Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom The theatrical production Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is one that has many themes. Not only does the playwright August Wilson bring up several thoughts on the injustices and social issues of the time he also displays how it effected blacks. With all of these ideas it made me wonder what audience was Wilson trying to address with play. In reading the play there were several instances where I could see where Wilson was addressing a mixed audience. Let me explain. In the beginning, for example, it can be noted that the producers who are talking about dealing with Ma Rainey, are getting ready for rehearsal. Wilson appears to showing us to sides of story of how they feel about recording Ma. In one way there is Sturdyvant
All they want is my voice. Well, I done learned that, and they gonna treat me like I want to be treated no matter how much it hurt them. They back there now calling me all kinds of names . . . calling me everything but a child of god. But they can't do nothing else. They ain't got what they wanted yet. As soon as they get my voice down on them recording machines, then it's just like if I'd be some whore and they roll over and put their pants on. Ain't got no use for me then. I know what I'm talking about. You watch. Irvin right there with the rest of them. He don't care nothing about me either(p.29).”
Wilson does a very great job to make sure that both sides, Black and White audience can benefit from Ma Rainey’s untold story, however, question who would benefit the most from viewing this play? Ultimately, I believe that both audience would benefit from viewing it. With a black audience it would beneficial to see the effects of racial decimation which caused their over usage of ‘Nigger’ by band members and Ma Rainy and self hatred. Examples can be seen here from Levee and Slow Drag.
Levee "Where you get this nigger from, Cutler? He sounds like one of them Alabama niggers."
You the only cracker-talking nigger I know." (p.7)
LEVEE “Well, what is you doing, nigger? Talking all them highfalutin ideas about making a better world for the colored man. What is you doing to make it better? You playing the music and looking for your next piece of pussy same as we is. What is you doing? That's what I wanna know. Tell him,
Subsequent to examining America’s Colonial period we concluded that the phrase “whining nigger” would best describe our phenomenon. This would be the most likely phrase used to describe an outraged, outspoken Black man who was complaining about the inhumane brutality of slavery; for this was the angry Black man of the time. In contemplation of this notion we assert that one of the more familiar “whining niggers” during America’s...
For example, when Sammy Parker, a white student at central high school, is asked if she ever tried to make an effort to find out what African Americans were like she replied ", not until today". (A roundtable discussion...) This shows the total lack of concern towards African Americans and their plights during this time period. Being a concerned individual requires the characteristics of attention, consideration, and thoughtfulness. Having concern for one another can make a great difference in the world. This lack of concern is further proven in Melba Pattillo Beals personal story Warriors Don't cry. When Melba Patillo makes a quick trip to the restroom she is fired at with comments like "there ain't no sign marked color" and "go home" by white students. (Melba Beals 98.) The immature actions of these white students show a complete lack of concern. Even though all Melba wanted to do was simply us the restro...
...man throw an empty bottle at Richard’s head, causing hom to fly backwards into the road. Then one of the men say, “‘Nigger, ain’t you learned no better sense’n that yet? ‘ ain’t you learned to say sir to a white man yet.”’ Bad things happen when a black man or boy forgets their place in society.
minorities when he talks with Adam Cayhall in death row. " ‘ You Jew boys never
The point of view of being the oppressed African American is clearly evident in Langston Hughes’s writing. The author states, “I am the darker brother” (2.2) Here Hughes is clearly speaking on behalf of the African American race because during the early and mid 1900’s African American were oppressed because of their darker skin color. No where in the writing does Hughes mention the word racism, segregation, discrimination. No where in the poem are words like Civil Rights Movement or Harlem Renaissance read. Yet, the reader knows exactly what Langston Hughes is referring to. This is because the writing talks about a darker brother being told to eat somewhere else. This leads the reader to put the point of view of the poem into play. Because it talks of such a brother and because Hughes’s was a revolutionary poet who constantly wrote on the struggles of the black man, then the reader is able to easily interpret the poem as a cry for the African-American man. Langston Hughes’s writing as an African American then makes the narration very probable and realistic.
In “Blame It On the Blues” the author Angela Davis, argues against critics, like Samuel Charters and Paul Oliver, who say that the Blues lacks social commentary or political protest, by saying that the Blues was a subtle protest against gender and racial inequality. Davis uses various songs from Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith to prove this.
