The podcast lecture for today covers those elements of the civil rights movement that took place before the 1954 landmark decision Brown vs. Board of Education. Instead of a "beginning," in many ways, Brown represented the culmination of a long-term legalistic strategy that had its origins in the 1910s with the founding of the NAACP. We will consider the strategies and effectiveness of individuals like Lonnie E. Smith whose victory in Smith v. Allwright (1944) struck down the "white primary."
We will also look at the importance of the black middle and professional classes and neighborhoods like Atlanta's Sweet Auburn district in cultivating an atmosphere where civil rights activism might take place.
Chapter 5 in Away Down South examines the literary output and social activism of southern writers, both black and white, in the years leading up to 1954. Be sure to pay special attention to the rhetoric and methods these artists employed to speak out against the prevailing social norms of the South. To what degree were these writers brave? To what degree were they timid? Post your discussion question below.
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Cobb mentions that some African American authors, such as Hurston and Hughes, were criticized for their portrayal of black southern culture. What were the arguments these critics presented, and what role did economics play in this discussion? How did these authors defend their works against such accusations, and what was the effect of this criticism on future writing styles?
ReplyDeleteOn page 139 of Away Down South, Cobb states that authors working within "developing regions" are often forced to deal with themes of regional ambivalence and cultural conflict, and that these writers tend to establish "a somewhat schizophrenic, 'love-hate' relationship" with the subject of regional self-identity. How do we see this regional schizophrenia emerge within the lives and writings of Southern authors (Faulkner, Wolfe, etc.), and can we compare or contrast this type of ambivalence to any of the themes we recognized in Blues music/culture?
ReplyDeleteCobb's chapter 5 discusses the different points of view expressed by African-American Southern writers about the best way to advance their race. What were the different ideas expressed? What were the advantages and disadvantages of each idea? Were they slowing their own advancement by attacking each other?
ReplyDeleteIt has been said that William Faulkner desperately wanted to retain an aristocratic family image, as evidenced by his purchase of Rowan Oak, his embellishment of past family fortune, and the "style of life" that he attempted to maintain. Despite this need for social prominence, Faulkner obviously recognized the complexity of the South, exemplified by his characters that ranged all facets of southern society, from the Snopes to the de Spains. Did Faulkner identify more with the upper or lower classes of his stories and why? What does this tell modern readers about the social activism of southern writers at the time?
ReplyDelete“They make success something that women can hope to experience only through their husbands.” (Cobb, 133) The theme of women portrayed as dependent on a man especially their husbands is evident in the Color Purple with the mayors wife, she is respected because her husband is the mayor not for her own accomplishments. When do women become their own person and not an extension of their husbands and why must their desires be diminished in order to abide with social acceptance?
ReplyDeleteIn Cobb chapter five, he mentions the notion of both blacks during the Harlem Resistance like their white counter points in the southern resistance the idea of the people taking a Backward Glance (Cobb p 148). Is this backward glance so they can be reminded of the life they once knew or are these writers looking back to point out the horrors of the old south and why people must embrace the new south way of life?
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ReplyDeleteAllen Tate states that "the South re-entered the world-but gave a backward glance as it stepped over the border"(p 130) This backward glance is said to be the stem of a literary Renaissance in the South. From Glasgow's "blood and irony" to Newman's gender convictions and Faulkner's nostalgic personality, how did these writers maintain an idealistic perspective of the Old South while exemplifying the characteristics of the modernization of the New South?
ReplyDeleteWhat effect did The Kissing Case have on the "color line."
ReplyDeleteLast class we talked about the conflicting/schizophrenic themes that are embedded in many southern writers’ works (Faulkner, Wolfe). Are those conflicting themes found in Radio Free Dixie? If so where?
ReplyDeleteBoth World Wars enormously effected the race relations in America. What did each war contribute to the African-American fight for equality?
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