Welcome to Unveiling Literature. In this topic, we are going to dive deep into the African literature and capture the theme that seems to be roaring deep in the souls of Africa and the African Diaspora for years and years to count. The theme is dealing with Tradition and Identity. This is closely related to each other and with studying the summaries and analysis done by other people who have intensively studied the topic. Let’s look at the stories in review.
Notes of the Native Son
This story was about a son that was confused by why his father lived a certain way. He never truly understood it until he reached adulthood. The story took place during the war and when segregation was really bad around that period. He couldn’t live like the whites so he had trouble adjusting. He then understood what his father was going through and some of the resentment and the emotions were starting to be resolved. All during the time of his father’s death.
Theme
The son identity was that identical of his father. In the midst of his confusion, he learned a lot about what his father was going through and that his identity was very close if not identical of that of his father. He even noticed his father’s belongings at the time of his death. He noticed his father’s legacy and resolved the pain. He, even, noticed that his father really was proud of him. Thus having a better relationship with his father through his identity.
Analysis: https://www.enotes.com/topics/notes-native/in-depth
Chike’s School Days
Chike, the main character of the story is considered raised by the way of the white man which was translated as being the complete opposite of the customs carried by the people. His father was really in-tuned with Christianity and married a woman who was also dedicated to the Christian customs. Chike was different and he was entering school. He then started to learn to love singing songs and English but he hated arithmetic. Overall, the text said he was in a different world and he was happy.
Theme
In this theme, it seems like Chike’s identity is a mixture of the tradition of his people and the new tradition of White culture. However, he was raised in the way of the White culture so there really was a disconnect on how he interacted with other children. Because of his upbringing, he was able to create a new identity. With this new identity, he was happy. A world to himself.
Analysis: https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/eng2850htrc/?p=671
Senghor’s Poems
Senghor’s poems started off with a thin line of what we call American culture and Black identity. All being in the midst of each other. In the poems it seems like Black tradition has been quickly replaced by the hustle and bustle of American culture. Or what we call it today as Hustle Culture. In his poems, he noted things that make the Black community special and also how things would have been slowed down. Nothing is slowed anymore. Especially in the poem “To New York.” In the poem “Prayer To The Masks”, it seems like he was calling on the Lord to stop the madness of what was erasing identity with this new way of thinking and living. Overall, a prayer to keep his identity in a world that was very different and of travesty.
Theme
The theme in this was trying to digest the new culture that was around him. The whole idea of being in prayer and supplication over this new fundamental way of American culture which is what it is now known as Hustle Culture. As he tries to learn how to deal with it he calls on the Lord to understand this new environment and try to adjust to his new identity while struggling to keep his culture alive in the streets of Manhattan, Harlem, and New York.
Analysis: https://ardfilmjournal.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/leopold-sedar-senghors-concept-of-negritude/
What Will The Students Learn
For all of my teachers who are teaching this to high school students. Have them fill out a reflection sheet and a Venn Diagram. The reflection sheet will consist of at least 3 questions pertaining to the identity of Black people. In the Venn Diagram, after the students have read the readings above, allow them to create a Venn Diagram identifying tradition of African culture vs. the American culture and identify the disconnect in the middle of the diagram. This should give students a good idea of what Black people went through during their trails and tribulations. This is to serve as an understanding of struggles present in the Black community.
Pop Culture Relation: Black Panther
The pop culture that we are going to talk about is the movie Marvel’s Black Panther. In the movie, the country Wakanda has never been colonized and is the richest country in Africa. (Please note that the country Wakanda is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is not a real place). T’Challa, the King of Wakanda is learning how to be a king when his father was killed in an attack. However, he faces Eric Killmonger, a Wakandan that was robbed his opportunity of becoming a true Wakandan thus having a loss of identity. When T’Challa came to the realm of the ancestors, he asked his father why he didn’t bring Eric home. Now he has to right his wrongs and try to talk to him. In the end, Eric Killmonger died because he was stuck in his hatred he had for his Wakandan countrymen. This movie relates to this theme because Eric has a loss of identity and has lived as an American instead of a Wakandan thus confused about his identity and even mad because T’Challa’s father killed his father. There was so much into this movie you just have to see it.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjDjIWPwcPU
References
Pucher, Martin. (2012). The Norton Anthology of World Literature. https://digital.wwnorton.com/worldlit3v2
Enotes. (2021). Notes of A Native Son Analysis. https://www.enotes.com/topics/notes-native/in-depth
Baruch. (2015). Chike’s School Days Analysis. https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/eng2850htrc/?p=671
Duckworth, A.R. (2010). Leopold Sedar Senghor’s Concept Of Negritude. https://ardfilmjournal.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/leopold-sedar-senghors-concept-of-negritude/
Bridges, Carmen.(2021). Reflection Sheet: African Tradition and Identity. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l_m92CphEYnJKvALDJD7Dd6VKXG-sEkmcBsEB7u91UA/edit?usp=sharing
Dexform. (2021). Venn Diagram. https://www.dexform.com/download/venn-diagram-3
Marvel Studios. (2018). Black Panther. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjDjIWPwcPUm
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