Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases the spoken word performance of "Brown Boy, White Boy" by Jonathan Mendoza.
This powerfully written and performed spoken word documents the internal and external struggles of a person who is mixed race.
A complete transcription of this composition is included in this post along with selected comments from this YouTube video's discussion thread.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Jonathan Mendoza for this spoken word and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Jonathan Mendoza - "Brown Boy, White Boy" (NPS 2015)
Button Poetry, Published on Sep 20, 2015
[...] Performing for The House Slam during prelims at the 2015 National Poetry Slam. The House Slam won the tournament.
About Button:
Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.
We seek to showcase the power and diversity of voices in our community. By encouraging and broadcasting the best and brightest performance poets of today, we hope to broaden poetry's audience, to expand its reach and develop a greater level of cultural appreciation for the art form.
****
SPOKEN WORD: BROWN BOY, WHITE BOY
(by Jonathan Mendoza)
Biracial boy in social justice seminar is asked to join racial affinity group
People of color or white
White boy does not want to infiltrate safe space for people of color
Brown boy does not want to keep white people from having honest, constructive dialogue
Biracial boy does not know what he is, recalls posting a survey on Facebook in middle school asking how people categorized him
That it would determine his clothes, his music, how he spoke
Biracial boy wishes his skin came with an instruction manual
Brown boy tells white boy he should not identify as a person of color
That he can pass
That he should not appropriate a struggle that is not his
White boy tells brown boy he will not identify as white
Erase the brown from his blood
Will not be the one who finishes the colonization of his own body
Brown boy visits family in Mexico
Realizes he is the whitest intruder since conquistadores
Brown boy goes to white synagogue
Is in the only family not invited to the dinner party
Biracial boy is welcome everywhere
Biracial boy is not welcome everywhere
Biracial boy is tug of war
But biracial boy is both sets of hands pulling at each end
And biracial boy is sorry for this poem
For taking up space
Does not know if it's his white self that's doing so
If it's even letting the brown self speak
White boy apologizes for his privilege
Brown boy resents white boy for taking up so much space with apologies
White boy says "I'm sorry"
Brown boy says "You're doing it again"
Brown boy hates his white
This legacy like shingles all over his face
White boy gone
But biracial boy to brown family is still white
Still looks like coyote
Biracial boy is still the discolored sheep of each family and the dog that hunts it
Wishes he were a purebred and not a mutt
Brown boy asks white boy what it's like not to get profiled
To go to your cousin's wedding in Arizona and feel safe
White boy goes to white barbecue, meets white cop
White cop does not know boy is biracial, starts talking immigration policy
Brown boy screams, hides in white skin
White skin silence
White skin shield
White boy protected
White boy savior
Brown boy does not need white savior
Strikes back at white self
But biracial boy during Latino uprising does not know if he should sit down or speak up
To which army society has drafted him
Biracial boy is tug of war but biracial boy is the rope
Is fraying
Cannot hold his self together
Biracial boy hates being two different selves
Recalls it's the world that made him this way
That splits him in half
Held oppressor and oppressed
Insect and the boot
And biracial boy is both of them"
-snip-
posted on the video's discussion thread by Sara Wexler, 2017
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
[Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.]
1. Dylan Elliott, 2015
""Biracial boy is sorry for this poem, for taking up space, does not know if it's his white self that's doing so, if it's even letting the brown self speak." This is my struggle. I know this so well. This poem is beautiful and I thank Jonathan Mendoza for speaking it."
**
2. isabelle happyfeet, 2015
"I....what do I even say to this? there are one thousand layers to this poem that I don't even know how to unpack. This is a crisis of identity that is so heartbreaking especially given our current racial climate. but I just hope he has people who make room for him to be everything he is, the entire spectrum, and sway with him as he tries to unpack his identity. much love bro!
**
3. Diaries Of A Possessed Boy, 2015
""biracial boy is both the discolored sheep of the family, and the dog that hunts it" I have shivers, its been so long since I listened to a slam poem, and this first one back is the nest yet. simply beautiful"
**
4. summer v, 2015
" "the oppressed and the oppressor. the insect and the boot"🙌"
**
REPLY
5. Demetrius, 2015
"😭CHILLS!!!!!! Oh my god. 👏👏👏👏"
**
REPLY
6. Baka Iggy, 2015
"The dilemma was beautifully portrayed, and the emotions were near to perfect. Amazing."
