Reading a Work in its Materialist Essays - Afro-Caribbean History

Reading a Work in its Materialist Reading a Work in its Materiality: C. L. R. James' Toussaint L'Ouverture / The Black Jacobins This seminar paperas part of a broader project of theorizing the materiality of language, literature, reading,...is a consideration of a particular literary work in its materiality. Specifically, the paper reads C. L. R. James' play The Black Jacobins, an earlier version of which was staged in 1938 as an intervention in the debates around the Ethiopian crisis. That first version of the play, under the title Toussaint L'Ouverture, was performed in London in 1938 with Paul Robeson in the title role. The revised and re-titled version is included in The C. L. R. James Reader, published in 1992. I am interested in explaining the play's materiality. I believe that this is neither merely a matter of the experiential impact of that particular run of performances by a Black actor legendary for his stage presence and powerful voice, nor a matter of the use of the various theatrical devices to achieve particular effects. These matters will be discussed, but as I regard materiality to be a matte r of the material relations, this paper's reading of the play will emphasize the social relations of labor, both those depicted in the play and those which conditioned its very production as a cultural work. My two-fold aim in this paper, then, in reading the play in its context, is to critically discuss what it means to read a work (that is, a text, a play, a performance, a discursive intervention, a cultural production,...) and its context materially, and thus to begin to develop an effective theory of materiality and reading. The paper begins with a definition of the context of the play, taking into account that to define "context" is already to read. This is true of all reading, of course, but as I try to show, such context-reading is necessary for developing a coherent and reliable understanding both of the text which is read and of the context in which reading has emerged as a social possibility. The question of the emergence of the historical context of reading (that is, of education, literacy, printing,...) is important to consider in postcolonial studies, as it has always been a field for reading and theorizing the relationships among various forms of discourse. For example, the difference(s) between orality and literacy, or speech and writing, are familiar and important points of discussion and debate in postcolonial studies specifically and in cultural and literary studies generally. After providing historical context and reading the play in some of its detail, I will address these points of discu ssion as a means for clarifying further what reading materially means and why it is important. Anna Grimshaw, editor of The C. L. R. James Reader, a project on which she consulted with James, writes that Toussaint L'Ouverture was staged at London's Westminster Theatre as "an intervention in the debates surrounding the Ethiopian crisis" (5). What was the nature of this crisis? The crisis had to do with the Italian annexation of Ethiopia (or Abyssinia) in 1936. W. E. B. DuBois characterizes the relevant events in his historical work The World and Africa: When the British seized Egypt [in 1874] to secure the Suez Canal they occupied the Sudan [...]; they had designs on Ethiopia, but hesitated to follow up their victory over the Emperor Theodore. When the Sudan revolted, the British egged on Italy to annex the highlands of Ethiopia. Italy tried this but was soundly beaten by Menelek at Adowa on March 2, 1906 [...]. The allies promised Italy to give her Ethiopia after the First World War, but failed to do so. Italy, affronted, attacked Ethiopia in 1935. The League of Nations failed to restrain her and Britain and France refused Ethiopia arms. Italy annexed Ethiopia, with Churchill's approval. The Emperor, Haile Selassie, took refuge in England. (268-269) The crisis, which like all crises is a manifestation of contradiction, is succinctly expressed by DuBois in these last two sentences, which portray England as both the supporter of the Italian annexation of Ethiopia and the refuge of its emperor-in-exile. How can one country, England, or indeed the League of Nations to which all nations involved

Discrimination Against Women essays

Discrimination Against Women essays The perception of certain work as feminine has had a significant impact on women, both at home and in the workplace. Often feminine jobs regulate women to positions where they earn less money and are less likely to become management than their male counterparts. In addition, at home women are still chiefly responsible for managing the household and child rearing. These mundane and repetitive duties are not considered masculine, like vehicle maintenance and yard work, and therefore fall on the shoulders of women. Working women constantly battle against horizontal segregation, the separation of women and men into gender specific jobs. These feminine positions, also known as pink collar jobs, mainly involve working with people, domestic duties, and administrative work. Men mostly hold both blue collar jobs, factory and mechanical work, and white collar jobs, professional work. These positions are considered more valuable which translates into higher wages. Additionally, blue collar jobs are often unionized resulting in both higher wages and better benefits. Another phenomenon that affects working women is vertical segregation, gender separation within the same job classification. For example, female physicians on the average make only 77 percent of what male physicians make. Likewise, female lawyers are less likely to practice criminal law and are more likely to practice family law. In turn, they earn around 70 percent of male lawyers salaries.1 Similarly, female college professors typically teach in the humanities and social science disciplines, while male professors are more visible in the physical sciences. The masculine positions are viewed by society to be more important and valuable; therefore, they pay more and command higher respect. Many women have been denied top-level positions in their professions simply because they are females. Although they have earned the degrees and put in the necessary yea...

