Robert Frank took the photograph Trolley New Orleans in 1955. This piece gave Frank the opportunity to express his political position. The trolley brought out the social segregation that existed in America. The society was grouped and separated by race. Social facilities such as schools were available but differed by race. By framing this picture, Robert shows the existence of distinctions between the rights of the white and black.
The photograph consists of five portraits that are symbolic. Moreover, they are significantly pointing to the perfect site of racism in the South. The photo provided a picture into the ordinary lives of the citizens of New Orleans when discrimination by race was the norm. The striking difference in the passengers
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is evident by race and age as well. The trolley has the white sited at the front while the black are sitting at the back. Frank uses this photograph to illustrate the white man’s superiority over the black. Notice that the sitting order; a white man in a suit, a white woman holding her bag, the white children followed by the black man. Robert Frank may have intentionally cropped some parts of this photograph to give emphasis on the message he wanted to put across.
Hence lacks the innocence seen in most pictures. The photograph was the way to put across his message then. The political environment in the mid-fifties could not allow for outright advocating for equality as an outsider. Robert Frank had migrated from Europe during the time of Hitler. This already placed him as a target of hatred in America hence speaking publicly about the injustice of social segregation would have endangered his life and that of his family. He, however, knew that his work would play a significant role in creating changes in the system. This was a clever and the safest way of speaking to the …show more content…
world. ALJAHDALI, MOHANNAD TROLLEY NEW ORLEANS BY ROBERT FRANK Viewing the photograph from left to right one catches a glimpse of a white man in a suit. The light reflection from the glass makes the man appear whiter than he is. Him being at the front depicts superiority. He is the leader, the decision maker and the one who has the final say. Sitting behind the man is a white woman dressed in a black cloth. The woman wears a scowling face as though directing it at someone. This can be argued that she feels her space has been infiltrated by persons that do not deserve to. This could be Robert Frank himself, as she is captured staring at the camera or by the fact that the black were now allowed to share buses with the white. The center paragraph has a white boy and a girl who are probably siblings.
The children look smartly dressed as they stare outside the window. The fourth window has shown a black man dressed in a relatively fit shirt probably heading to work. And the last portrait has a black woman wearing glasses and equally staring outside the window. The picture is metaphorically named as the “Trolley” to mean the world. Several aspects of the picture bring out a deeper understanding of the social issues that exist in the world.
Men were viewed to be superior to women. Gender equality was unheard of. The reflection of the light on the man’s face at the front of the trolley provides some kind of protection to the man. It creates an anonymous aura within which the man hides himself in. Robert Frank’s intention was to show the gender inequality that existed in the mid-fifties. The man was in the front seat and was protected by the government.
The reflection of the light is symbolic to the laws that allow for the prosperity of man over women. Men were allowed to get the top political positions that gave them the power to discriminate against women without being questioned. The women were oppressed in the social issues while the man got everything on a silver platter. Women were only allowed to cook and take care of their families while men enjoyed huge salaries and other benefits that came with
it. ALJAHDALI, MOHANNAD TROLLEY NEW ORLEANS BY ROBERT FRANK The reflection also shows how the law protected the white man when the black man was left to fend for himself. The African American people had limited rights. Education, rights to vote and access to the political position were only reserved for the white people. Cases of African American brutality from the white man were rampant, but the law always favored the whites against the black. The blacks were beaten and charged for minor offenses like stealing where they could receive harsh penalties for such offenses while a white could go scot-free for killing a black man. Gender discrimination was not only apparent in those from the higher class but from, the lower classes as well. The social segregation places the black woman at the bottom of the chain as portrayed in the photograph. The black woman comes last after the black man. Critics have placed a lot of focus on the fourth window in which the black man appears distressed and exhausted. He wears a resigned face, one that has given up hope. The hierarchical arrangement can be seen when viewing the picture from right to left. The system automatically ranks them by birthright. This vehicle has passengers whose relevance would not exist on an individual basis but as a collective one. Robert Frank captured the tensions that existed at a time when the society was optimistic that social segregation had come to an end. He informs us that our physical differences should not determine our journey through life because one way or another we all dependent on each other.
In this poem, “On the Subway”, written by Sharon Olds brings two worlds into proximity. We will identify the contrast that develops both portraits in the poem and discuss the insights the narrator comes to because of the experience. The author refers to several literary techniques as tone, poetic devices, imagery, and organization. The poem talks about a historical view based on black and white skin. It positions the two worlds the point of view of a black skinned and a white skinned. The boy is described as having a casual cold look for a mugger and alert under the hooded lids. On the other hand, based on his appearance the white skinned person felt threatened by the black boy. She was frightened that he could take her coat, brief case, and
In the novel, light is used as a symbol of a normal life that is dictated by the normality of society. This is illustrated when Ruth
To depict the unfair daily lives of African Americans, Martin Luther King begins with an allegory, a boy and a girl representing faultless African Americans in the nation. The readers are able to visualize and smell the vermin-infested apartment houses and the “stench” of garbage in a place where African American kids live. The stench and vermin infested houses metaphorically portray our nation being infested with social injustice. Even the roofs of the houses are “patched-up” of bandages that were placed repeatedly in order to cover a damage. However, these roofs are not fixed completely since America has been pushing racial equality aside as seen in the Plessy v. Ferguson court case in which it ruled that African Americans were “separate but equal”. Ever since the introduction of African Americans into the nation for slavery purposes, the society
After reviewing Jacob Lawrence’s direct and dramatic paintings, it was clear that his painting helped him express himself. The painting was and still is a product of the economic and cultural self-determination that African-American dealt in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, during the migration and still evident in society today. The visual qualities in Jacob Lawrence artwork that is appealing are the vibrant colors and his clever way of self-expressing the time he was so familiar. In final analysis, his artwork expressed how he felt about his environment and what his perspective were during that time. And, how restrained his painting were, for instance, Street Scene – Restaurant, even though African- Americans had access to restaurants in the neighboring area but, he still place patriot outside the restaurant waiti...