**
REPLY
7. UnicornxSims, 2016
""Biracial boy is tug of war but biracial boy is both sets of hands pulling at each end""
**
REPLY
8. summer v, 2015
"half white and half Mexican. i feel you <3"
**
REPLY
9. alexis, 2015
"Same"
**
REPLY
10. Saiko Y, 2016
"I'm black and white, people either think im white or hispanic. Some think I'm both"
**
REPLY
11. Storm Bey, 2016
"+summer v But Mexican isn't a race though, over 60 percent in America are white. So, that's not really biracial, bicultural maybe."
**
REPLY
12. Batman, 2016
"+Storm Bey It's the same struggle though"
**
REPLY
13. Storm Bey, 2016
"@vaiosony2 Not at all."
**
REPLY
14. Batman, 2016
"@Storm Bey
Well I have a different opinion"
**
REPLY
15. krusti, 2016
"The reason so much of America is "white" is because for whatever reason you can only ever be black or white. There's no options for those who are brown cause most Mexicans and Latinos are not white."
**
REPLY
16. Lapis Diamond Crystal Gems, 2017
"Kristi "you can either be black or white" you are missing the whole point of the poem"
**
REPLY
17. Isabela Don, 2018
"Mexican is not a race. It is a culture."
**
18. B. Ariel, 2016
"This is my every day. This is how I have felt since I was in middle school. Thank you, brown boy. Thank you, white boy."
**
19. Always Honest, 2016
"This hit my core, I struggled with this growing up."
**
20. CT Rhodes, 2016
"exactly how i feel except asian girl, white girl"
**
21. itisred100, 2016
"I feel this way too. I could never put as well as he has. I'm more white than anything else, but I don't want to abandon the other parts of myself. I also am afraid to be proud of those parts of me. He describes the feeling perfectly."
**
22. Miguel Guzman, 2016
"As a biracial male (Hispanic and White) watching this hit me close to my heart. For the first time I have seen someone successfully portray the emotions I struggled with growing up that i could not put into words. This truly is an amazing poem, much respect and love."
**
22, Chay, 2016
"beautiful, its always like this for me it breaks my heart"
**
23. Jessi Books, 2016
"this poem speaks to me so much, im half black half white ive always had the same internal conflict. beautifully written and performed."
**
24. Mad K, 2016
"I feel this deep man 👌🏼 I'm half Native American (my mom) and white (my biological dad) and when I tell people what I am they say "no you're not? You're blonde?" Like don't they get it? My father is blonde? So what? Just because I'm half something doesn't make me not Native American. The white doesn't always conquer not this time"
**
25. Brooke Hudgins, 2017
"This is true for me as well, I am half black and half white. It's really hard because I'm not really accepted by either side; my skin being so so light, black people think im trying to fit in. White people know something is up in my dna making up my body/facial features though, so they don't really let me in either."
**
26. Leslie Garcia Bobadilla, 2017
"Wow... he explained my daily battles with myself in 2 mins and 40 secs."
**
27. Sal K, 2017
"Half white, half Guyanese. Not fitting in is my specialty, my curse, and my blessing. Beautiful poem."
**
28. Sara Gussman, 2017
"Literally hits so close to home. Literally started crying the first time I heard it"
**
29. Whist Williams, 2017
"He has described the mixed experience so beautifully. I myself am mixed and constantly feel this around family and my community and it really does eat at you. You can never be white enough around the white people yet black enough for the black people or latino enough for the latino people, need I go on? Race tears away at me and so many others everyday and this man has presented it more perfectly than I have ever seen before"
**
30. lowkeytaijah, 2017
"although so many people say that race isn't an important factor in one's life...it is. it's honestly so hard not knowing where you belong; even within your own family."
**
31. Kylee Ransom, 2017
"im biracial and i totally get this. one group may want you to identify with them, and another not so much. this was great."
**
32. CarinaChristo, 2017
"I've watched this so many times and still can't explain how perfect it is. As a half-Latina growing up in a mainly white upper middle class suburb I feel so disconnected from my roots but at the same time feel like I don't even have the right to identify with this whole half of me I'm so isolated from but also connect with internally so much in the music I listen to, the food, and even just ways of thinking. I feel like a poser for calling myself Latina and question what people even see me as.
I don't know if you can tell but I'm still going through my identity crisis."
**
33. kalli amelya, 2017
"I feel this on so many levels, being black and Asian. Both sides of the family thinking you're not pure or good enough, when you're dad literally calls you the black sheep in every situation and it hurts. Beautiful and eloquently put poem."
**
34. Sarah Carter, 2017
"THANK YOU JONATHAN MENDOZA. You gave a voice and painted the picture we want to speak. Every single line. Every single word. Helping us feel less alone in this struggle. I identify with every single part of this poem. Thank you."