What To Do If Youre Not Passionate About Anything

What To Do If Youre Not Passionate About Anything You hear a bunch of people all around you talking about their passion and â€Å"following their bliss,† but all you hear is panic. What is your bliss? What if you don’t have one? Do you feel that everything you do is grey and lusterless? Do you find work boring? Is everything just kind of blah? Maybe you feel that you can’t be good at anything or passionate because you aren’t super talented or great at anything. Well that’s just not the case. It’s never too late to figure out what matters most to you, and to live a life of passion.Here are a few strategies to combat the â€Å"meh† feelings that currently fill your life.1. Shift your view.A little perspective goes a long way. Release yourself from all the negative voices in your head holding you back and keeping you stuck.2. Think strategically.Figure out what’s causing you the most frustration and dissatisfaction. Isolate that thing and start working towards bringing it down. Al l the while, start keeping a notebook of things that give you joy. And while you’re at it, start asking yourself what you wanted to be when you grew up. Why can’t you be that now? Start dreaming again.3. Get healthy.Your health is a major source of your wellbeing. Make sure you’re doing everything you can to be in your prime. Eat right, exercise, stay active. Make sure you sleep and make time for self-care. Get rid of toxic patterns and relationships.4. Stay curious.A great way to figure out what you want to devote your life to is to figure out what interests you most. If you haven’t hit upon it yet, that might be because you haven’t seen it yet. Start reading and being more open to new things. You never know where your passion might turn up.5. Think for yourself.Don’t just follow what the herd decides is â€Å"cool.† Figure out what you actually like. Dabble in all sorts of things. Push your comfort zone. Try new things more than onc e. If you like them, keep doing what you’re doing until you start to make some forward progress. If you don’t, cut your losses and move on. You might even find you meet new and deeply important friends when you start committing your time to things you truly enjoy.6. Be brutally honest.Ask yourself the tough questions about your unhappiness. The challenging soul searching and emotional work required will pay enormous dividends in the long run.7. Be confident.Believe that you’re doing the right thing when you find it. You’ll know what that is if you only start listening to yourself. Push past your fear and find the fun in life. Take time to check in, smell the roses, and keep yourself honest. Your future self with thank you, and you’ll be living a life that’s true to yourself. What could be better?

Increasing numbers of criminal defendants who are involved with Essay

Increasing numbers of criminal defendants who are involved with illegal narcotics or have mental-health issues or both - Essay Example 178-190). Forced trading of illegal drugs among kids from poor backgrounds in the long-run psychologically affects them. The negative pressure exerted on the young boys in the poor communities force them to grow up stressed. In the long-run, they get into a state of depression or even end up psychologically disturbed. The topic of drugs is delicate but also unmentioned. As a result, there are more young people getting lured into the drugs trade. When more individuals get into the trade, its distribution gets broader (Petrila 5-11). Drug abuse with time has become a menace that needs close attention. The main users being innocent teenagers who got lured by peers suffer the consequences of engaging with the wrong peers. The law enforcement agencies in the past have punished these young criminals carelessly. Hence, the resulting outcome becomes recurrent crime and drug abuse. The young boys, mainly have had to engage in further criminal activities because their reputation has become questionable, and no one is willing to employ them. The drug cartels operating in poor neighborhoods have taken the advantage of the confused youths to lure them further into illegal forms of trade. In the past decades, the biggest percentage of the criminals engaging in illegal trade of drugs were male, but in recent years the percentage of girls or females have kept increasing (Stojkovic 163-179). Drug abuse among teenage girls has increased considerably. It has become the case because more girls have started consuming drugs. Most of the girls who consume narcotics come from poor backgrounds, and they also engage in prostitution. The consumption of narcotics also has caused an increase in crime. When an individual gets to consume narcotics, he or she becomes uncontrollable and may end up committing a crime unaware. Most of the time, the drugs mess up the mental status of an individual causing them to act abnormally in their