Being that African Americans were if not just getting their foot in the door as being looked at as human and beginning to be accepted in U.S. society at that time. Executives in the recording industry encouraged white artists attempt to replicate the sound of popular black musicians for profit. This resulted in music like rock-n-roll that is largely associated with whites and the African American pioneers who laid down the foundation for the music are forgotten or better yet not even heard of. Cultural appropriation is still remains a concern even
The Harlem Renaissance, in the 1920’s, sparked a cultural movement known as the “New Negro”. Along with this movement, an anthology was published by Alain Locke named The New Negro. Within this anthology, the playwright Willis Richardson left his mark in the movement through his play Compromise. Compromise depicted what Alain Locke meant by the New Negro movement. Many plays that were published established ideas similar to Compromise. In the single issue magazine Fire, the play Color Struck had similar agendas but from a different point of view, culturally. Willis Richardson, through his work, Compromise, tries to establish the idea of how culture influences the political sphere in society.
Drama plays usually keep an audience on the edge of their seats. But what happens when you bring one white character into a home of only african americans? It might raise some issues. Lydia R. Diamond developed this plot line when she wrote the drama Stick Fly. It was performed by a brilliant cast of college students at Saginaw Valley State University. The show has a good message behind it, emphasizing the importance of family and love.
The musicals that were produced around that time period were meant to be strictly for entertainment, for the most part. It was a very brave move for the creative team of this musical to tackle themes like racism, violence, and death. The risk definitely paid off, because even today West Side Story still remains a very popular musical. The main message that this show is trying to convey to the audience is that it shouldn’t take a horrible tragedy to finally unite people. Just because someone may not look the same way you do, or act the same way, or share your same belief system, that doesn’t mean you have to be fearful of them. Instead we should try our hardest to embrace the fact that this world would be a very boring place without a little diversity, and it’s ok to celebrate the things that make us
The Harlem Renaissance did not redefine African-American expression. This can be seen through the funding dependence on White Americans, the continued spread of racism and the failure to acknowledge the rights of poor Southern African-Americans. Harlem provided a source of entertainment for many people. With its Jazz Clubs and poetry readings, it was the “hip” place to be. This was a shock to many African-American’s, who had never before had the opportunity to perform in such affluent surroundings.
As Floyd is falling down on the stage, my heart is teared apart resonating with miserable life of African-American people in 1940s Pittsburgh. I have seen how people struggle with their assigned and unfair destiny and how the brutal reality smashes their dreams and humanity; I have seen that there were a group of people singing, dreaming, fighting, loving and dying in the red-brick house, which I might pass by everyday, all in this masterpiece of August Wilson. It is always difficult to reopen the grievous wound of the dark period during America history; however, the hurtfulness would be the most effective way forcing people to reflect the consequence of history.
...ncestors and why things are different now. People can learn a lot about their ancestors and things of the past through music. Music tells the stories of what happened in the past. It exposes what people have gone through to get to where things are now. Understanding the culture and history allows the people of today to become more appreciative of the things that the past generations have done to make things better. African Americans have endured a lot of hardships throughout history and it is important to know that and realize that people today do not have it as hard as they did. African Americans no longer have to experience things such as slavery and segregation because some of the black people of past generations were courageous enough to fight for equality. Although hatred and racism still exists, it is not as prevalent and boldly shown as it was in their time.
"I said come here, nigger, and bust up this chiffarobe for me, I got a nickel for you.
When the piece was originally written for the Hot Chocolates, it was considered to be “America’s first `racial protest song`… [and] certainly Razaf’s lyric stripped bare essences of racial discontent that had very rarely if ever been addressed by any African American musically” (Singer 219). The music was created to express the hardships of the black community and the intra-racial discrimination, evident by the line: Browns and yellers all have fellers, gentlemen prefer them right. This illustrates that within the black community, those of fairer complexion were preferred. In Armstrong’s performance, the piece was removed from its original context of a Broadway show and placed as a stand-alone piece. In doing this, the emotion created by the Broadway performance and the stage scene were lost and “Black and Blue” became just another bluesy piece. Further, his “recitativo vocal style underscore[d] the song’s plaintive quality, while his exuberant embellished trumpet solos at the beginning and the end … counteract[ed] despair” (Meckna 38). However, Armstrong dropped the verse about intra-racial prejudice and made the chorus a “threnody for blacks of every shade” (Teachout 139). In doing this, he altered the music from being just about intra-racial issues to a global of scale of the battle between black and whites and the prejudices.