**
35. f, 2018
"This is honestly one of the most powerful poems I've ever heard. Growing up biracial, I had similar experiences, but I could never find the right words to make others understand how torn I felt between my two identities. Thank you so much for sharing this poem with the world, and giving a voice to an often silenced identity."
**
36. Peter Gratham, 2018
"Thank you for this. This poem touched me so deeply and spoke to my specific struggle with being biracial in a way I have always felt but never heard articulated. Thank you."
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label spoken word poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spoken word poetry. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Maya Angelou - "Seven Women's Blessed Assurance" & "The Mask"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post honors the award winning American author and poet Maya Angelou by showcasing two of her poems - "Blessed Assurance" and "The Mask". Information about Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Maya Angelou for her life's legacy. Thanks to the online publisher of this featured excerpt. Thanks also to the transcriber of this poem and the publisher of this video on YouTube.
****
SEVEN WOMEN'S BLESSED ASSURANCE
(Maya Angelou)
From http://departments.weber.edu/chfam/familiesalive/angelouspeech.html The Distinguished Annie Clark Tanner Lecture
16th-annual Families Alive Conference, Weber State University, May 8, 1997
...."I must do one more poem because I don't think you've laughed enough.
I told you I don't trust people who act that way (indicating). Yet some years ago Arsenio Hall telephoned me and asked if I would come onto his program.
I said "I thank you, Mr. Hall, but --"
He said "Oh, Doctor, no, ma'am. Don't -- Oh, no, ma'am. I'm just a commoner."
I said "Please, I don't know if I would have that much in common with your constituents."
But he was so persuasive, so I went on the program. And I enjoyed myself so much I went back eight times.
But the first time I did a piece called "Seven Women's Blessed Assurance," and I enjoyed it. And then I stayed around Los Angeles a little while, and then I flew from Los Angeles to Geneva, Switzerland, took a train over to another city and took the funicular up the side of the Alps to the foot of the Matterhorn, and there I gave a three-and-a-half-hour speech in French, English and Spanish, thank you. I was so full of (indicating). I mean, I was full of it.
I took the funicular back after about six days, and over to Geneva I went. And I was standing in the Geneva airport with an umbrella, my purse over my shoulder and a briefcase when a young white man came up to me. He said "Dr. Angelou?"
I said "Yes."
He said "Ms. Angelou."
I said "Oh."
He said "It's hard to believe, it's Ms. Angelou. I was in the audience at Arsenio Hall the night you did 'Seven Women's Blessed Assurance.'"
I said then, and I say now, "Woo-woo-woo." (indicating).
Nothing to do with it but to laugh. I laughed. Then I straightened up my umbrella that was way over there and the young man was gone.
And all those Swiss were looking at me like (indicating.)
And here is this piece which I wrote to make my ownself laugh.
The first woman said One thing about me, I'm little and low, I find me a man wherever I go.
The second woman said They call me string bean 'cause I'm so tall, men see me, they ready to fall.
The third woman said I'm fat as butter and sweet as cake, men start to tremble every time I shake.
The fourth woman said I'm young as morning and fresh as dew, everybody loves me, and so do you.
The fifth woman said I'm little and lean, sweet to the bone, they like to pick me up and carry me home.
The sixth woman said When I passed forty, I dropped pretense 'cause men like women who got some sense.
But the seventh woman is my favorite, for obvious reasons. The seventh woman said fifty-five is perfect, so is fifty-nine, 'cause every man needs to rest sometime."
****
THE MASK
(Maya Angelou, an adaptation of Paul Laurence Dunbar's "We Wear The Mask")
We wear the mask that grins and lies.
It shades our cheeks and hides our eyes.
This debt we pay to human guile
With torn and bleeding hearts…
We smile and mouth the myriad subtleties.
Why should the world think otherwise
In counting all our tears and sighs.
Nay let them only see us while
We wear the mask.
We smile but oh my God
Our tears to thee from tortured souls arise
And we sing Oh Baby doll, now we sing…
The clay is vile beneath our feet
And long the mile
But let the world think otherwise.
We wear the mask.
When I think about myself
I almost laugh myself to death.
My life has been one great big joke!
A dance that’s walked a song that’s spoke.
I laugh so hard HA! HA! I almos’ choke
When I think about myself.
Seventy years in these folks’ world
The child I works for calls me girl
I say “HA! HA! HA! Yes ma’am!”
