A History Of Lynching

Definition: Lynching is a mob act of vigilantism to illegally execute an accused person by a mob. The term allegedly originated as a reference to a Virginia Justice of the Peace (1736-96). These acts often occurred in front of thousands of spectators, who would gather souvenirs afterward.

Lynching is another sad fact of American history and has been immortalized in song (Strange Fruit, recorded by Billie Holliday, in pictures (the poignant, The Black Book), in a scholarly tome (Ralph Ginzburgs, 100 Years Of Lynchings), and in fiction (In Richard Wright's Big Boy Leaves Home, 1938, Big Boy and his friend Bobo accidentally shoot and kill a white man. The black community fearful of a mass killing spree by whites hide the boys, hoping to help them escape later. However, Bobo is caught and lynched as a frightened Big Boy looks on). .

Lynching was originally a system of punishment used by whites against African-american slaves. It seldom mattered whether the charges were true or not, since it usually camde down to the word of whites against the accused black person.

The accusations against persons lynched, according to the Tuskegee Institute records for the years 1882 to 1951, were: in 41 per cent for felonious assault, 19.2 per cent for rape, 6.1 per cent for attempted rape, 4.9 per cent for robbery and theft, 1.8 per cent for insult to white persons, and 22.7 per cent for miscellaneous offenses or no offense at a 11.5 In the last category are all sorts of trivial offenses such as disputing with a white man, attempting to register to vote, unpopularity, self-defense, testifying against a white man, asking a white woman in marriage, and peeping in a window. (Gibson). However, whites who protested against this were also in danger of being lynched.

Gibson writes, In the last decades of the nineteenth century, the Lynching of Black people in the Southern and border states became an institutionalized method used by whites to ter rorize Blacks and maintain white supremacy. In the South, during the period 1880 to 1940, there was deep-seated and all-pervading hatred and fear of the Negro which led white mobs to turn to lynch law as a means of social control. Lynchingsopen public murders of individuals suspected of crime conceived and carried out more or less spontaneously by a mobseem to have been an American invention. In Lynch-Law, the first scholarly investigation of Lynching, written in 1905, author James E. Cutler stated that Lynching is a criminal practice which is peculiar to the United States.

John F. Callahan states that, Lynching did not come out of nowhere. Its actual and symbolic grounding in history and literature goes back to slavery and slavery's defining persons of African descent as property. During slavery there were numerous public punishments of slaves, none of which were preceded by trials or any other semblance of civil or judicial processes. Justice depended solely upon the slaveholder. Executions, whippings, brandings, and other forms of severe punishment, including sometimes the public separation of families, were meted out by authority or at the command of the master or his representative.

Though the Chicago Times and New York Times derided the practice of Lynching, Other newspapers abetted these efforts, often creating the rationale for the attack. R.W. Logan writes, It is next to impossible to locate a newspaper article that does not identify the victim as a Negro or that refrains from suggesting that the accused was guilty of the crime and therefore deserving of punishment. For example, The New Orleans Picayune described an African-American who was lynched in Hammond, Louisiana for robbery as a big, burly negro and a Black wretch

On November 7th, 1837, Elijah Parish Lovejoy, the white editor of the Alton Observer, was killed by a white mob after he had published articles criticizing Lynching and advocating the Abolition of sl avery. On 9th March, 1892, three African American businessmen were lynched in Memphis. When Ida Wells Barnett (a black woman) wrote an article condemning the lynchers, a white mob destroyed her printing press. They declared that they intended to lynch her but fortunately she was visiting Philadelphia at the time.

It is estimated that between 1880 and 1920, an average of two African Americans a week were lynched in the United States. Dr. Arthur Raper was commissioned in 1930 to produce a report on Lynching. He discovered that 3,724 people were lynched in the United States from 1889 through to 1930. Over four-fifths of these were Negroes, less than one-sixth of whom were accused of rape. Practically all of the lynchers were native whites. The fact that a number of the victims were tortured, mutilated, dragged, or burned suggests the presence of sadistic tendencies among the lynchers. Of the tens of thousands of lynchers and onlookers, only 49 were indicted and only 4 hav e been sentenced.

