Sugar Cane Essay, Research Paper
Going Beyond the Stereotypes
According to Graaeme Turner, ? Audiences make films mean; they don?t merely recognize the meanings already secreted in them,? (Turner 144). Turner?s idea states that several meanings of a film can be adopted depending on how the audience perceives what they have seen. Euzhan Palcy?s, Sugar Cane Alley, is a film that is an oppositional reading because it shows a black community that is hard working, resourceful, and family oriented. This reading veers away from the common stereotypes that a preferred reading would show because it stays clear of the, ? meanings produced by dominant ideological systems,? (Turner 145). Meaning that it shows a black community that does not feature people who are unemployed, deviant, uneducated, and lacking family values.
The people who live in Sugar Cane Alley are extremely hard working. The film depicts them as waking up everyday and working in the fields sorting sugar cane. It seems that each community member is intensely driven while they are working because they are all trying to keep their community going. One scene that truly shows the working spirit of the town occurs after the children have accidentally burned Twelve Toes? house down. Here, Jose is ridiculed for not working because he is literally the only one not sorting the cane. This shows that each member of the community is expected to do their fair share of work. Although the laborers are often dehumanized and not paid their fair share, they continue to work hard so that they can support their families and the community. The view of the community in the above example is oppositional because it stay?s away from the stereotype that black communities are characterized by lazy unemployed citizens.
Another way that the film represents an oppositional reading is its portrayal of how the people are resourceful. The resourcefulness of the town is shown by each persons caring spirit and respect for the land. The respect for the land is evident because the people value everything that the earth has to offer. One example occurs when the children find a hens egg and look at it in awe, truly appreciating everything about it. The respect is further illustrated when each child shares what ever type of food they can get their hands on. Likewise, the caring nature of the town is shown when Medouze is missing and everyone pitches in to help. Within seconds the entire town is searching for a lossed friend. By combining resources the town was able to unite in order to care for everyone.
The family values that the community has established are its strongest attribute. The environment that everyone lives in is supportive, caring, and understanding. Likewise, the towns elder members are willing to teach younger people the importance of their culture and identity. These qualities are abundant in several forms throughout the film. For example, Medouze teaches Jose about where his ancestors came from and about the oppression that their people have suffered. He also tells him that the blacks that work in the community are still prisoners of a white society, ? Laws forbid the white man from beating us, but they don?t force them to pay a decent wage.? This quote represents the feeling of entrapment that Medouze feels in the community. The important lesson that he has taught Jose is that he must continue to improve himself, both spiritually and educationally. If he does, he will be free of the pain that Medouze has endured, ? withering away in the cane fields.? This example represents the bond that the community has together. By teaching the younger folks about their identity the community has helped to form a deep bond amongst its members. Another example of family values that is seen during the film, is the mutual respect between Jose and his grand mother. She will stop at nothing to see him receive an education. This is shown when she irons and launders so many clothes in Fort de France. The respect is given back to her when Jose earns a full scholarship and tells her that she never has to do such jobs again. These examples clearly represent an oppositional reading because they don?t indicate any of the common stereotypes that are often associated with poverty stricken communities.
By going against the preferred readings that many films offer, Sugar Cane Alley, has helped to open many eyes. The portrayal of Jos?’s grandmother as a key ingredient to his success and as a hard working, smart women, has gone against the typical portrayal of black women in film. In ? Black Feminist Thought, Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment,? Patricia Hill talks about how gender oppression in film has continued to produce negative stereotypes that greatly effect the advancement of black women. According to Hill, ? Challenging these controlling images has been a core theme of black feminist thought? (Hill-67). Euzhan Palcy most likely had the same type of feelings when she created Jose?s grandmother because she stands out as one of the strongest citizens of the community. Once again favoring the notion that the film is an oppositional reading.
Sugar Cane Alley, is a film that challenges many stereotypes that are found in other movies by showing a black community that has hard working, resourceful, and family oriented members. Despite severe oppression, racism, and dehumanization by the white community, the people of Sugar Cane Alley continued to give each other strength and hope. The view of a struggling community with a strong will to survive is not a film that would fit into societal norms, therefore it is viewed as an oppositional reading according to Turner?s discussion (Turner-145). Further more, Palcy?s depiction of women has worked against the grain of the typical preferred readings that black women are commonly associated with in film today.
Другие работы по теме:
Investigation Of Nutrients Essay Research Paper October
Investigation Of Nutrients Essay, Research Paper October 14, 1998 Lab report INVESTIGATION 5: NUTRIENTS IN FOODS This experiment has to do with foods and their nutrients. We are finding out how much nutrients these 6 specific foods have and don’t have: cheese, hotdogs, egg yolk, egg white and potato. We are testing them for starch, sugar, fat and protein.
Frederick Banting Essay Research Paper Frederick BantingDiabetes
Frederick Banting Essay, Research Paper Frederick Banting Diabetes is a chronic disorder in which the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin. Insulin is an important hormone for the metabolism of sugar in the body. When the pancreas fails to provide the body with insulin, these sugar build up in the blood stream.