For workin’s sake
I’m too proud to bend and
Too poor to break
So…I laugh! Until my stomach ache
When I think about myself.
My folks can make me split my side
I laugh so hard, HA! HA! I nearly died
The tales they tell sound just like lying
They grow the fruit but eat the rind.
Hmm huh! I laugh uhuh huh huh…
Until I start to cry when I think about myself
And my folks and the children.
My fathers sit on benches,
Their flesh count every plank,
The slats leave dents of darkness
Deep in their withered flank.
And they gnarled like broken candles,
All waxed and burned profound.
They say, but sugar, it was our submission
that made your world go round.
There in those pleated faces
I see the auction block
The chains and slavery’s coffles
The whip and lash and stock.
My fathers speak in voices
That shred my fact and sound
They say, but sugar, it was our submission
that made your world go round.
They laugh to conceal their crying,
They shuffle through their dreams
They stepped ’n fetched a country
And wrote the blues in screams.
I understand their meaning,
It could an did derive
From living on the edge of death
They kept my race alive
By wearing the mask! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
-snip-
Source: http://goldenbridgeinmate39.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/the-mask-by-maya-angelou/
The poem written by Maya Angelou begins with the line "When I think about myself".
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Laurence_Dunbar for information about American poet, novelist, and playwright Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906)
****
Maya Angelou Poem "The Mask"
Russell Jones, Uploaded on Aug 8, 2010
As seen on Bobby Jones [Gospel television program]
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitors comments are welcome.
This post honors the award winning American author and poet Maya Angelou by showcasing two of her poems - "Blessed Assurance" and "The Mask". Information about Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Maya Angelou for her life's legacy. Thanks to the online publisher of this featured excerpt. Thanks also to the transcriber of this poem and the publisher of this video on YouTube.
****
SEVEN WOMEN'S BLESSED ASSURANCE
(Maya Angelou)
From http://departments.weber.edu/chfam/familiesalive/angelouspeech.html The Distinguished Annie Clark Tanner Lecture
16th-annual Families Alive Conference, Weber State University, May 8, 1997
...."I must do one more poem because I don't think you've laughed enough.
I told you I don't trust people who act that way (indicating). Yet some years ago Arsenio Hall telephoned me and asked if I would come onto his program.
I said "I thank you, Mr. Hall, but --"
He said "Oh, Doctor, no, ma'am. Don't -- Oh, no, ma'am. I'm just a commoner."
I said "Please, I don't know if I would have that much in common with your constituents."
But he was so persuasive, so I went on the program. And I enjoyed myself so much I went back eight times.
But the first time I did a piece called "Seven Women's Blessed Assurance," and I enjoyed it. And then I stayed around Los Angeles a little while, and then I flew from Los Angeles to Geneva, Switzerland, took a train over to another city and took the funicular up the side of the Alps to the foot of the Matterhorn, and there I gave a three-and-a-half-hour speech in French, English and Spanish, thank you. I was so full of (indicating). I mean, I was full of it.
I took the funicular back after about six days, and over to Geneva I went. And I was standing in the Geneva airport with an umbrella, my purse over my shoulder and a briefcase when a young white man came up to me. He said "Dr. Angelou?"
I said "Yes."
He said "Ms. Angelou."
I said "Oh."
He said "It's hard to believe, it's Ms. Angelou. I was in the audience at Arsenio Hall the night you did 'Seven Women's Blessed Assurance.'"
I said then, and I say now, "Woo-woo-woo." (indicating).
Nothing to do with it but to laugh. I laughed. Then I straightened up my umbrella that was way over there and the young man was gone.
And all those Swiss were looking at me like (indicating.)
And here is this piece which I wrote to make my ownself laugh.
The first woman said One thing about me, I'm little and low, I find me a man wherever I go.
The second woman said They call me string bean 'cause I'm so tall, men see me, they ready to fall.
The third woman said I'm fat as butter and sweet as cake, men start to tremble every time I shake.
The fourth woman said I'm young as morning and fresh as dew, everybody loves me, and so do you.
The fifth woman said I'm little and lean, sweet to the bone, they like to pick me up and carry me home.
The sixth woman said When I passed forty, I dropped pretense 'cause men like women who got some sense.
But the seventh woman is my favorite, for obvious reasons. The seventh woman said fifty-five is perfect, so is fifty-nine, 'cause every man needs to rest sometime."
****
THE MASK
(Maya Angelou, an adaptation of Paul Laurence Dunbar's "We Wear The Mask")
We wear the mask that grins and lies.
It shades our cheeks and hides our eyes.
