Secondly, even the beginning of the film presents an African motif. The drums that open the scene are representative for the ancient tribal singing and dancing. The same drums are present in Cullen's poetry, revealing a deep African symbol. Moreover, the drums also make the passage from the contemporary life in which the film is first set, to the imaginary and ancient time of slavery.
The characters are as well particularly chosen. For instance, Joe, a white skinned slave is important for pointing out the traditional individual that tries to escape his past, through all means possible. He rejects his mother, who is the embodiment of the African spirit, he worships a white God, Virgin Mary, and in the end, he takes on a position that implies behaving in a similar manner as the white oppressors.
Joe's mother, Nunu, represents in the film the symbol of the African heritage. She stands up for a rebellion against the slave owners as being a true calling of her cultural identity. Similar to Senghor's poem, she intimately tries to confront her implacable existence at the hands of the oppressors and fails to understand the reason why her son, the one she sacrificed herself for, chooses to adopt a different attitude. Senghor's poem develops more on this idea of rebellion against the "white hands" but, at the same time, considers that the warmth of the African soul would eventually determine a sort of reconciliation between the races. In the film however, this idea is not very well conveyed. It is rather more a message that the warmth of the black soul and the determination of the Africans to rediscover their past and cultural heritage will lead them to make peace with themselves and the world they are living in.
The adulation of Virgin Mary as opposed to the traditional African deities is representative for Joe's rejection of not only the African religious identity, but of the entire black Culture, as a means of blending in with the white population. He sees total contradiction between Christianity as advocated by the whites with the rites of the Africans. His ultimate embracement of the values of the White population is the moment in which he takes on a duty to practically act in the same manner as white slave-owners act towards the Blacks. Thus, he reaches the point where he kills people dear...
Countee Cullen Imitation There was a time in my home town, While living with sister, mom, and brother I lived a life of innocence Not know I was other. There are thing we can't control In a world of fear and hate. So some just sit back quietly And try not to tempt fate. Though I still live here in this town I doubt I am the same No child can stay sweet
African-American culture flourished during the Harlem Renaissance. Although often characterized by and punctuated with the “double consciousness” of being both black and an American, the work of Harlem Renaissance writers and poets was variable and diverse. Countee Cullen is unique among Harlem Renaissance poets. Many of his works reflect the English poetic traditions, even more so than American or African-American ones. “Cullen considered the Anglo-American poetic heritage to belong as
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