The spread of English and the rise of new Englishes Essay

The spread of English and the rise of new Englishes - Essay Example While on the study of English, introspection on how English came into being can be elucidated here. The following figure throws light on the various cultures and sects that contributed to the development of English as we see today. The history of English is divided into three periods since its existence way back some 1000 BCE. Though it is difficult to establish the correct year, researchers have unanimously concluded that the three periods are referred to as Old English (or Anglo-Saxon), Middle English, and Modern English. The graph above shows that the earliest period is marked with the migration of certain Germanic tribes from the continent to Britain in the fifth century A.D., though no records of their language survive from before the seventh century, and continued till the end of the eleventh century or a bit later. Before the end of the eleventh century, Britain was also being influenced by Latin. Old Norse (the language of the Viking invaders), and Anglo-Norman French of the dominant class after the Norman Conquest in 1066, had a substantial impact on the lexicon, and the well-developed inflectional system that typified that the grammar of Old English had begun to break down (Merriam-Webster, 2007)2. We have see 2.0 Executive Summary We have seen that English is now a popular language spoken by natives of almost all nations around the globe. But, does English actually qualify to be the global language A headline in 'Globe and Mail' published in Toronto in 1997 read, "English is the global language". Though not much of ado, headlines of similar nature have appeared in thousands of newspapers and magazines across the globe in recent years. 'English Rules', a headline with a difference, showcases the popularity and strength of English in a world of uncanny universality of the language's spread and continuation. So what does it mean to say that a language is a global language Or why is English the language, usually cited in this connection If English did become the global language, will it remain omnipresent These and more questions lead researchers to question the theory, whether; English is in fact the first language of the world If English is one's mother tongue, one may have mixed feelings about the way English is spreading around the world. On the one hand, there is cause for pride, that English language has become ever so successful, but on the other, there could be consternation that the same language that was inherent as English, is being influenced by others, who borrow words from languages other than English to suit themselves (David Crystal, 2003, English as a Global Language)3. A lot of countries have their own native language or 'mother tongue', as it is popularly referred to as. If this is the case, which is true, how does English qualify to be declared the official global language There are two possibilities; one, English