In the story, Here’s Herbie by Mike Feder, the speaker describes his feelings of being self conscious on the train to his doctor's appointment. There is a man on the train who is mentally handicap and doesn’t realize that people could possibly be judging him, while he is imagining that he is “driving the train” with his toy steering wheel. The speaker simply wanted to stand up and look out with window but he was too nervous because he thought the New Yorkers would judge him; when in reality they simply look and look away. He says “..I felt that it would be extremely uncool to stand there like some jerk-off and just stare out the window. When I was fifteen, I didn't want to seem like I was six” (Page 156). As the story proceeds, the speaker find the courage to get up and stop caring about what people thought about him. He then had had his defining moment.
While “The Yellow Wallpaper” mainly touches on the treatment of women in Gilman's time and only majorly addresses how negative the reception was for them while the men of her world were well-respected individuals, “A Streetcar Named Desire” makes a commentary on the gender roles of masculinity and femininity as a whole, including the two different portrayals of masculinity and how femininity was still generally looked down upon by American society in the late 1940s, unfortunately noting that not much had changed in the time between the stories passed.
This documentary is based on Raymond Arsenault’s book “Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice”. It was a radical idea organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) that alarmed not only those who challenged the civil rights but also deliberately defied Jim Crows Law that were enacted between 1876 and 1965, by challenging the status quo by riding the interstate buses in the South in mixed racial groups. This law segregated public services like public transportation, public places, public schools, restrooms, restaurants, and even drinking fountains for black and whites. Though these activists were faced by various bitter racism, mob violence and imprisonment, they were successful in desegregating the buses and bus facilities in the Deep South in September 22, 1961. They strove for nonviolent protest for justice and freedom of African Americans freedom.
In The Marrow of Tradition, Dodie symbolizes the forthcoming of the White race in the United States. During many different instances Dodie’s life is exposed. Most of the times that his life is threatened it is in his parents’ efforts to preserve the rigid color line that separates White and Black races. His parents regul...
One of the symbols used in this short story is the hat that Julian’s mother and the black woman on the bus wear. Ironically, these hats represent both women sharing the same rights and equalities; both races ride the same bus, sitting in the same seats; and both like the same fashions. Another symbol is the penny that Julian’s mother gives to the little black boy, representing th...
In the Subway by Sharon Olds, recurring issues that have been among society for the past century are the main idea throughout the poem. In the past century, racism has been a problem faced worldwide. The poem depicts how white people see african americans and how they have prejudices about them. With the use of Imagery, similes, and allusions, Sharon Olds is able to convey the idea of distinction of races within society.
...ites a short 33-line poem that simply shows the barriers between races in the time period when racism was still openly practiced through segregation and discrimination. The poem captures the African American tenant’s frustrations towards the landlord as well as the racism shown by the landlord. The poem is a great illustration of the time period, and it shows how relevant discrimination was in everyday life in the nineteen-forties. It is important for the author to use the selected literary devices to help better illustrate his point. Each literary device in the poem helps exemplify the author’s intent: to increase awareness of the racism in the society in the time period.
This story represents the importance of how serious discrimination and slavery was in southern Louisiana.
The image of African-American’s changed from rural, uneducated “peasants” to urban, sophisticated, cosmopolites. Literature and poetry are abounded. Jazz music and the clubs where it was performed at became social “hotspots”. Harlem is the epitome of the “New Negro”. However, things weren’t as sunny as they appeared.
The subway cart setting is an example of American symbolism. The eerie underground cart is an element of the play’s title; the flying Dutchman’s haunted ship, however, it can also be seen as the illustration of American society. The subway cart is a representation of an enclosed space where people are forced to interact. Regardless of race, gender and social class the urban subway cart is an area of social stimulation. Passengers often enter and ride anonymously, we see in the list of characters “Riders of Coach, white and black” are included in the dynamics of the subway cart set. It is a tight and confined space trapped with a random sampling of people at any given time. Baraka uses this setting as the perfect environment for two strangers to openly interact. A perfectly natural place to meet someone new, like Clay and Lula. A ...
WRITE A COHERENT ESSAY IN WHICH YOU ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THE USE OF BLACK ICONIC IMAGES (AND OTHER ETHNIC IMAGES) TO SELL PRODUCTS AS THE ECONOMY OF MASS CONSUMPTION EXPANDED IN THE LATE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY. YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO INCLUDE IMAGES IN YOUR PAPER.