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.
The very symbol of life – the elemental force of the Sun – is rendered
Europe, in the late 1800’s, was starting for a land grab in the African continent. Around 1878, most of Africa was unexplored, but by 1914, most of Africa, with the lucky exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, was carved up between European powers. There were countless motivations that spurred the European powers to carve Africa, like economical, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation.
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...
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...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.
In recent times our right to privacy has been under fire, particularly in the workplace. With the fear of terrorists in today's world, we have been willing to sacrifice some of our individual rights for the rights of a society as a whole. A majority of these changes have taken place since September 11, 2001, in an attempt to prevent future terrorist attacks. New legislation, such as the USA Patriot Act, which decreases the limitations on the federal government's ability to monitor people, has been created for this reason. Although new legislation may be instrumental in the defense of our national security, we must take a strong look at their effect and the effect of decreased privacy in the workplace. Advances in technology, coupled with new legislation, has had a serious toll on our privacy especially at work. It is now possible to monitor an employee's keystrokes on the computer to how much time a day is spent on bathroom breaks. It is imperative for us to take a stand against these violations to our rights
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How much information should be collected on employees and prospective employees? Collecting information presents risks that employers will be faced with when employees commit torts outside the scope of their jobs. Also, not collecting the proper information could result in risks depending on the case. These questions will be analyzed based on collected data and employer actual or constructive knowledge. In order to precisely elaborate about the risk and such, I will look at the employee monitoring at work, Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, and respondeat superior.
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