This debt we pay to human guile
With torn and bleeding hearts…
We smile and mouth the myriad subtleties.
Why should the world think otherwise
In counting all our tears and sighs.
Nay let them only see us while
We wear the mask.
We smile but oh my God
Our tears to thee from tortured souls arise
And we sing Oh Baby doll, now we sing…
The clay is vile beneath our feet
And long the mile
But let the world think otherwise.
We wear the mask.
When I think about myself
I almost laugh myself to death.
My life has been one great big joke!
A dance that’s walked a song that’s spoke.
I laugh so hard HA! HA! I almos’ choke
When I think about myself.
Seventy years in these folks’ world
The child I works for calls me girl
I say “HA! HA! HA! Yes ma’am!”
For workin’s sake
I’m too proud to bend and
Too poor to break
So…I laugh! Until my stomach ache
When I think about myself.
My folks can make me split my side
I laugh so hard, HA! HA! I nearly died
The tales they tell sound just like lying
They grow the fruit but eat the rind.
Hmm huh! I laugh uhuh huh huh…
Until I start to cry when I think about myself
And my folks and the children.
My fathers sit on benches,
Their flesh count every plank,
The slats leave dents of darkness
Deep in their withered flank.
And they gnarled like broken candles,
All waxed and burned profound.
They say, but sugar, it was our submission
that made your world go round.
There in those pleated faces
I see the auction block
The chains and slavery’s coffles
The whip and lash and stock.
My fathers speak in voices
That shred my fact and sound
They say, but sugar, it was our submission
that made your world go round.
They laugh to conceal their crying,
They shuffle through their dreams
They stepped ’n fetched a country
And wrote the blues in screams.
I understand their meaning,
It could an did derive
From living on the edge of death
They kept my race alive
By wearing the mask! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
-snip-
Source: http://goldenbridgeinmate39.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/the-mask-by-maya-angelou/
The poem written by Maya Angelou begins with the line "When I think about myself".
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Laurence_Dunbar for information about American poet, novelist, and playwright Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906)
****
Maya Angelou Poem "The Mask"
Russell Jones, Uploaded on Aug 8, 2010
As seen on Bobby Jones [Gospel television program]
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitors comments are welcome.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Paul Lawrence Dunbar - We Wear The Mask (poem & comments)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases Paul Lawrence Dunbar's poem "We Wear The Mask".
The content of this post is presented for sociological, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT PAUL LAWRENCE DUNBAR
From http://www.dunbarsite.org/
"Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first African-American to gain national eminence as a poet. Born in 1872 in Dayton, Ohio, he was the son of ex-slaves and classmate to Orville Wright of aviation fame.
Although he lived to be only 33 years old, Dunbar was prolific, writing short stories, novels, librettos, plays, songs and essays as well as the poetry for which he became well known. He was popular with black and white readers of his day, and his works are celebrated today by scholars and school children alike.
His style encompasses two distinct voices -- the standard English of the classical poet and the evocative dialect of the turn-of-the-century black community in America. He was gifted in poetry -- the way that Mark Twain was in prose -- in using dialect to convey character."
****
SHOWCASE SOUND FILE : We Wear the Mask
Poetry Out Loud | Kristen Dupard | MPB
MSPublicBroadcasting, Uploaded on Apr 6, 2010
Mississippi Arts Commission's Poetry Out Loud State Finals contest was held March 11, 2010. . A documentary about the contest will air on Miss. Public Broadcasting Sunday, April 25th, at 6 pm.
****
POEM: WE WEAR THE MASK
Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
The above poem appeared in Dunbar's first professionally published volume, Lyrics of Lowly Life, in 1896 by Dodd, Mead, and Company. It also appeared in the volume Majors and Minors from the previous year."
http://www.potw.org/archive/potw8.html Poem Of The Week
****
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ABOUT "WE WEAR THE MASK"
Literary Analysis: http://voices.yahoo.com/literary-analysis-paul-laurence-dunbars-we-wear-the-11949650.html
"Having parents who lead a past of slavery, and subjected to Apartheid himself, [Paul Lawrence] Dunbar was aware of the internal anguish and agony the blacks went through. The mask, an extended metaphor utilized here, marks a distinction between the mask and the man. Note that he says 'We wear the Mask" and not 'We are the mask.' The action is done consciously and objectively. Henry Louis Gates referred to Dunbar's dialect verse as "mask in motion".The black puts up a brave face, as he would prefer to break than bend to life's atrocities. The mask portrayed grins and lies. The mask hides the blood rushing to the cheek; and shades the eyes that most eloquently gives away one's emotions. The blacks pay a heavy debt to human astuteness submitting to the vileness of the whites. The 'We' refers to the collective consciousness of the black race. Though the mouth gives away emotions in all its subtlety ,the smile that forms the mask camouflages the 'torn and bleeding hearts." Likewise, the black plays out his preset role in the world despite the fact what lies in his heart. Again, the mask here 'lies'. A person generally lies for personal benefit. Here, however, the individual who wears the mask only suffers on account of lying."