Sweetness And Power Essay Research Paper Sweetness
Sweetness And Power Essay, Research Paper Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History Some of the most brilliant minds have made many unorthodox suggestions. This is the case with Sidney Mintz’s thesis in Sweetness and Power: The Place of Modern History. Mintz’s suggestions that industrial capitalism originated in the Caribbean sugar plantations may seem to contradict the European version of world history fed to most of the Western world, but is nevertheless supported by substantial evidence.
Osmosis Its A Bit Poo Essay Research
Paper Plan In my experiment, I plan to find out whether the concentration of sugar in water affects how much water will go in to a potato chip. I will do this by having twelve test tubes three with one molar of sugar solution, three with ? molar sugar solution, three with ? molar sugar solution and three with zero molar sugar solution.
Gum Essay Research Paper In this experiment
Gum Essay, Research Paper In this experiment the independent variable was the amount of mass lost by the gum, the dependant variable was the time the gum was chewed. The controls were how much time was spent chewing, and how each was weighed. In the experiment first each member of the group took a different piece of gum and wrote down what kind it was.
Elizabeth Blackwell Essay Research Paper Blackwell Elizabeth
Elizabeth Blackwell Essay, Research Paper Blackwell, Elizabeth (1821-1910) Elizabeth Blackwell was born on Feb. 3 1821,in Bristol New York. She was one of the nine children of Samuel Blackwell. Samuel Blackwell was a prosperous sugar refiner. Elizabeth Blackwell and her family moved to N.Y.C. When she was eleven.
Insulin
’s Form & Function Essay, Research Paper Insulin has a few uses in the human body. Some are more important than others. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the body?s use of sugar and other foods. Insulin i produced in specialized cells in the pancreas, which is a part of the pancreas. Abnormalities cause the decrease of insulin, which causes diabetes.
Nucleic Acids Essay Research Paper DNA is
Nucleic Acids Essay, Research Paper DNA is the single most important molecule found within cells. It is a stable polynucleotide, which contains coded information for inherited characteristics. It is contained in chromosomes in the nucleus of an eukaryot cell. The essential features of the Watson-Crick model are summarised below.
A Review Of Sidney Mintzs Sweetness And
Power: Essay, Research Paper This book was definitely an informative and very detailed history of sugar production and consumption, but, most assuredly, it would not even rate in my ?top 1,000 books to read? list. Let me say first though, Mintz did an excellent job of researching the topic for this book. But, he seemed to concentrate most of his points on the British, with only vague mention of the rest of the world.
Colonization Essay Research Paper During the early
Colonization Essay, Research Paper During the early years of colonization and exploration in North America and Africa, many New World “collided” and brought to each other many new things, both good and bad. There were exchanges of ideas, products and crops that greatly advanced the cultures of all involved, but on the other hand, new diseases, and harsh treatment of one another were also present.
Baseball In The Dominican Republic Essay Research
Paper Baseball in the Dominican Republic Baseball was first brought over to the Dominican Republic in the 1870’s, when thousands of Cubans came fleeing to the island nation in refuge from the Ten Years’ War. Along with baseball, Cubans also brought with sugar producing expertise that had made them the largest sugar producer in the Caribbean.
Us At The End Of 19Th Century
Essay, Research Paper ap history AP History Chapter 22 Historian Frederick Turner said, that “frontier has gone, and with its going has closed the first period of American history.” Continental America had been settled by the turn of the century. Some say it is time for America to have a new frontier and that it might be found overseas.
The Lesson Essay Research Paper The theme
The Lesson Essay, Research Paper The theme in “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara appears to be a lesson on Social Class and having a choice which society you choose to live in. Miss. Moore who
Carbohydrates Essay Research Paper CarbohydratesFor my health
Carbohydrates Essay, Research Paper Carbohydrates For my health project I did carbohydrates. They are the bodies energy source. Carbohydrates supply the body with the energy it needs to function. They are found almost exclusively in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, peas, and beans. Milk and milk products are the only foods derived from animals that contain a significant amount of carbohydrates.
What Are Carbohydrates Essay Research Paper Carbohydrates
What Are Carbohydrates? Essay, Research Paper Carbohydrates are a unique kind of compound due to the atoms carbohydrate contain and because of the structure of the compound. To begin a carbohydrates include such compounds as simple sugars and complex starches. This means that there is no set structure for a carbohydrate, but all carbohydrates contain carbon as one of its principle atoms.
Carbohydrates Essay Research Paper There are three
Carbohydrates Essay, Research Paper There are three principal kinds of carbohydrates and each are classified according to the number of sugar molecules they contain. Monosaccharides, such as ribose, glucose, and fructose, contain only one sugar molecule. Disaccharides consist of two sugar molecules linked covalently.
Diabetes Mellentus Essay Research Paper Project ProposalMy
Diabetes Mellentus Essay, Research Paper Project Proposal My Independent Project is on Diabetes Mellitus, type1 Diabetes, or juvenile-onset diabetes. No matter what you call it, its all the same. Your pancreas has died and you have no other way to survive other than to inject insulin multiple times a day.