After the First World War ten black soldiers, several still in their army uniforms, were amongst those lynched. Between 1919 and 1922, a further 239 blacks were lynched by white mobs and many more were killed by individual acts of violence and unrecorded Lynchings. During the 100 year period from 1865 to 1965 over 2400 African Americans were lynched in the United States. 1892 had a record 230 deaths (161 black, 69 white).

According to social economist Gunnar Myrdal: The Southern states account for nine-tenths of the Lynchings. More than two-thirds of the remaining one-tenth occurred in the six states which immediately border the South: Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kansas. (Gunnar Myrdal, An American Dilemma, 1944, pp. 560-561).

In 1901George Henry White, the last former slave to serve in Congress, proposed a bill in that would outlaw Lynching, making it a federal crime. He argued that any person participating activ ely in or acting as an accessory in a Lynching should be convicted of treason. White pointed out that Lynching was being used by white mobs in the Deep South to terrorize African Americans. The bill was defeated.

In 1935 President Franklin Roosevelt declined to support the Costigan-Wagner bill, designed to punish sheriffs who failed to protect their prisoners from lynch mobs. He believed he would lose the votes of southern whites and therefore, not be re-elected. In July of that year six deputies were escorting Ruben Stacy to Dade County jail in Miami when he was snatched away by a white mob and hanged outside the home of a white woman named Marion Jones, whom had made a complaint against him. The New York Times reported that a later investigation revealed Stacy Went to the house to ask for food; (and) the woman became frightened and screamed when she saw Stacy's face.

Other Lynchings of note: Scottsboro (1931), James Byrd (1997), Will Brown (Omaha, NE, 1919)

Sources:

Robert L. Langrando, About Lynching.

Richard M. Perloff, The Press and Lynchings of African Americans, Journal Studies, January 2000, pp. 315-330.

R.W. Logan, The Betrayal of the Negro: From Rutherford B. Hayes to Woodrow Wilson, 1965, p. 298.

Robert A. Gibson, The Negro Holocaust: Lynching and Race Riots in the United States,1880-1950, 1979.

James E. Cutler, Lynch Law (New York, 1905), p. 1.

Timothy Stelly is the author of two novels, Tempest In The Stone and The Malice of Cain. He is a contributor to several e-zines and lives in Pittsburg, California.

Author:: Timothy Stelly Sr
Keywords:: Lynching, American History, slavery. Black history, U.S. History, race crimes, Abolition, Racism,
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Art Nouveau A Period of Style & Elegance

The French and the Belgians called it Art Nouveau or the New Art. This period of integrated Art may have been short lasting a mere 24 years from 1890 to 1914, however, the influence of that time has continued to this day. The Artists who were in vogue then are just as much in demand now: Alphonse Mucha; Gustav Klimt; & Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec to name just a few. They were considered ahead of their time then and their Art was regarded as exciting and new.

The Paris World's Fair held in 1900 really was the defining moment for this pArticular Art form as over 50 million people attended. Upon visiting Siegfried Bing's pavilion, their interest and enthusiasm spread. As Art dealer and entrepreneur he had opened a gallery in Paris in 1895 and called it L'Art Nouveau which gave the movement its name. His pavilion was filled with every example of Art Design: wallpaper; fabrics; furniture; jewelry; glassware; and metalwork. Art Nouveau Style could be identified by the flowing and curving lines which were apparent in everyday household items as well as Architecture and furniture. Even women's fashions were created to reflect the new look.

Charles Rennie Macintosh as architect and furniture designer made furniture for specific spaces in the homes that he also designed. His Architecture was so unique that equally unique furniture was required to fill the spaces. The traditional furniture available at the time would have appeared out of place in his homes. When Charles and his close friend, Herbie McNair met Margaret Macdonald and her sister, Frances, a very unusual, romantic and Artistic liaison developed. All had studied Art and would collaborate together on many projects. Together they formed a powerful alliance and were known as the Glasgow Four with far reaching effect. In 1896 they were invited to exhibit at the London Arts and Crafts Society Exhibition. Herbie and Frances married in 1899 and moved to Liverpool. In 1900 Charles and Margaret were married and in the same year Macintosh's architectural masterpiece, The Glasgow School of Art, was begun.