-snip-
Read my comment below about my dislike of the use of the group referents "the blacks" and "the black".
****
References to "We Wear The Mask" In A Review Of The 2013 movie Lee Daniel's "The Butler":
From http://movies.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/movies/lee-daniels-the-butler-stars-forest-whitaker.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
"Black Man, White House, and History
‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ Stars Forest Whitaker" By A. O. SCOTT
Published: August 15, 2013
"The genius of “The Butler” lies in the sly and self-assured way it connects public affairs to private experience. Early on, Cecil Gaines, the character loosely based on Mr. Allen, is taught that he, like every other African-American who wants to survive in a white-dominated world, must have two faces. This practical advice is an echo of W. E. B. Du Bois’s idea, articulated in “The Souls of Black Folk,” of the “double consciousness” at the heart of the black experience in America. “We wear the mask that grins and lies” is how the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar bitterly summarized the duplicity imposed by post-Civil War white supremacy on its emancipated but disenfranchised victims."
****
Thanks to Paul Lawrence Dunbar for his cultural legacy. Thanks also to those who are quoted in this post and the publisher of the featured video.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post showcases Paul Lawrence Dunbar's poem "We Wear The Mask".
The content of this post is presented for sociological, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT PAUL LAWRENCE DUNBAR
From http://www.dunbarsite.org/
"Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first African-American to gain national eminence as a poet. Born in 1872 in Dayton, Ohio, he was the son of ex-slaves and classmate to Orville Wright of aviation fame.
Although he lived to be only 33 years old, Dunbar was prolific, writing short stories, novels, librettos, plays, songs and essays as well as the poetry for which he became well known. He was popular with black and white readers of his day, and his works are celebrated today by scholars and school children alike.
His style encompasses two distinct voices -- the standard English of the classical poet and the evocative dialect of the turn-of-the-century black community in America. He was gifted in poetry -- the way that Mark Twain was in prose -- in using dialect to convey character."
****
SHOWCASE SOUND FILE : We Wear the Mask
Poetry Out Loud | Kristen Dupard | MPB
MSPublicBroadcasting, Uploaded on Apr 6, 2010
Mississippi Arts Commission's Poetry Out Loud State Finals contest was held March 11, 2010. . A documentary about the contest will air on Miss. Public Broadcasting Sunday, April 25th, at 6 pm.
****
POEM: WE WEAR THE MASK
Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
The above poem appeared in Dunbar's first professionally published volume, Lyrics of Lowly Life, in 1896 by Dodd, Mead, and Company. It also appeared in the volume Majors and Minors from the previous year."
http://www.potw.org/archive/potw8.html Poem Of The Week
****
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ABOUT "WE WEAR THE MASK"
Literary Analysis: http://voices.yahoo.com/literary-analysis-paul-laurence-dunbars-we-wear-the-11949650.html
"Having parents who lead a past of slavery, and subjected to Apartheid himself, [Paul Lawrence] Dunbar was aware of the internal anguish and agony the blacks went through. The mask, an extended metaphor utilized here, marks a distinction between the mask and the man. Note that he says 'We wear the Mask" and not 'We are the mask.' The action is done consciously and objectively. Henry Louis Gates referred to Dunbar's dialect verse as "mask in motion".The black puts up a brave face, as he would prefer to break than bend to life's atrocities. The mask portrayed grins and lies. The mask hides the blood rushing to the cheek; and shades the eyes that most eloquently gives away one's emotions. The blacks pay a heavy debt to human astuteness submitting to the vileness of the whites. The 'We' refers to the collective consciousness of the black race. Though the mouth gives away emotions in all its subtlety ,the smile that forms the mask camouflages the 'torn and bleeding hearts." Likewise, the black plays out his preset role in the world despite the fact what lies in his heart. Again, the mask here 'lies'. A person generally lies for personal benefit. Here, however, the individual who wears the mask only suffers on account of lying."
-snip-
Read my comment below about my dislike of the use of the group referents "the blacks" and "the black".