Best source of funding for research organization Essay Example for Free

Best source of funding for research organization Essay There are a number of ways of funding research programs to help medical clinics; we may have an aspect where the government lends a hand or seeking the indulgence of the pharmaceutical companies. (NCSL, 2014) The above stated are two of those ways. Acceptance of offers to carry out research depends on the wishes of beneficiaries; they get to choose whom they perceive to be their best options. (U.S. Congress, 2006) Grants by the federal government may be defined as the assistance in monetary terms offered by the American government. (NIST, 2014)The government assistance has to conform to the laws and regulations set about by the federal agencies. (USA Government, n.d.)Grants offered by the pharmaceutical companies; to conduct clinical research is one of the common ways of sourcing for money to carry out research activities for clinics. (Canadian Business Network, n.d) Pharmaceutical companies are private entities which may not be put under tight regulations as compared to public institutions. (Federal Grants, n.d)The financing pharmaceutical company may fund a research project they deem to be in line with what they find necessary for them. (D.o.J., 1998) Advantages of using government grants to fund research projects Government or federal grants are a good way of sourcing for funds; even though the central government may impose very strict measures to go about using the cash. (Cornell University, n.d.) Once a government agency has given the nod for one to conduct the research alongside the funds allocation; a research organization is left to conduct its affairs in the required time they find ample. (UCONN, n.d.) Pharmaceutical companies may impose timelines so that they launch their products for commercial gains. (The Arc, n.d.)Pharmaceutical companies may continue funding a project based on interests to be fulfilled; some may be under pressure to churn out products that cause a buzz within markets. (Grant Space, n.d.)Another risk involved with pharmaceuticals funding projects would be purely to spite their competitors and caress enormous egos of company executives and owners. (TGCI, n.d.) Government does not engage in competition; but their mandate is to look out for the welfare of their citizen s. (The White House, n.d.)It’s with the above stated reasons that governmental funding looks more appealing as compared to funding from private entities. (Homeland Security, n.d.)There would not be conflicts or interests as well as undue pressure. (FELDESMAN+TUCKER+LEIFER+FIDELL, n.d.) References NCSL. (2014). NCSL. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/american-health-benefit-exchanges.aspxU.S. Congress. (2006, October). Research and Development in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Retrieved from https://cbo.gov/sites//10-02-drugr-d.pdfCanadian Business Network. (n.d.). Canadian Business Network. Retrieved from http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/page/2740/National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States Department of Commerce (DoC). (2014, February 25). ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (FFO) Measurement Science and Engineering (MSE) Research Grant Programs. Retrieved from www.nist.gov//grants/USA Government. (n.d.). Benefits, Grants, and Loans. Retrieved from http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Benefits.shtmlFederal Grants. (n.d.). Federal Grants. Retrieved from http://www.federalgrants.com/D.o.J. (1998, September). The United States Department of Justice. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/crt/grants_statutes/legalman.phpCornell Univers ity. (n.d.). Cornell University. Retrieved from http://www.irb.cornell.edu/faq/UCONN. (n.d.). University of Connecticut. Retrieved from http://research.uconn.edu/The Arc. (n.d.). Public Policy. Retrieved from http://www.thearc.org/what-we-do/public-policy/know-your-rights/federal-lawsGrant Space. (n.d.). Knowledge Base. Retrieved from http://grantspace.org/tools/knowledge-base/Funding-Resources/Government-Funders/government-grantsTGCI. (n.d.). Thw Grantsmanship Center. Retrieved from http://www.tgci.com/training/competing-federal-grants-5-dayThe White House. (n.d.). Office of Mnagement and Budget. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_defaultHomeland Security. (n.d.). Title VI Overview for Recipients of DHS Financial Assistance. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.gov/title-vi-overview-recipients-dhs-financial-assistanceFELDESMAN+TUCKER+LEIFER+FIDELL. (n.d.). Federal Grants. Retrieved from http://www.feldesmantucker.com/federal-grants/ Source document

Poetry Throughout the Ages :: essays research papers

This anthology is a published collection of poetry throughout the five major periods including- the Pre Elizabethan period, Elizabethan Period, Metaphysical Period, Romantic Period and the Victorian Period. The Pre Elizabethan Period was first in Old English and then in Middle English. Old English was used after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th and 6th centuries. The invaders from Germany who settled in England were called the Angles, the Saxon, and the Jutes. The names of these tribes come from the term Anglo Saxon. The most famous poetry from this period is Beowulf. Beowulf was written around 1000AD and be called a saga. At the time poems were performed and sung to audiences than were written or read out. This poem is about strange people and creatures with special powers. It tells a story of a hero and his adventures, noblemen and kings. The Elizabethan Period began when Queen Elizabeth I became Queen of England. She had the throne for 45-years, which ended with her death in 1603. The Queen's tastes in fashion were high classed. Her love of music, drama, and poetry gave motivation and financial support to the England's greatest writers. When his father died when he was 18, and being the youngest son this left him penniless. He turned to the law and at 23 he was already in the House of Commons. Bacon saw himself as the inventor of a method which would encourage a light in nature. The Metaphysical period began after James I took the throne. This period found many new developments in science including- optics, astronomy, sailing and navigation. Notable scientists like Newton and Galileo finding most of these scientific discoveries. Poets from this time used their knowledge of science to explain things they experience. One of the major poets is John Donne. He was born in London to a wealthy family. He was against the Catholic Church but allied with James I and his son Charles I with the Anglicans. He entered the priesthood life later and from then his poetry became more religious in nature. The Metaphysical period refers to things that are abstract like God, hatred, love, death. Poets from this time tried to explain the unexplainable by using scientific metaphors known as conceits. Donne is interesting because his poetry was first to do with love and then became about God as he got older. Romantic poetry used simple language which described their everyday aspects of life and nature.