Trinidad Carnival

The mulatto elite separated themselves from the black masses by assimilating the morals and manners of the slaveholding aristocracy. They acquired as a part of their family traditions the patterns of behavior which were associated with the idea of the southern lady and southern gentleman. As a rule, these families formed a closed circle from which were excluded all who could not boast of similar ancestry and did not conform to the same standards of morals and manners. They were self-conscious of their “culture” which consisted of the enjoyment of English and, in Louisiana, French classical literature music. They maintained literary societies in which they could enjoy and foster their “culture.” The patterns found in rural as compared to urban black communities changed. The folk tradition of the

Thus, most references are from the limited amount of available secondary literature and some push the boundary of the late medieval time period because studies relating the carnivalesque to social tensions are rare. This essay aims to be selective and handle a difficult topic in an interesting way, leading to the conclusion that indeed peasant activities in the carnivalesque certainly do reveal social tensions within their late medieval European experiences.

When the war ended slaves were finally considered “free”. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and was passed by the Congress on January 31st, 1865, and

Black women and men from various African nations resided on the sugar plantations, including Musungo Congos, Mandingos, Gangas, Lucumis and Carabalis. Montejo comments on the games played by Africans, sugar refining in small mills, taverns that sold supplies to the slaves, and religious practices. He rejects the myth that Africans committed suicide by hanging or drowning themselves, but argues instead that they flew back to their homeland with a religious object (known as a prenda) tied to their waist. Slaves loved music, particularly the use of the drum. Montejo laments that the "white man's music had no drum at all. Tasteless" (Barnet 1994, p. 33). Montejo depicts the Africans with whom he lived as people of great physical beauty, compassion, and sensuality. He also presents clear evidence of the brutal treatment inflicted on these African slaves by masters and overseers. Planters often locked their slaves in stocks for two or three months for minor offenses, and whipping was common. "The barracoon [slave quarters] was bare dirt, empty, and lonely" (Barnet 1994, p. 24). Slaves rose at 4:30 a.m. and then worked from 6:00 a.m. until sunset cutting sugar cane and working in the mill.

Dating back to 1865, It was on June 19th that the union soldiers led by General Gordon Granger, Landed at Galvestown, Texas with news that the war has ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and

festival gave power to the youth, united people of all ages, races, and sexes, and defined

The slaves work in the field ceased at sunset, but this only began their second shift. All slaves had some form of chore they were responsible for, whether feeding the animals or cutting wood; conversely, when they get to retreat to their lavish cabins, the plantation hands proceeded to kindle their fire, ground corn mean in a small hand-mill and prep their food for their next day of leisurely field work. There was no rest for the weary. The women were forced into sexual submissions by their masters. The riches do not end there; there is more, Berlin describes the demeanor of the slaves in their submissions, “slaves learned to lower their eyes, take off their hats, and bare their heads in front of a white man – the “down-cast eyes and uncovered head – in the attitude and language of a slave.” Southern slaveholders in the 19th century were completely delusional...The claim, that their slaves were treated superior, was merely to ease their own subconscious; moreover, they presumed that this mentality would give them a chance to hide behind false pretenses, then maybe, the rest of the world would not get a glimpse into their sick and demented ways. However, slaveholders trying to persuade society of this mindset, are nothing more than awful jesters that are not

Although Prevalence of Ritual shows ritual and religious histories of African Americans, its similarity to She felt the sting of slavery cannot be overemphasized. Both artworks (30years apart) shows the struggles of African Americans through slavery, instability, inequality, fear, pain, dejection, rejection poverty and

Parading on the outskirts of Mobile while dressed up as a Chickasaw chief is how one man became an important factor in the history of Mobile, Alabama, in the mid 1800’s. Now, a day set aside for this man, parades with floats, beads, moonpies, and loud music remind Mobilians of their favorite time of the year, Mardi Gras. The carnival celebration of Mardi Gras has played a big role in the history of the southern cities Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, but the history that everyone believes about the carnival and the people that have contributed to it is not always as true as it seems.

The mass of almost one hundred thousand is edgy. The night is hot, humid, and alive with a feeling in the air so palpable you can almost trace it with your finger. The bleachers are filled to maximum capacity, along a mile-long stretch of paved roadway adjacent to an old brewery. People from all races, classes, and countries are celebrating together at the culmination of the orgiastic, pre-Lenten, hedonistic festival of Carnival. Soon, the first marchers proceed down the corridor to the booming cacophony of bass, snare, and friction drums. The rattling of tambourines, bells, and scrapers add flavor and accent. Like a bird set free, the singing cavaquinho (ukulele) emits its high pitched cries, adding to the frenzy. The marchers and

Through Colson Whitehead’s vivid language in The Underground Railroad, the reader, like the dancing slave, forgets the terrorizing presence of slave masters and is discomfited by as the overseer’s abrupt arrival whilst also getting a purview into slave community life in the 19th century. Amidst festivities for a senior slave’s birthday, the narrator suddenly interjects, “THE music stopped. The circle broke.” The brevity of the two sentences only elevate the suspense of the moment and the slaves’ terror. The stopping of the music symbolizes the forced removal of African culture from blacks.

I will use a variety of sources so my information can go in depth. Anyone who will read my research paper will end up becoming an expert in Louisiana’s Mardi Gras traditions. Mardi Gras developed into a festival for everyone to come together and have the time of their lives. I hope to be able to share what I have found over the past few weeks with my audience and the people who read this. If someone who knew nothing about Mardi Gras was to read my paper than I hope they end up knowing everything about Carnival, its foods, colors, festivities, etc. This research paper has enough information to to teach anyone about the meaning of Mardi Gras and its traditions that

We’ve all heard of the festival being a scene with women flashing for beads and I totally expected the streets (especially Bourbon Street) to be filled with half-naked drunk people. What I found instead, were elaborately dressed festival-goers of all ages celebrating, laughing and expressing themselves through music, art, and dance. While many costumes and signs were humorous and outrageous, I never once felt anything other than love and positivity around

The carnivalesque can be understood as having arisen in response to a society which, as described by literary critic Jon Cook, was “ostensibly attached to hierarchy and its manifold religious and social rituals” (Cook 190). It appears as a revolution against these confining structures, working to reassert freedom. It works toward this end by both negating the values of

On an 18th century British plantation there was constant battle between slaves and planters, for the slaves needed to keep their cultural forms alive. Harsh treatment of slaves by the planter, often forced slaves to resort to various forms of resistance in order to keep their cultural forms alive. While the slaves of the plantation were able outsmart the planter at times, the planter also devised wicked schemes that made life for slaves extremely difficult.