create their own icon or image. Also women were questioning weather or not to have children for themselves or out of duty. Another change was domestic, women started to explore their sexualities and didn’t want to limit themselves or be tied down.

Even thou not all these different female leaders agree on the same ideas, and principles, they did agree to change the way black women were seen and hear. And even thou history is always changing, these women wanted to help add to those changes, to help better themselves and their people. To be able to disagree with one another and history was important to them, and many other people, because in the past they were not given that opportunity to declare who and what they were. Now in today’s world black women and women from other cultures can look back and use those women’s work to father the fight for equally and self-love of your skin color and race.

The new Black Women during the Harlem Reanissance

The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual, social, and political movement of African Americans during the early twentieth century. During this time in history, blacks embarked upon a journey of self discovery and an effort to remakes their collective image. Black men actively sought to define the New Negro; some of the most famous were Alan Locke, W.E.B Du Bois, and Langston Hughes. A significant number of Black women involved in this movement seldom received as much acclaim; however middle class everyday and ordinary Black women helped shape the identity of the New Negro within their own neighborhoods. The stories told by Black female writers of the Harlem Renaissance were of the everyday reality and struggles that these average black women endured and conquered. It is through their efforts to persist and overcome the unacceptable (past) image of the black individual that enables them to redefine themselves as a person without the stigma of gender or race.

Black women wanted to move away from the “Old Negro” ideas; that were preciously instilled within the black community by past generations of white and Black. For instance, the well-known image of the mammy, a large strongly built black woman, whose purpose and function was to cater to the needs of the white master and his family. Instinctively, she would appear when needed knowing how to tend to each hurt as well as celebrate every achievement met by the children of the “main house”. The mammy of the household provided the much required nurturing maternal care for the white family. Her presence, indeed, her very existence was a necessity for it provided the opportunity for the southern white woman to sit pretty living in a luxury and ease without a care or concern.

Another stereotypical role for the Black woman during their captivity was that of Jezebel. This role presented as a young black tempest that lured innocent unknowing white men into inappropriate sexual activities. These young Black women were portrayed as women of loose moral and insatiable sexual appetite. This particular role/image was one of fiction created to justify the existence of the sexual relationships between the white male (master) and the black women (slaves). It was a method used within polite white society aiding them to close their eyes to the immoral, abusive and unjust treatment of the Black woman.

Remaking Black women’s image in accordance with the perception of the New Negro meant challenging the way Black women physically perceived themselves, their political and social comfort zones and their stereotypical gender roles established first by the white community later reinforced by the Black male population. Black female writers discussed domesticity, political issues, social status and their lack of control of their lives. Even once recognized as a contributing member of the black community cause for definition of self the black female had to contend with the misconceptions of this acknowledgement. The negative responses were based on the fears of the black male, who felt a lack of control and/or ability to compete, and the older generation of black females, who were comfort within their stereotypical roles.

During Harlem Renaissance the black individual’s image went through an immense reconstruction. Since the end of World War I, there was an active movement for the contemporary Black individual to identifying with Africa and “home grown” black folk. The black individual’s focus on self identity overthrew the past generation’s concern about the expectations and perceptions of the white population. A main goal of the “New Negro” to redefine what it meant to be black; to separate him from the negative image of the past.

There were two different perceptive regarding the New Black Woman. Margarita Murray Washington felt that the principle function of the New Black Woman should be to maintain the home, establishing a “bourgeois class”. Others, like Pauline Hopkins, felt that the New Black woman should focus on individual accomplishments and freedoms. Washington was a black woman with light coloring and fine features, physical attributes that enabled her to further her agenda for the New Black Woman. As an educator and essayist, she strives for the status of a middle-class Black woman by setting herself up as a Gibson Girl. The image of a Gibson Girl was an unattractive female who inspired no sexual interest from the male population of the times.

A Gibson girl believed to be unattractive having had more manlike characteristics such as intellectual and independence; not fitting the image of women whether white of black. This struggle of identity existed among all women whether white or black with similar concerns and difficulties. The New Black woman strived towards improvement and advance through education, political involvement, and social economic status. The New Black woman differed from the New Negro in their shared pursuit with their white counterparts. The Black woman became politically involved seeking women’s rights under the law; while the New Negro is more interested in his competitive race to catch up with his white counterpart.

