Lavender
Lavender is a mystery that unfolds in a way not atypical of other mystery stories, but sets itself apart by defying certain characteristics and conventions. There are many details to the plot (mainly to the descriptions of the characters) that are unexpected and deny the reader a chance to confirm their stereotypes about who a detective is, how they should act, and what they should look like. Specifically, in the role of the unconventional protagonist (detective?), Easy Rawlins is so surprisingly human, honestly cowardly, and unromantically realistic that the story seems plausible to the point of disappointment that the characters aren’t actually real.
Easy somewhat reminds me of Walter from “A Raisin in the Sun”: He’s an intelligent black man living in a big city, he has problems with his marriage and he works a blue collar job (also, I could see Sidney Poitier or Danny Glover, both of whom have played Walter, playing him in a film version instead of Denzel Washington, who took on the part of Easy in the film adaptation of “Devil in a Blue Dress”). Many of the characters in “Lavender” appear in other works by Walter Mosley (this is the first one that I’ve read however). In this story Easy learns of his friend Mouse’s death, which he is somewhat responsible for (though it is not explained in Lavender, I’m guessing it is in an earlier tale). I wonder if he still would have helped EttaMae find Willis if he hadn’t felt obligated to because of his part in her husband’s (Mouse) death, and because of his discovery of Bonnie’s alleged infidelity. My guess is probably not since Easy seems to be rather self absorbed (but to be fair, who isn’t?)
Willis is an amusing character in that I can relate to him easily. I too love playing music, and I’ve fallen for the wrong kind of girls before, though none as appropriately named as Sin. Mosley’s employment of creative and nuanced names for his characters is interesting. Willis for example, chooses the alias Little Jimmy Long, a name that suggests to me that while he may be poor, young and naïve; while he may be “…a poor black child in a white man’s world.”(181), his talent and personality will take him to greater heights (I’m somewhat alluding to Etta’s comparing the success of Louis Armstrong to “…a string of black boys’ graves goin’ around the block.
The Frontline video of “The Stick Up Kid,” is a good example of the effects that can occur in terms of both manifest and latent functions. The video is about the story of Alonza Thomas Jr, who was one of the first people in California to be tried as an adult for his crimes, despite him being a minor. Proposition 21, which made it easier to charge minors as adults for specific violent crimes, had been passed in California months before Alonza committed his crime. Alonza attempted to rob a convenience mart when he was only 15 years of age, and even though his attempt was foiled by the shop owner, who kept him at the store at gunpoint until the police arrived to the scene. After his trial, Alonza was sentenced to 13 years in state prison, an
When asked about her sexual history and sexual knowledge, Rosslynn appeared to be very uncomfortable discussing her inappropriate sexual behavior with the undersigned and having her mother present. The mother was asked to leave the interview to allow the youth to feel more comfortable discussing her sexual history. During the interview Rosslynn, reported her stepbrother, Robert had spoken to her in regards to having sex. She noted both she and her stepbrother later went into his room, he pulled his pants down and she took her pants off. According to Rosslynn, she allowed Robert to get on top of her. She stated that his penis touched her vagina. Rosslynn noted after the inappropriate sexual behavior had taken place, they both went outside to play. She denied any
...y jazz music. He begins by playing the music while eating his favorite dessert of vanilla ice cream and sloe gin (7). The protagonist describes the scene as follows: “I pour the red liquid over the white mound, watching it glisten and the vapor rising as Louis bends the military instrument into a beam of lyrical sound” (7). The color imagery, of a white mound and a red liquid, works to depict the mass genocide of whites; the mound acts as a symbol of the decimated race of people and the red liquid acts as a symbol of their bloodshed. This scene satirizes Armstrong and the Africa-American general populace, who are brought simply enjoyment or are unified by jazz music. Dissimilarly, the protagonist thinks only of action when he hears Armstrong sing “Black and Blue.” He cements this point when he refers to Armstrong’s musical instrument as being of the “military” (7).
Wayne Williams was born in Atlanta on May 27, 1958, to school teachers Homer and Faye Williams; Williams’ parents were overly supportive of him to the point of coddling, having reportedly “spent every cent they had supporting his entrepreneurial ventures.” (Bardsley & Bell, n.d., p. 22). Williams graduated high school with an honors degree and attended college for a year before dropping out (Bardsley & Bell, n.d., p. 22). After leaving school Williams would become a talent scout and producer for local Atlanta artists, although he never achieved much success in this endeavor. Williams developed a reputation for being a pathological liar, did not have many friends, and was known to impersonate a police officer, eventually being arrested for doing so (Bardsley & Bell, n.d., p. 23). Williams eventually emerged as a suspect after police officers that were staking out a bridge near where previous bodies had been found heard a splash in the water and stopped his veh...