****
References to "We Wear The Mask" In A Review Of The 2013 movie Lee Daniel's "The Butler":
From http://movies.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/movies/lee-daniels-the-butler-stars-forest-whitaker.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
"Black Man, White House, and History
‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ Stars Forest Whitaker" By A. O. SCOTT
Published: August 15, 2013
"The genius of “The Butler” lies in the sly and self-assured way it connects public affairs to private experience. Early on, Cecil Gaines, the character loosely based on Mr. Allen, is taught that he, like every other African-American who wants to survive in a white-dominated world, must have two faces. This practical advice is an echo of W. E. B. Du Bois’s idea, articulated in “The Souls of Black Folk,” of the “double consciousness” at the heart of the black experience in America. “We wear the mask that grins and lies” is how the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar bitterly summarized the duplicity imposed by post-Civil War white supremacy on its emancipated but disenfranchised victims."
****
Thanks to Paul Lawrence Dunbar for his cultural legacy. Thanks also to those who are quoted in this post and the publisher of the featured video.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Blackalicious - As the World Turns (Hip Hip Sound File & Lyrics)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases a sound file and the lyrics of "As the World Turns" by Blackalicious [ft. Lateef the Truth Speaker].
The content of this post is presented for entertainment, aesthetic, and inspirational purposes.
Uploaded by greenpeacemyass on Apr 3, 2011
From Blackalicious' first album "Nia" (1999)
****
INFORMATION ABOUT BLACKALICIOUS
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackalicious
"Blackalicious are an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab (born Timothy Parker) and DJ/producer Chief Xcel (born Xavier Mosley).[1] They are noted for Gift of Gab's often "tongue-twisting", multisyllabic, complex rhymes[2] and Chief Xcel's "classic" beats.[3] The pair have released three full-length albums (1999's Nia, 2002's Blazing Arrow and 2005's The Craft).
Years active: 1992–present"
****
LYRICS: AS THE WORLD TURNS
"Now, I thought I would talk about today
For your consideration, as the world turns
As the world turns, you read in all these scriptures
About the world, find out that the world does turn!"
As the world keeps spinning, we live these days
Dollar bill done drove the whole world crazy
While sitting on the porch letting ganja blaze
Never hesitate a moment to enhance my phrase
Since I needed that escape I take my pull
Seen the thugs on the corner trying to act all cool
Pretty much out of character
I look right through, their transparent exterior
You in my book getting written and I'm the derriere
Thought you was peeping me but I was aware of ya
You peep my ill expressions, how I just glare about
Trying to trace my inner world and my whereabouts
Well try on, try on
I'm watching everything that's going down
And it ain't nothing that I ain't been around
The same ghetto but a different town
Weeell, I remember growing up in the P-a-c
It was a whole lot of love in my family
I had clothes on my back and shoes on my feet
Times we didn't have a lot but that was fine with me
In good times and even bad times
Whether rainy, grey sky or the sunshine
Life was so much simpler, I didn't realise it then
But time has definitely made me a wiser man
[Chorus 2x: Erinn Anova]
The world keeps turning round
And time just keeps on moving
Sunday morning in the church just singing a song
Mama gave much praise cause her soul was strong
When I was young I used to do lots of thangs was wrong
I never thought about till one day she was gone
Now my daddy passed on about a year before
Reminiscing as I glance at the fishing pole
But these things gotta happen so we all can grow
And now they spirits much freer than they was befo'
So fly on, fly on, fly on, fly on, fly on, fly on, fly on
Cause there's angels in the midst
And they're guiding and watching me every day
And even though at times I let it get to me
Just a little and I go astray
We keep marching on and on
Young militants will watch and now we're growing
With kids of their own, as it all unfolds
As the world keeps turning on, the world keeps turning on
[Chorus 4x]
-snip-
On that sound file the song ends at 4:38. Then these words are spoken 4:44:
Aiii Aiii Aiii Aiii Aiii*
Is everybody wit me? Alright.
Now. What we gonna do now
is to get together with this cat over here.
And let him put a little on the plate for you.
Think you can do it Calvin? [Yeah]
Aiii Aiii Aiii Aiii*
Now dig this cat.*** I want you to dig this. He's the mellowest**** thing in town.
-snip-
Transcription of that ending segment by Azizi Powell. Addition/corrections are appreciated.
I believe that the speaker was referring to the drum soloist who ends this sound file.
Here's my definition of the vernacular words that are used in that ending narrative:
* Aiii is my approximation of the African American vernacular word meanng "alright".
** "wit" here means "with".
***"Dig" is a largely outdated slang word, originating in African American English. In this context it means "Listen to".
