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Full-Text Articles in Race and Ethnicity
Depictions Of Elderly Blacks In American Literature, Alice A. Deck
Depictions Of Elderly Blacks In American Literature, Alice A. Deck
Explorations in Ethnic Studies
Portraits of elderly Afroamerican men and women abound in American literature and vary from stories which present a mythic primordial character who symbolizes emotional stability, experiential wisdom and a community's cultural and historical heritage, to works in slice-of-life realistic style which dramatize the social and psychological conditions of aged blacks. Included in this second category are works which show the confrontation between old and new social standards. Coupled with this range of portraits is a variety of attitudes toward elderly blacks.
Critique [Of Depictions Of Elderly Blacks In American Literature By Alice A. Deck], Neil Nakadate
Critique [Of Depictions Of Elderly Blacks In American Literature By Alice A. Deck], Neil Nakadate
Explorations in Ethnic Studies
"Depictions of Elderly Blacks in American Literature" is more suggestive than satisfying. It offers a useful introduction to its topic, but could have attempted either a more extensive catalog of elderly blacks in a wider range of American literature or a deeper and more thorough reading of a specific period or group of writers.
Critique [Of Depictions Of Elderly Blacks In American Literature By Alice A. Deck], Helen Maclam
Critique [Of Depictions Of Elderly Blacks In American Literature By Alice A. Deck], Helen Maclam
Explorations in Ethnic Studies
Although Deck concludes that no consistent image of elderly Afroamericans dominates in American literature, she has clearly demonstrated a dichotomy between black and white authors in its portrayal. This dichotomy might well be termed white myth versus black experience, and it is illustrated by the contrast between Uncle Remus and Uncle Julius. In her discussion of both characters, Deck has pointed out that critical distinction between structure, i.e., the "outer frame," and content, i.e., authentic Afroamerican folklore. Deck states that the legends told by Uncle Remus reflect a black world view. They were not, however, perceived as such until recently …
Critique [Of Depictions Of Elderly Blacks In American Literature By Alice A. Deck], Terry Simmons
Critique [Of Depictions Of Elderly Blacks In American Literature By Alice A. Deck], Terry Simmons
Explorations in Ethnic Studies
Deck's critical essay is a thoughtful and welcome commentary on the interrelationship between age, generational conflict and changing social standards as portrayed in literature about or by American blacks. The author discusses several important ways in which elderly are represented as mythic figures who embody personal experiential wisdom and a community's cultural and historical heritage; as advisors, story tellers or sages who have acquired an air of reverence, the ability to endure and the means to impart the wisdom of the ages, and as the sometimes difficult, infirm or hostile representatives of another generation who would impose different, if not …