Anglais Notion 3 : Places and forms of power

Sujet du devoir

I am going to talk about the notion of places and forms of power. First, I would like to give a definition of power. Power is a right or an authority given or delegated to a person or a body . The notion of power generally implies a basic division between those who have and exercice power and those who have name or little of it. Sometimes even when authority seems absolute there are always counter powers which question it, arm at limiting itsexcesses and resists it as for as the African American artists who armed at changing the balance of power and making the voice into account in the USA .  Therefore, the exercise of power within a community requires that its members accept a complex system of laws and respect symbols such as specific places, in particular the court, the parliament and the prison, but also that diversity does not exist. This is not an obstacle in founding a company. We will see this by telling ourselves :how did the Americans achieve recognition? In the first part I am going to talk you of the “second-class” citizens and in the second they forging an identity: art as a weapon and for finish Towards improvement .  

I] Second class citizens

The declaration of independance  was adopted on 4 th July 1776 . Independance Day is still celebrated every years in the USA . We have senns with the autors (the Fouding Fathers) focus on what they considered to be obvious facts : that all men are equal from birth , that they have God given rights that no one can take away from them, such as the rights to life, the rights to freedom and the rights to persie happiness . We can wonder if by "men" they rifer to the human race or just to the male sex. There is quite a lofty , religious tone as these rights are social to be bestoweedd by a superior being. But unfortunately, although it is birth rights, this is not necessarily taken into account by the Black codes that became law in Mississippi in 1865 , just after the end of the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery. In plain English , the law states that is forbidden by law for whites and no whites to intermary. Anyone doing so rises being sentenced to life in prison . It seems an extremely harsh and racist law imposing segregation . Indeed , it was probably hoped that the severity of the law would discourage blacks and whites from mixing socially . Both of these documents are American and date back to the 18 th an 19 th century . The older text of the two states clearly mentioned that all men are created equal . This is in stark contrast with the passage from the Black codes wich show that people were willing to pass laws to deny people to mix . It seems in complete contradiction with the assertion that people had a right to persue happiness. This reveals that there must have been a gap between the ideals of the Decleration of Independance and reality of the time . Unfortunately this had consequences with the complexity of inferiority but also with "broken dreams". Indeed, the image we have studied of Ben Watson shows Aimé a black girl sitting on a bench in a church. She wears a blue and white dress that is her "best Sunday", as suggested by the title of the painting. This image is accompanied by a text in which the narrator informs us that the little black girl would like to look like a movie star or a little white girl. And that she would also like to have "long blond hair" and "light blue eyes".

II]Forging an identity: Art as a weapon

Afro-American art, a free and legal way to express themselves with really meaningful images, and they also do what most people do not have the courage to do as a friend with a white man and a popular artist. They try to feel each other to raise awareness and gather more people to fight. This can be illustrated by the artist who was studied in the Gordon Parks class with his work "American Gothic" taken in 1942 . It shows a black woman who is bespectacled and carrying a broom and a mop , she is probably a cleaner . Though she stands straight and stares directly at the camera there is a something sad or disappointed in her expression. And in the background there is the American Flag .The photographer may have wanted to show that like this woman , many African Americans are imprisoned in a socio-economic role that they can't escape. The American flag represents the hope of justice and equality , thus emphasiising the gap between the ideals and reality.

In the 1920s, racial prejudice drove blacks to migrate to the urban north of the United States. In the essentially black area of ​​Harlem, New York, a major cultural movement has emerged. If is known today as the Renaissance of Harlem, but at that time it was called the "Black Movement". The movement reflected the expression of a new racial awareness for African-American artists and intellectuals who believed that through art they could combat racial stereotypes and prejudices and gain recognition. Some of the common themes were: the experience of slavery, the effect of institutionalized racism and the emerging new black identity. We had the opportunity to see the experience of slavery with the work of the artist William H.Johnson "The Chain Gang" painted in 1939.There are 3 prisoners working as part of a chain gang and their faces are quite sad , and their bodies are strangely entwined. They are carrying scythes, pickaxes and shovels, symbol of their hard labour.This painting can be read on different levels. The gangs of the 1939 chain were a reality of which the artist had probably been a witness and it was likely that he hoped to make people aware of this terrible and humiliating suffering involved in this form of punishment. Moreover, the fact that all the prisoners were black would indicate that his intention was also to make people aware of the plight of African Americans, subject to eclipse, humiliation and stigmatization.

however, contrary to the previous documents we have studied, this one shows the uniqueness and equality between blacks and whites. This picture shows a crowd of African-Americans and whites gathered at the Lincoln Memorial. What is interesting is that there are a variety of artists from different fields, from film, from everyday life and from different ethnic backgrounds who are together in a demonstration of solidarity. They seem to be united by the common goals of ending racial segregation and equality for all.

Finally, some people see art only as a form of entertainment and do not take the underlying message seriously. On the other hand, art can sometimes convey reality in a symbolic way that is more powerful and more effective than the mere report of facts. So to have more impact in society some individuals take risks to achieve a goal: that of equality among all but especially recognition.

III]Towards improvement

Subsequently we studied a speech made by Barack Obama in Philadelphia in 2008 while he was running for president. He explains how, in 1787, people from all walks of life came together to ratify the Constitution of the United States in Philadelphia. They decided that the issue of slavery would be left to future generations to solve the problem of the slave trade that could continue for at least another 20 years. According to Barack Obama, the guarantee of freedom of justice for all would have been nothing but words on paper if the American people had not fought for these rights. In his opinion, unless people are fighting for their rights, the Constitution is worthless. He points out that Americans fought for their rights by walking on the streets, filing lawsuits and even participating in a civil war. In short, people were willing to risk their lives to bring equality and freedom, which was supposed to be the Constitution. Americans fought for their rights by protesting on the street or in court. They went so far as to engage in a civil war and some practiced civil disobedience. In general, they were willing to take risks to achieve what they planned to do.Indeed some individuals have managed to bring about improvements and change. Marshall was the 1st African American to work in the Supreme Court from 1967 to 1991. Then in the 1960's they saw their wages increase . After this, more African Americans became statesmen from the 2000's. For exemple B. Obama was the 1 st black president in the USA . And eventually the rate of black people going to high school and being gratuated increased by four from 1960

Conclusion :  Completely excluded from the fine ideals of the Declaration of independane in 1776, African Americans spent the next two centuries searching for political intellectuall and cultural empowerment in American society . From the beginning of slavery to the end of segregation in the south of the USA, the road to freedom and true equality has been a long one.  Using Art , literature, music, photography and films, African Americans have taken control of their own identity and imposed universal recognition.

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