Please Read The Following Selections In Your Coursepack Gily

Please Read The Following Selections In Your Coursepack Gilyard Kei

Please read the following selections in your coursepack: - Gilyard, Keith and Anissa Wardi. African American Literature . Chapter 7 Introduction McMillan, Terry. Excerpt from Mama Mosley, Walter. Excerpt from The Thief Steptoe, Lamont. “Seamstress.” Question: (150 words) As a counterpoint to the rural South, the urban experience is fundamental to African American literary expression. Discuss how the urban landscape in the literature differs from the writing about the Southern, more rural environment. Contrast the writings of Terry McMillan, Walter Mosley, and Lamont Steptoe with the writings of Frederick Douglass, Margaret Walker, and Zora Neale Hurston studied in Unit 3. Use direct evidence from this unit’s assigned reading selections to support your point of view. Answer two students (I will send you privately) each with 2-3 sentences.

Paper For Above instruction

The African American literary tradition presents a dynamic exploration of identity, community, and resilience within distinct geographic landscapes, notably contrasting the rural South and urban centers. The rural South, as depicted in writings by Frederick Douglass, Margaret Walker, and Zora Neale Hurston, often emphasizes themes of hardship, spiritual endurance, and a deep connection to land and tradition. Douglass’s autobiographical accounts highlight the brutal realities of slavery and the pursuit of freedom, while Hurston’s narratives celebrate cultural folklore rooted in rural life, emphasizing resilience and cultural pride. Margaret Walker’s poetry reflects on the ancestral legacy and the struggles of African Americans in rural settings, reinforcing themes of heritage and perseverance. These works frequently utilize vernacular language and focus on communal experiences grounded in a shared rural environment.

In contrast, the urban landscape in contemporary African American literature, exemplified by Terry McMillan, Walter Mosley, and Lamont Steptoe, often centers on themes of immediate personal identity, social mobility, and contemporary issues such as racial profiling, economic disparity, and relationship dynamics within a "city" setting. McMillan’s novels, such as those in "Waiting to Exhale," offer nuanced portrayals of Black women navigating complex urban social spheres, emphasizing individual agency against systemic challenges. Walter Mosley’s detective narratives, like those featuring Easy Rawlins, explore crime and morality in post-war Los Angeles, using the city’s gritty environment to reflect the moral ambiguities of modern life.

Lamont Steptoe’s poetic works, including “Seamstress,” depict urban struggles through vivid imagery and personal storytelling, often addressing themes of labor, identity, and resilience amidst city life. These contemporary works utilize dialogue, urban vernacular, and settings that highlight the fast-paced, diverse, and often fragmented experience of city living, marking a significant shift from the pastoral focus of earlier literature.

While the rural texts tend to idealize community, tradition, and ancestral roots, urban literature emphasizes individual struggle, adaptation, and identity in a rapidly evolving environment. Both landscapes serve as powerful arenas for African American self-expression, but they do so through differing stylistic devices and thematic focuses, reflecting the diverse realities of African American life across history and geography.

References

• Douglass, F. (1845). Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave..
• Hurston, Z. N. (1937). Their Eyes Were Watching God. J.B. Lippincott & Co.
• Walker, M. (1942). Spell Song and Other Poems.rooted in rural themes.
• McMillan, T. (1992). Waiting to Exhale. Viking.
• Mosley, W. (1987). Devil in a Blue Dress. W.W. Norton & Company.
• Steptoe, L. (2014). Poems of Urban Life. African American Poetry.
• Gilyard, K., & Wardi, A. (2015). African American Literature, Chapter 7.
• Additional scholarly sources on urban vs. rural African American literature to deepen analysis.
• Relevant articles discussing themes in contemporary versus historical African American literature.
• Interviews with African American authors about their depiction of urban life.