Before the Harlem Renaissance, black women often tried to mimic the traditional image and role created by the white community. Elite black women, especially, were taught to appear “white” by employing makeup to seem physically lighter. There were constant reminders of this image in the work place, newspapers, women’s magazines, and everywhere in their daily live’s. African Americans had felt pressure to act and look “white” since the end of slavery. During the Reconstruction, when they finally had some freedom to choose for themselves, some blacks adapted the model of the white world and white standards of beauty. Many black women in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century dressed in the style preferred by white women, from their hair down to their petticoats. Many female black leaders felt that to become successful, one had to exude “whiteness”. They thought that in the long run, achieving recognition in white power structure would better the black community and help other black women improve their status.

Informing the general black public of existing opportunities and options and those that could be created gave the New Black Woman the power to advance and develop the self. Hopkin stressed the need to remove the emphasis on self interested objectives and sexual practices which were being cited to justify Jim Crow laws. She felt black women’s energy should be directed towards political gains that would be beneficial to all. Pauline Hopkins felt that blackness was beautiful. She believed that blacks should not change themselves to fit the white image of beauty.

During the Harlem Renaissance, the black women gave their domesticity an advantageous twist by reshaping that traditional role to fit the new ideals of the twentieth century. From within the home black women could provide a strong, nurturing home as well as emotional support during a challenging time. This was particularly important as African Americans began to migrate to the north and west seeking greater opportunities of self growth and survival. The Black individual of the south perceived the industrial movement in the north as an employment; while the open space of the west offered a sense of independence and freedom. Through the writings of black female such as Pauline Hopkins, Jessie Redman Fauset and Marita Bonner one can see that the movement was a vessel lending to writing of future dreams, preserving the past, and recording the current conditions. The movement gave the black women, particularly the black female writers, purpose and an individualized focus.

For example one can see in the writings of Pauline Hopkins, who educated the black community with tales involving characters from sources such as the Bible, African mythology, and the works of George William to name a few. In addition, she wrote several short stories on contemporary and controversial topics, both fictional and a few non-fictional. Her voice was temporarily silenced when the “Colored American” changed hands and focus from literature and culture to agriculture and business. Hopkins continued to write for other publications when the focus of the “Colored American” changed. It should be noted that the change was due to Booker T. Washington’s purchase of the paper; whose ideals of the New Negro differed. Booker T. Washington was not a supporter of the “New Negro”. There were debates between Web Du Bosis and Booker T. Washington that were noted to be heated on their difference of what the Black man’s objective should be. This well known depute emphasis the struggle of an identification and definition to New Negro that existed within the black community.

Later writers, such as Jessie Redman Fauset published in magazines like the Crisis. Her articles emphasized the need for educational reform. Fauset created a magazine for young blacks and contributed text concerning the cultural and political life of the American. After World War I, she directed her focus toward the social position of women. For instance, Fauset examined the parallel between gender and class arguing that the black men’s control over black women stemmed in past from their economic status. This control stifled the freedom and creativity of the black woman.

Fauset addressed new ideas on the meaning of marriage discussing the notion of love and romance; which are interwoven and unproductive. Marriage was based on outdated Victorian status which enslaved the black woman into the same role of subservient only difference is the color of skin of the new master. This type of marriage created an environment that would not support or encourage any creativity or individuality. She questioned the definition of an American while noting that the limitation of the Black woman were due to accepted racial myths. Fauset realized that the black woman was restricted by her lack of education, demands and responsibility of home, husband and children and her lack of employment opportunities. Breaking those long established myths of being a mammy to her own children limited her hiring out. Through her writing she gave voice to black women and tried to offer solutions to black women’s problems. She encouraged the contemporary black woman to focus on the economic concerns of the black worker and to the advancement of the race.

Black female writers such as Marita Bonner addressed situations that were unfair and unjust to black women. Her character, Lizabeth, in her story “The Whipping” was persecuted for killing her son, which was an accident. As the story unfolded the injustice of the system which became clear. Bonner illuminated the issues facing many Black women of poor housing conditions, poverty, and lack of employment opportunities. She wrote with passion and conviction of the disaster and heartbreak that result from such disadvantages. She felt it was important to record such events so that other black women might learn from the story of Lizabeth’s contribution and to keep the unfortunate circumstances facing many black women before the public eye.

