Power and Perception of Africa in the film Yeelen
As the sun is the giver of life and sometimes the taker, light has come to represent life, death, rebirth, along with both good and evil. In the film Yeelen (1987) it is no surprise that the title carries the most important theme of the movie. Yeelen in English means brightness. Throughout the film, images of light appear, ranging from the most obvious manifestation of the word, the sun, to other, more abstract forms, such as eggs. These images of luminosity highlight the film's major ideas about existence, righteousness, and the circular nature of life. Through the effective use of the camera, lights and colors these concepts are successfully conveyed.
One of the first photographic images shown in the film is a burning sacrificial chicken. The chicken is placed on a black background and is very close to the camera. This close up gives a restricted view of the subject and likewise very little space to look away (Kawin 1992:203). The viewer is forced to stare directly at the burning, screeching animal. Although the initial reaction from the western viewer is disgust, after a few moments, the question arises as to why the chicken is being shown so closely. This chicken is a sacrifice to the divine and is also a symbol for mortality. In the flickering of the flames lies the passing of life. It shows that a life can quickly end without warning in a flash of light and it serves as a forewarning that Nianankoro will become a sacrifice later in the film. This bright light also shows the power that can originate from a sacrifice, which signifies the force exuded at Nianankoro's death.
Directly following the chicken is a long take of the sun against a barren b...
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... traditional African myth in a way that is tangible and entertaining but also includes layers of symbolism which reveal traditional beliefs. For the western audience, "Yeelen enables viewers not just to understand but to experience a traditional African way of seeing the world. Its innovative narrative style captures the Bambara belief in time as circular…always returning to that initial 'brightness' which creates the world" (Diawara 1997:11). Cissé shows the images of this tale in a thoughtful and deliberate way to highlight the importance of the interconnectedness of things, the ambiguity of good and evil and the circle which pulls everything together.
Bibliography
Kawin, Bruce F. How Movies Work. New York: Macmillan. 1987.
Cissé, Souleymane. Yeelen: Mali. 1987.
Diawara, Manthia. "Seeing Brightness." California Newsreel Catalog 1997: p.11, 12.
In the 21st century, slavery and the Atlantic Slave Trade are viewed as immoral and quite possibly the most horrifying treatment known to man by society and foreign leaders but, was the same view regarded in the 17th century? The short primary sources, “Nzinga Mbemba: Appeal to the King of Portugal”, and “Captain Thomas Phillips: Buying Slaves in 1639”, enables individuals to identify how foreign leaders, specifically the kings of African nations, conducted the issue of slavery and the slave trade. In the words of Nzinga Mbemba and Captain Phillips, the kings of Congo and Ouidah both knowingly accepted slavery in their country but, had strikingly opposing views concerning the Atlantic Slave Trade; King Mbemba prohibited the trading of slaves whereas the King of Ouidah welcomed slave trading.
Many readers see the actions of Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening as those of a feminist martyr. Edna not only defies her husband and commits adultery, but chooses death over life in a society that will not grant her gender equality. Although this reading may fit, it is misguided in that it ignores a basic aspect of Chopin’s work, the force that causes Mrs. Mallard’s happiness in “The Story of an Hour” upon the news of her husbands death, “that blind persistence in which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature” (Chopin 353). While it is true that when Chopin wrote, women were most likely to be denied the pursuit of individuality, analyzing her work through a strictly gender minded lens limits her impact. The importance of Chopin’s work is the portrayal of characters who are engaged in the pursuit of an idiosyncratic desire. The institution of marriage is one which is most likely to infringe upon individual rights. Thus, it is the basis for many of Chopin’s stories. Therefore, along the way we learn that while Chopin believes that although marriage often stifles individuality, it does not have to. In the work of Chopin we see men and women who will go to any length to pursue a strong enough desire. These characters are often unsure of the nature of their desire. The pursuit of these characters is strengthened when they perceive their desire to be futile. Chopin portrays characters who struggle with the institution of marriage or society’s expectations of them. In most cases, they choose to pursue their individual desire rather than fulfill society’s expectations. Chopin believes that individual desire knows no boundaries, is often uncerta...
...linger, John. God, The Devil, and Harry Potter. New York, New York: St. Martin’s Press,
The French 1884 oil on canvas painting The Song of the Lark by Jules-Adolphe Breton draws grasps a viewer’s attention. It draws an observer in by its intense but subtle subject matter and by the luminous sun in the background. Without the incandescent sun and the thoughtful look of the young woman, it would just be a bland earth-toned farm landscape. However, Breton understood what to add to his painting in order to give it drama that would instantly grab an onlooker’s interest.
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In conclusion whether employees should have the right to privacy in the workplace or not, is an issue. But there are many arguments in favor of employee privacy, but there are also strong reasons why an organization simply cannot grant this right to its workers. These reasons consist of: financial loss and information security. The use of tracking software in systems is ethical because this serves the greater good in respect to the general public. The principle that needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few over one is the cornerstone of the ethics that rule this society. (Yerby (“Nine theories of ethics that rule the world”))
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