***"cat" is African American slang for "man".
****mellowest - in this context means "the best sounding"
The publisher of that sound file & lyrics ends with this dedication:
"This one goes out to family, y'all come first
G-A-B, Chief Xcel, Blackalicious, out".
-snip-
The last word "out" means "I'm leaving (I'm out of here).
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
Thanks to the Blackalicious in association with Lateef the Truth Speaker for composing, and performing this song. Thanks also to greenpeacemyass for uploading this sound file and providing these lyrics.
Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
This post showcases a sound file and the lyrics of "As the World Turns" by Blackalicious [ft. Lateef the Truth Speaker].
The content of this post is presented for entertainment, aesthetic, and inspirational purposes.
Uploaded by greenpeacemyass on Apr 3, 2011
From Blackalicious' first album "Nia" (1999)
****
INFORMATION ABOUT BLACKALICIOUS
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackalicious
"Blackalicious are an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab (born Timothy Parker) and DJ/producer Chief Xcel (born Xavier Mosley).[1] They are noted for Gift of Gab's often "tongue-twisting", multisyllabic, complex rhymes[2] and Chief Xcel's "classic" beats.[3] The pair have released three full-length albums (1999's Nia, 2002's Blazing Arrow and 2005's The Craft).
Years active: 1992–present"
****
LYRICS: AS THE WORLD TURNS
"Now, I thought I would talk about today
For your consideration, as the world turns
As the world turns, you read in all these scriptures
About the world, find out that the world does turn!"
As the world keeps spinning, we live these days
Dollar bill done drove the whole world crazy
While sitting on the porch letting ganja blaze
Never hesitate a moment to enhance my phrase
Since I needed that escape I take my pull
Seen the thugs on the corner trying to act all cool
Pretty much out of character
I look right through, their transparent exterior
You in my book getting written and I'm the derriere
Thought you was peeping me but I was aware of ya
You peep my ill expressions, how I just glare about
Trying to trace my inner world and my whereabouts
Well try on, try on
I'm watching everything that's going down
And it ain't nothing that I ain't been around
The same ghetto but a different town
Weeell, I remember growing up in the P-a-c
It was a whole lot of love in my family
I had clothes on my back and shoes on my feet
Times we didn't have a lot but that was fine with me
In good times and even bad times
Whether rainy, grey sky or the sunshine
Life was so much simpler, I didn't realise it then
But time has definitely made me a wiser man
[Chorus 2x: Erinn Anova]
The world keeps turning round
And time just keeps on moving
Sunday morning in the church just singing a song
Mama gave much praise cause her soul was strong
When I was young I used to do lots of thangs was wrong
I never thought about till one day she was gone
Now my daddy passed on about a year before
Reminiscing as I glance at the fishing pole
But these things gotta happen so we all can grow
And now they spirits much freer than they was befo'
So fly on, fly on, fly on, fly on, fly on, fly on, fly on
Cause there's angels in the midst
And they're guiding and watching me every day
And even though at times I let it get to me
Just a little and I go astray
We keep marching on and on
Young militants will watch and now we're growing
With kids of their own, as it all unfolds
As the world keeps turning on, the world keeps turning on
[Chorus 4x]
-snip-
On that sound file the song ends at 4:38. Then these words are spoken 4:44:
Aiii Aiii Aiii Aiii Aiii*
Is everybody wit me? Alright.
Now. What we gonna do now
is to get together with this cat over here.
And let him put a little on the plate for you.
Think you can do it Calvin? [Yeah]
Aiii Aiii Aiii Aiii*
Now dig this cat.*** I want you to dig this. He's the mellowest**** thing in town.
-snip-
Transcription of that ending segment by Azizi Powell. Addition/corrections are appreciated.
I believe that the speaker was referring to the drum soloist who ends this sound file.
Here's my definition of the vernacular words that are used in that ending narrative:
* Aiii is my approximation of the African American vernacular word meanng "alright".
** "wit" here means "with".
***"Dig" is a largely outdated slang word, originating in African American English. In this context it means "Listen to".
***"cat" is African American slang for "man".
****mellowest - in this context means "the best sounding"
The publisher of that sound file & lyrics ends with this dedication:
"This one goes out to family, y'all come first
G-A-B, Chief Xcel, Blackalicious, out".
-snip-
The last word "out" means "I'm leaving (I'm out of here).
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
Thanks to the Blackalicious in association with Lateef the Truth Speaker for composing, and performing this song. Thanks also to greenpeacemyass for uploading this sound file and providing these lyrics.
Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
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