Bonner’s writing also creates awareness about the pressure put on black women by urbanization, segregation and inflexible, outdated gender role. Bonner pointedly challenged the mammy and Jezebel stereotypes. She also condemned the role that the court system, prisons, and economic injustice generally played in limiting black women’s advancement. These issues continue to follow the Black woman for generations. The battle and challenges are compounded by the negative responses within it own community. The disadvantages to being a New Black Woman was the backlash received once she became an acknowledged and recognized figure. Gwendolyn Brook was the recipient of negative encounters once she won the Pulitzer Prize for her poem Annie Allen in 1950. Her family and friends felt put upon by the attention she received and negligent by her. The community, particularly those threatened by her ability and achievement, questioned her capability to be a “proper” wife and mother.

The convergence of the New Negro and the New Black Woman made a lasting impact on the black community and the nation as a whole. Black Women involved in these political, social, and intellectual movements insisted on defining themselves both in terms of gender and race. Zora Neale Hurston makes an interest observation on the thought process of the black community of the time. It appeared that the black individual thinks in functional terms creating a mental picture of ideas before any develop of oral/written language emerged. This hieroglyphic thinking process fulfills the need to illustrate. This unique cognitive process may be the result of natural intelligence developing in spite of the lack of formal education. This thought process is evident as one reads the various writing of Black female writers of the Harlem Renaissance to contemporary writers; whose words create a vivid image of the subject matter.

Examine the works of Fauset whose description of family differed greatly with the norm structure of father, mother, children and an assortment of extended family members. In her story, The Chinaberry Tree, she defines family as three generations of women living under one roof working together to survive. As in many other of her writings the family is defined as an unit that function under a structure that was usually based on gender based work. She observed in her writing that the Black Women were required to be employed in menial positions while maintaining the household and contributing to community organizations such as the church, clubs/lodges and NAACP.

Where Fauset words provide clear mental images Pauline Hopkins would provide illustrations to emphasize her point. By providing illustrations of stereotypical Black men and women she was giving an accurate, truthful, and justification of these distinguished individuals. It was a means to offer strong visual evident of the good and bad bring the images out into the open. Previously, there was black and white concrete evident of the Black Americans history. Many of her stories are based on historical events that were adapted for the Black community’s perspective. The characteristics of biblical figures such as Moses were commonly seen in her writing for Hopkins felt that there was a magical mystery about history.

Contemporary Black female writers and artist evolve the image of the New Black woman with the reexamination the mulatta icon as an ideal New Black woman. There are quilts on exhibition offering the perception of Willa Marie Simone and Jazz written by Morrison offering a tragic epic of a mulatto woman. Both these artist offered the mulatto as the ideal icon for the New Negro woman, who was alien, estranged, and totally elegant. This icon of the New Negro Woman was seen as having a voice through these unique art forms.

An analysis on the maternal role of the New Black Woman shows its evolution. During and after the Civil War the maternal role of the Black woman

Changes focus from the needs of the master’s children or that of the community to their individual children. The result/answer to this observation varied on who was conducting it. The White theorist claimed that the inadequateness of the Black mother a direct cause of the “degeneration” of the race. Whereas Black intellectuals viewed the maternal role of the Black Woman a direct asset in the

progress of the race. Hopkins introduced the issue of mix blood and how it affected those who could pass as white. In the story Sappho Grace was claimed as property, beaten in front of her child and laid at the feet of her tormentors. She is forced to enter into the world of the Black Woman without any refers yet understanding that her bloodline was contaminated. This story

gives vivid image and understanding of the lack of control Black women had and the consequence of it.The definition of the New Black woman was a long difficult process that has had to overcome many obstacles from external and internal sources. The image of the New Black woman was a living breathing icon which evolved over time. Each group of black/white men or women who prodded, examined, and identified with it as it developed into a icon of Black Woman, strong to keep the past as a precious treasure to past on, intelligent to strive for the future of her children, wise in taking time to understand and observe the world as it is and can be.