Good friends we have, Oh, good friends we have lost, Along the way. In this great future, you can't forget your past, so dry your tears I say…..No women No cry.” That’s a reggae song from the most well-known reggae singer, Bob Marley, mentioned in Alice Walker narrative essay called “Journey to Nine Miles”. Walker is an African-American writer who tells about her journey to the Jamaican gravesite of the reggae legend Bob Marley. Walker praised Marley of being true loving soul of Jamaica, for having political shrewdness, spiritual power and sexual wildness. The place is called Nine Miles because it was nine miles far from any village in the area. Nine Miles was the most tranquil and isolated place in the world according to Walker. Walker grasps why Marley wanted to be brought back to his home village he wanted to rest and also he was buried there for a good reason as it becomes a great tourist site which brought money to the village people. Walker journey was fulfilling although she saw that Jamaica is a poor country while much of the world thinks that it’s not that even in the poverty a person can see the beauty of the country and the love that surrounds her. Walker is successful at conveying her message about Jamaica and Bob Marley in her essay through the mood by the images and illustrations, through the technique of journey motif on how she describes her journey and herself as writer and through the tone she uses in her essay.
The images and descriptions Walker gives are a good example of a depressing mood of Jamaica as she tells about the harsh sights of poverty and the ruined land she saw of Jamaica and her people. Walker starts her essay in the day she went to visit Nine Miles. She jumps then to the farther past when she te...
... middle of paper ...
...ike Jamaica is Brazil. There is masses of poverty and famine when you visit there and part of it really looks like a ruined land as Jamaica does, although all the shocking things you see there, the people are making the place to be magical like he is through their music, the way they dance the Samba, their passion for life and the love that surrounds the country. A country can be beautiful not just by her landscape and nature, but also the people who giving a good atmosphere to the place like the Jamaicans do in their manner of singing all the time and giving a pleasant feeling to be there, those people make the place special and unique. They give you the true color of the country through their ideals and beliefs of freedom and happiness and by singing Bob Marley songs they express themselves through his words which interpret who they are and what they believe in.
“Jamaica’s a country of great dichotomy. On the one hand you have a tourist industry with great beaches and resorts, but on the other you have such great poverty and the violence that goes along with that.”(Michael Franti) In this paper, I will talk about the geography, the history of Jamaica, the people that live there now and that lived there in the past, the lifestyle of the society, and the society, like the government and economy.
Ten year old Annie John who grew up and lived in Antigua, goes on an internal journey to develop from a little naive girl to a women overcoming various obstacles. She tries being more comfortable with her mother and creating a closer bond despite the big age gap between her and her mother. The story she wrote and presented in class about her mother swimming and drawing patterns on a rock far from the shore. The story shows a common aspect of childhood; the parents are greatly relied on. The day will come when the mother has to leave with all of her teaching and the child has to face reality. Annie’s sentiment changes as she grows up and develops into an independent woman. The novel reflects this change through symbolism representing Annie’s development from a child to an independent woman.
The exploitation and eventually liberation of the Jamaican people have produced a very unique social condition. Reggae music is an optimistic answer to the history of oppression that draws upon the past, and uses it as a resource. In order for there to be a good future, the past must be considered and accepted. There is no way to right the wrongs of Jamaican history, but there is a way to promote awareness of these wrongs.
Although there is a variety of music that could be examined to trace its evolution through time, there is one genre in particular that is quite interesting to examine. Though it differs from other types of music, it will be looked at in conjunction with Reggae music as they have similar ties. Reggae music is quite prominent today in the United States, parts of Africa, and of course Jamaica. Reggae is notoriously known for its most influential artist Bob Marley, and it is not unusual for one to have heard a few, if not many of his songs. Reggae’s popularity is steadily increasing and is doing so through both expansions of the music as well as increasing knowledge on the genre.
From the country’s earliest days, Jamaica experienced colonial status, with paternal influences from the West. Spain initially maintained ascendancy over the colony; yet, as they embarked upon their sesquicentennial reign, the Empire’s grasp began to loosen. Primarily incessant interstate conflict, between the Empire and its bordering nations, wreaked havoc. Contrastingly, England continued to thrive and experience heightened success in their colonial endeavors. Indeed, as Spain began losing dominance over Jamaica, England looked to the Caribbean to increase their economic hegemony; in 1650, the British successfully cap...
