The following assignments are to be completed both for homework and in class during my absence.
1. Journal #42: George Mason University asks its students of early American literature the following question. It is your job for this :
Minstrel shows continued to be popular well into the 1950s, and high schools, fraternities and local theater groups would often perform minstrel shows in blackface. It became unpopular as African Americans asserted more politcal power in the 1950s.
But did it ever really go away? The bizarre minstrel show might be easier to understand in modern terms. Think of white rappers, or white rock musicians who play blues-derived music. There are many white people who love African American music but don't particularly understand or represent the cultural significance it conveys. Consider a white, suburban kid yelling "gangsta" rap lyrics out a car window. Is this admiration, stealing or parody? Does it come with sincere homage and cultural gap-bridging? Can it lead to cultural understanding and admiration trying to come to some understanding of cultural difference, or are they just engaging in minstrel parody without the make up?
Please use the Slate article and videos from the previous post in considering your answer. I am far more interested in the notion of viral videos than in any older incarnation of this issue (like rap and rock music).
2. Read the introduction to Romanticism/Transcendentalism found in the text (p. 206 - 214). Annotate in your notes.
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