On a trip to Ghana as Ambassador Satchmo, he recognized the struggles the people still faced with slave trading and colonial subjugation and was reminded of the American South’s “vigilante violence against black people.” (Eschen 62). The sympathy that he felt for their struggles inspired him to play “Black and Blue” and the “sense of shared struggle was reciprocated” (Eschen 63). Through “Black and Blue” Armstrong remembered the struggles that the blacks were suffering in the United States just like the people of Ghana. This was a turning point in his life and ultimately led him to work harder at helping his fellow black brethren to obtain their rightful civil privileges. This conversion was illustrated when he cancelled a trip for a Soviet tour in order to help the African American kids in Little Rock. Armstrong accused President Eisenhower of being “‘two-faced” on civil rights and allowing ‘Faubus to run the government.’ ‘It’s getting so bad a colored man hasn’t got any country’” (Eschen 63). In response, Eisenhower sent federal troops to assist with integration. However, the actions of the musician at other times bought forward harsh feelings like “What have you done for your people, except hurt them?” (Meckna 37) He was criticized for wearing leopard skins in a film and using minstrel humor which made him appear as playing into the degrading stereotypes of the time. In a
The Lavender Scare was an event (corresponding to the Cold War), where unjustified fear, mass incarceration, and repression of homosexual people (specifically gay men) was eminent. The scare resulted in numerous unemployment (specifically from government jobs), suicides, and an immense drop in the quality of life for homosexual citizens. The Lavender Scare coincides with the Red Scare primarily since society perceived homosexuality equally as menacing as communism (Troops 95). Additionally, society perceived the gay men as former communist (Johnson).
Processes of exogenous and endogenous are likely to result in mutated genes leading towards cancer. (Schulz 2005, Knowles & Selby 2005). There are three known classifications of carcinogens, which are described to be cancer-causing agents based on the fact that they directly boost effects and thus cause mutations of the alterations already in place. The three classifications include: Chemical carcinogens which can be related to cigarettes and the mutations created as a result of the chemicals involved; Physical carcinogens which involves...
Mulholland, C. (2010, September 22). Alcohol and Depression. Netdoctor. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/depression/alcoholanddepression_000486.htm
Pancreatic Cancer is also caused by damage to DNA, which can be inherited from parents or from aging. Smokers double their chances of developing Pancreatic Cancer versus if they did not smoke. The reason that smokers double their chances of developing this type of cancer is because smoking directly affects the pancreas. Not only does smoking actual cigarettes cause an increase in the risk of being diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, but also smokeless toba...
Carcinogenic effect of tobacco was the most important discovery in the history of cancer epidemiology. Lung c...
To begin, people can receive certain forms of cancer if they use tobacco products. When discussing health problems of smoking, the author writes, “Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body” (Harms of Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting). Scientists have conducted research and have concluded that using a tobacco product damages cells. The damaged cells become mutated and form cancer cells. The author goes on to explain, “Among the 250 known harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 69 can cause cancer” (Harms of Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting). These harmful chemicals are catalysts for many types of cancer. Some of these toxins include arsenic, carbon monoxide, and lead. When directly consumed, these chemicals are very pernicious, so it is obvious that they can cause diseases like ...
The Federal surveys in America depict that there is a decline in the overall alcohol consumption amongst the members of a certain age group, whereas at the same time, the concentration of high numbers of alcohol abusers are associated with a certain age group. The total number of individuals aged below 65 who abuse alcoholic beverages in America has seen a drastic reduction in the last few years. However, the number of people between the age of 16 and 30 has been rising and has induced a significant short term and long-term effects especially on the health and productivity of the victims. The federal surveys indicate that there is an increased number of people who have been affected by the long-term effects associated with alcohol abuse the since 2009 (Yoshida, 2006).
There are over 7,000 chemicals present in tobacco smoke. Of those over 250 are deemed harmful, and of those 69 are cancer causing. Those cancer causing substances are called carcinogens (Nugel). It is clear that cancer and smoking can be linked. Smoking causes cancer of the lung esophagus, larynx, mouth,...
Most everyone knows that tobacco is a factor of cancer. It can cause cancer by changing a gene and causing it to divide uncontrollably, then the unwanted cells spread throughout the body (Elk 45). Smoking alone has caused 30 percent of all cancer deaths. The risk from smoking depends on the kind of cigarettes, how deeply a person breathes in the smoke, and how ...
Each base substitution was characterized using a 96-mutatino classification system that includes six substitutions together. In the study, 5243 cancer genome sequences of cancer that have an enhanced risk from smoking were examined to identify mutational signatures and methylation changes associated with tobacco smoking. The samples studied included 2490 from tobacco smokers and 1063 from non-smokers. Thus, the mutational consequences of smoking tobacco and refraining from smoking was able to be compared for lung, larynx, pharynx, oral cavity, esophageal, bladder, liver, cervical, kidney, and pancreatic