Regardless of one’s particular journey, we all deal with varying magnitudes of difficulties. This aspect is not only a part of everyday life, but it is also a fundamental one. Every person deals with their own sorrows and from these we are able to learn from them. By overcoming adversities, people create better lives for themselves and can have a new beginning. All of this is portrayed in Nella Larsen’s Quicksand and James Weldon’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Beginning off with the passage from Quicksand, Larsen is able to develop this theme by using the characters. An example of this is seen when Helga struggles with “inherent aloneness” that she is experiencing as she’s on the boat to leave America, where she didn’t feel as though she fit in, and return back to Denmark: “Leaning against the railing, Helga stared into the approaching night,
Though dealing with the situation is difficult, the poem goes on to express that going through this ordeal has only strengthened the resolve of the African American community. Lines 4-9 of this poem speak to toughness and resolve of the African American community in the fight to gain equality. McKay even goes as far ...
Sometimes the beauty of it seems unreal…” She then goes on to describe its beauty like the clouds couldn’t be any whiter, or how the darkness fades, and the gorgeous sunshine surrounds them all the time. This explanation is capped off by her statement, “And what might it do to the ordinary people who live in this way…what might it do to them to live such heightened, intense surroundings day after day?” I agree with her explanation about Antigua being too beautiful, and how the people who live there, nothing can compare to it, even when they are treated poorly for so
Marley became a powerful political ion in Jamaica, “Marley did not just sing about social justice; he practiced what he preached. He took on series of community projects, at one time supporting more than 6,000 people with food, jobs, and housing. He invested in schools and infrastructure in Jamaica” (Bob,
Reggae music is a very powerful way of communicating a message to its listener’s. Reggae has evolved over time from many different types of music and lots of different forms from ska to reggae. The history of reggae starts over 400 years ago in the days of slavery. Under the severe oppression of slavery the African people tried to hold on the pieces of their culture that they could. Music and dance were among the most important cultural traditions retained by the African people. These African rhythms gave way to mento, which gave rise to Rastafarian chants, which in turn gave way to ska and then rocksteady. (Potash, 29) When reggae music is thought of, Jamaica is instantly the word that comes to most peoples mind. Reggae music is also associated closely with the smoking of ganja. Generally people are uneducated about Rastafarianism, and don’t know that smoking marijuana is a sacrament of their religion. Just like Christians eat bread and drink wine at mass, for the Rastafarians ganja is a way to get closer to Jah or their God. The Rastafarian's God was proclaimed Haile Selassie the King of Ethiopia. The man who predicted this was Marcus Garvey a native Jamaican was an advocate of black unity and pride. Garvey was the one who told the African people that their savior would be the next king crowned in Africa. The Jamaican people revered Garvey and believed in what he preached, and when Haile Selassie was crowned the king of Ethiopia the Rastafarian people rejoiced with their new God, Haile Selassie. The Rastafarian’s loved Selassie, even though Selassie didn’t ask or want to be their God. Selassie made a visit to Jamaica in April of 1966, and when he first landed the thousands of Ras...
Both Jamaica and the U. S have their strong suites but in terms of where is better for a child to grow up the United States is the better candidate. A good government is the key to having a successful country and the U.S has that. The health care system is much more reasonable and allows many more people to be covered. Plus the educational system is superb. So to ensure that a child grows up in the best possible environment with the best possible access to resources they may need throughout life, should be raised in a stable country such at the United States of
...adened the opportunity for Jamaicans to be accepted in a non-commonwealth nation” (Christie, 2014). The idea of being recognized by a genre of music, amplifies the idea of being socially connected.
There are many cases of prejudice and discrimination in this book. When Martin sees the Jamaican girls standing outside the club he imm...
The beautiful, radiant and vibrant island that goes by the name of Jamaica is located on the Windward region of the Caribbean. It is one of the best place to be on earth. Our motto “Out of Many One People”, symbolizes the vast cultures and races that make up this beautiful island. Jamaica the land I love, lives on in each individual and leaves a positive impact even with just one visit or no visit at all. In this essay I will elaborate on the various cultures that build up the island, the different attractions the country has to offer and an overview of the unique lifestyle of Jamaicans.
Marley was born into Jamaica’s poverty and it is where he developed a strong love of reggae and became a Rastafari. Reggae, evolved from another musical style called Ska in the late 1960’s, is considered the voice of the ‘oppressed’ peoples. Many reggae lyrics are politicalised and centre on themes of freedom and fighting for it. (Cooper, 2014)