The Kitchen Table Series By Carrie Mae Weem

“Hana’s suitcase”, written by Karen Levine, records a painful memory of a Toronto resident, Gorge Brady, to his lost younger sister in the World War II (WWII), Hana Brady. This memory is provoked by an unexpected package from Japan. Which tells him they are exhibiting his sister’s suitcase as well as her drawing photographs in Tokyo Holocaust Center for a purpose of education about the Holocaust to the Japanese children. And they hope to get more information about his sister, Hana Brady’s life. In the continuing communication with the Japanese children, Gorge gives them all the details about Hana’s short life, and what happens to her in the WWII.

Many of the ideas presented in her work, Blue Black Boy, are ones she has had to face in her own life. Living in America, she has been subjected to scrutiny based solely on her skin color as well as other forms of racism. Speaking of racism, Blue Black Boy, was created in a time where racism was very prevalent; every aspect of life was exposed to. These feelings by society and ___ of racism have attributed to the formal aspects mentioned above and shaped how Weems created her work of art. While there was a great deal of racism, many having been pushing for equality amongst races. Weems can be seen as one of the many pushing for equality and I see Blue Black Boy as an attempt to raise a question within society about the treatment of African

The Black Arts movement refers to a period of “furious flowering” of African American creativity beginning in the mid-1960’s and continuing through much of the 1970’s (Perceptions of Black). Linked both chronologically and ideologically with the Black Power Movement, The BAM recognized the idea of two cultural Americas: one black and one white. The BAM pressed for the creation of a distinctive Black Aesthetic in which black artists created for black audiences. The movement saw artistic production as the key to revising Black American’s perceptions of themselves, thus the Black Aesthetic was believed to be an integral component of the economic, political, and cultural empowerment of the Black

Almost everyone has something in their family that has a very special meaning. Most of the time that object has something to do with family heritage. This is definitely true for the poem "my mother pieced quilts" by Teresa Acosta and the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker. In the poem "my mother pieced quilts" by Teresa Acosta and the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, both author's use imagery and figurative language to establish the quilt as a symbol for family heritage to illustrate their themes. Family heritage is what brings family together.

“Celia, A Slave” written by Melton McLaurin paints a full story of an African slave named Celia in the period of 1850s. She was bought by Robert Newsom, her white master, to serve his sexual relationship. She was put into trial after killing her master in an attempt to stop him from sexual advance and then burned his body in the fireplace. This incident appalled residents in Callaway County and Missouri in a historical period when the neighboring Kansas Territory deeply involved into a furious dispute over if Kansas became a slave state or free-slave state. In a series of non-stop events, Celia’s story became emblematic of the centrifugal conditions that ripped the antebellum America apart because her life helps us understand women’s rights in the slavery society and a conflict between proslavery and antislavery activities.

Literature is defined as written works published on a particular subject. Literature can also be viewed as witness, because it can be a source of proof based on the events it was written on. Literature as witness allows readers to get a deeper understanding of the issues that have happened based off of what the books are about. Those who read literary texts such as historical novels, memoirs and novels are witness to historical events. These texts can be viewed as witness because the events mentioned are based off of true life events. Some may argue historical fiction is not real and therefore could not be viewed as a reliable source. Even though historical fiction is made up of fictional characters, the conflicts that are mentioned are based

In the works The Glass Castle, a memoir written by Jeanette Walls; it is profoundly evident that young Jeanette lived through an abnormal childhood. Parents Rex and Rosemary Walls psychological self-hatred and selfishness, has created a false illusion of a healthy childhood for their daughter Jeanette Walls. As they manifest detrimental influences through her childhood, Jeanette takes control, resulting in an adult who perceivers through harsh obstacles; coming out stronger in the end. Although her entire surroundings and lifestyle seem to be a toxic catastrophe as a child, the most notable examples of harmful conditions are her father’s uncontrollable drunkenness and desire to steal from his children, her mother’s greed and disregard towards

Renee Cox, as an African American woman and artist, uses her body and identity to start a discussion on the Black experience in America. Besides representing a population of minority artists, the female and the non-white, her art has affected society with her brazen approach to her craft. Cox’s significance comes from her open display of race and sex. In many of her pieces, nudity and the celebration of the African American experience is the focus. In addition to this, her medium of choice, mixed media and photography, is opening an outlet of art that isn’t traditionally used. In essence, Renee Cox is an artist that can pave the way for future artists by diversifying through medium, race, and sex.

In the short essay, Lies My Children’s Books Taught Me, it primarily focuses on The Pleasant Company and the ways they advertise, market, and sell their American girl merchandise. Lies My Children 's Books Taught Me, is written by Daniel Hade, who is a professor of language and literacy at Penn State College. In Eric Schlosser’s essay, Kid Kustomers, he explains the injustice of marketing, and the idea of “cradle to grave” advertizing. This idea of advertizing is basically to get a kid so attached or devoted to a brand/toy that they don 't just buy it for themselves but for their kids in the future. Kid Kustomers helps us to better understand the book Lies My Children’s Books

Carrie Mae Weems is an African American artist, who works with text, fabric, audio, digital images, but mostly known for her “Kitchen Table” photography series. Her art is focused around the serious issues African American have to face in the United States every day.

Theme: is the conflict between generations in changing Japan. Meaning 
the ways of past generations are giving way to new values that have not been fully developed in the younger generations. One exanple of this being that suicide, carried out in the face of defeat have now lost of its meaning and honor in younger generations.

Have you ever read the cultural story “A Family Supper” by Japanese author, Kazuo Ishiguro? Generally, it’s the conflict between generations in changing Japan, one can understand that this story depicts a young Japanese man (the narrator) who lived in America and has come back to Japan, his motherland to attend the funeral of his mother. He had dinner with his family at the first time of the year. With emphasis on generational conflict, the three aspects that are relationship between the son and his father from their conservation, the cultural property mentioned in the story and how the father’s disappointment affects his son, the narrator of the story.

No other artist has ever made as extended or complex career of presenting herself to the camera as has Cindy Sherman. Yet, while all of her photographs are taken of Cindy Sherman, it is impossible to class call her works self-portraits. She has transformed and staged herself into as unnamed actresses in undefined B movies, make-believe television characters, pretend porn stars, undifferentiated young women in ambivalent emotional states, fashion mannequins, monsters form fairly tales and those which she has created, bodies with deformities, and numbers of grotesqueries. Her work as been praised and embraced by both feminist political groups and apolitical mainstream art. Essentially, Sherman's photography is part of the culture and

The Welcome Table is a short story written by Alice Walker. It is written in third person point of view. “The omniscient technique is used in this story and is particularly effective in allowing the reader to understand the old woman’s predicament and how she, and others, dealt with it” (Clugston, 2010). In this essay, I will explain the meaning of this story as well as the realities to racism and hate.

The Martha Rules follows in the footsteps of Martha Stewart, where she analyzes and suggests many strong features in the business world and in life as well. Looking into the business world, I saw it from a student point of view; scary, intimidating, and uneasy to figure out. Analyzing the title, The Martha Rules, I expected a book with a multitude of rules that would be explained minimally with little experience and background. From watching Martha Stewart, I understood her fame account and her role in television shows, news, and cooking. The Martha Rules brought to my attention the impact Martha Stewart brought to the business world as well as television, real estate, and other areas while learning through different experiences what it