History Of Korean 2
History Of Korean & Chinese Immigration Essay, Research Paper The first immigration of Koreans to the North Americas happened in the early 1900??s near the year 1902. They came to America to work on the sugar plantations in Hawaii.
12 Years A Slave Essay Research Paper
Twelve Years a Slave Even today historians disagree on the hardships that slaves had or didn t have during the 1800 s. Some historians describe a typical slave has an uneducated male that worked his hands to the bone in cotton fields, and was treated fairly by his master. But some historians disagree, they think that slavery existed in an endless variety of combinations.
The Worn Path Essay Research Paper A
The Worn Path Essay, Research Paper ?A Worn Path? The story opens with Phoenix Jackson walking along the path through the pinewoods. She is carrying a thin, small cane made of an umbrella. The story then begins describing her. She is wearing a red rag, a “dark striped dress reaching down to her shoe tops, and an equally long apron of bleached sugar sacks, with a full pocket: all neat and tidy, but every time she took a step she might have fallen …. ” The story also describes her “worn path” of a face. “Her eyes are blue with age.
An Exposition On Peanut Butter Cookies Essay
, Research Paper Have you ever tried to bake peanut butter cookies, and for some reason they were a complete flap because they were dry and crunchy, too moist and crumbly, or perhaps they had a terrible taste? Well, I have discovered this cool new recipe and I have never failed at making them. Have no fear, the ultimate peanut butter cookie recipe is hear.
Cookies Vs Doughnuts Essay Research Paper Cookies
Cookies Vs. Doughnuts Essay, Research Paper Cookies and doughnuts are both yummy treats, but they also have their advantages and disadvantages. Cookies for instance can be produces with relative ease in any kitchen using flour, water, sugar and eggs. Doughnuts on the other hand are not usually made at home, hence all of the doughnut shops.
Poetry Rhonda Goes Fishing Essay Research Paper
Poetry: Rhonda Goes Fishing Uncle Marcus comes rapping on your bedroom door one Saturday morning. Says he got a can full of worms and your cane pole, just like old times. Unc, what you better have is some coffee! He
Capitalists Essay Research Paper Capitalists
Capitalists Essay, Research Paper Capitalists & Underdevelopment In Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano the capitalist portrayal in Latin America is represented as the cause and effect of the present day problems in Latin America. The cause of poverty in Latin America is the more developed countries of the world; raping the land for the minerals, sugar and coffee.
Sugar Cane Production In Cuba Essay Research
Paper Sugar Cane Production in Cuba Havana, April 17 (APIC). In Cuba, historically, prosperous and poor times were called the time of the fat cows and the time of the skinny cows respectively. In this skinny cow period that has prolonged for a record 4 decades, we must also refer in recent years to an even more discouraging expression: the time of the skinny sugar cane.
Sugar Cane Plantations Essay Research Paper Sugar
Sugar Cane Plantations Essay, Research Paper Sugar Cane Plantations In 1913 my Great Grandfather Man Kum Paik immigrated to Hawaii to work in the infamous sugar cane plantations. He first arrived in Koloa, Kauai. My Great Grandmother came over two years later. They moved to the Big Island where my Great Grandfather worked in the Plantation fields in the Paala plant.
Osmosis 2 Essay Research Paper Osmosis in
Osmosis 2 Essay, Research Paper Osmosis, in botany and chemistry, the flow of one constituent of a solution through a membrane while the other constituents are blocked and unable to pass through the membrane. Experimentation is necessary to determine which membranes permit selective flow, or osmosis, because not all membranes act in this way.
Essay About Cereal Essay Research Paper If
Essay About Cereal Essay, Research Paper If you were living in the turn of the century, what do you think you?d be eating for breakfast? There were no unique “breakfast foods.” Breakfast was the same as any other meal: meat and/or eggs for breakfast. Though by the end of the 1800?s times had changed. The leading part of everyone?s breakfast was a bowl of cereal.
Fidel Castro Essay Research Paper I think
Fidel Castro Essay, Research Paper I think Fidel Castro is a better leader for Cuba instead of Batista.Fidel is still in power and currently now is still running Cuba.First Castro is well-liked by his people.Secondly Castro and his ability to help with communication.Lastly Castro has given the country alot of benefits that help the poor and many other people.
Dna Structure Essay Research Paper DNA Structure
Dna Structure Essay, Research Paper DNA Structure DNA is a double stranded molecule twisted into a helix. Each spiraling strand is comprised of a sugar phosphate backbone and attached bases connected to a complimentary strand. The complimentary strand is connected by non-covalent hydrogen bonding between paired bases.
The Fermentation Process In Wi Essay Research
Paper The Fermentation Process in Wine Making Wine making is a long process. After the best grapes have been harvested and pressed they have to go through a process called fermentation. During pressing, when the grapes’ skins are broken, yeast, or Saccharomyees ellipsoideus, from the skins comes in contact with the sugar from the insides of the grapes.