The great Frank Lloyd Wright is a wonderful example of someone who was influenced by the Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts movements. He designed not only the buildings but also the furniture, stained glass windows and lamps which were an integral pArt of the overall design. His commercial success not to mention his commercial designs for everything from a gas station, places of worship and the Johnson Wax building to the Guggenheim Museum sealed his fate as America's favorite architect and icon of Style! It is lucky for us t hat he was so prolific and left a lasting legacy for all to enjoy and draw inspiration from.

Antoni Gaudi of Spain had a limitless imagination and his buildings are a true testament to his creative energy and individual Style. At first his undulating walls and fantastical creations were not well received as they were too unorthodox. Today, however, he is considered a genius and the irregular lines and one-of-a-kind Architecture have been embraced. Thousands annually visit Barcelona for the sole purpose of seeing Gaudi's Familia Sagrada, Casa Mila & Park Guere.

Architectural Tours

Today, theme tours are very popular and many of the great cities of Europe have specialty tours with an emphasis placed on Art Nouveau Style and Architecture. Regarded by the locals as national treasures which they are only too proud to share and show off, Brussels, Prague and Riga in Latvia all have excellent examples of Art Nouveau design. And, as if you needed an excuse to visit these varied and interesting places, in the case of these cities it is like going to an open air museum. Of course, there are many other locations across Europe which, if you had the time, you would not want to miss; Paris, Vienna, and Turin could easily whet your appetite. This wave of creativity made its way around the world with Europe at the center.

Below is a listing of just some of the Artists and architects of the Art Nouveau period with the cities where they lived or had commissions shown opposite. These are the places one must go in order to really appreciate their genius:

• Charles Rennie Macintosh/Glasgow & Helen sburgh Scotland
• Frank Lloyd Wright/New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, USA
• Antoni Gaudi/ Barcelona, Spain
• Victor Horta/Brussels, Belgium
• Hector Guimard/Paris, France
• Henry van de Velde/Netherlands, Germany
• Otto Wagner/Vienna, Austria
• J. M. Olbrich/Vienna, Austria
• C. Harrison Townsend/London, England
• Peter Behrens/Darmstadt, Germany
• Gustav Klimt/Vienna, Austria
• Alphonse Mucha/Prague, Former Czech Republic
• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec/Paris, France

If you love the Style of Art Nouveau, consider surrounding yourself with it everyday. We offer a fine line of ceramic tile designed with the Art lover in mind. Our decorative tiles incorporate many of the best loved Artistic Styles. Surefiretile.com

Author:: Beryl Leavett-Brown
Keywords:: Art nouveau, Art, Architecture, furniture design, Style, Arts & crafts, theme tours,
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Samuel Beckett: an Introduction

Samuel Beckett wrote many of his works in French then re-worked them into English; meaning he re-expressed rather than translated them. Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) made a similar claim, that he wrote two separate texts of his books one in Russian and one in English and both men came to prefer their second or adopted tongue, as did Joseph Conrad (1857-1924). These writers lived in exile. So did James Joyce (1882-1941) who was a major influence on Beckett. They were polyglot Europeans whose works were not limited to or by English.

Beckett wanted to strip language to its naked elements in search of meaning. Working in French he believed he avoided a concern with elegance of style and came closer to saying what he meant without worrying overmuch how he said it. To Joyce, whom Beckett greatly admired, language was a game. They both attempted to stretch the limits of language Joyce at the upper and Beckett at the lower end and their work in the literary playing fields is not without humour as distinct from mirth.

Both are difficult writers. Both were exceedingly even obsessively well-read. Beckett had a fearsome reputation as a growling intellectual who preferred silence (on the pArt of others) to conversation for the sake of something to say. He took Wittgensteins dictum exactly: Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darber muss man schweigen. (Whereof one cannot speak, thereof must one be silent). He feared that we are able to say very little except to make sounds that fill a social void. An awareness of that absurdity runs throughout his works.

He was an ascetic who attempted to live simply and rigorously. In an earlier age he might be imagined as an eremite who, having delved all the books of divinity, goes into the wilderness to wrestle with devils and the angst of existence into the wasteland that mirrors the mind as locus horrendae et vastae solitudinis.

Beckett came from a well-to-do family and attended Trinity College Dublin, where he studied French and Italian, graduating in 1927. He moved to Paris and worked as a teacher for three years during which time he joined the group of admirers surrounding James Joyce whose eyesight was impaired. Although he assisted in taking dictation, he did not become Joyces secretary as has been claimed. He did, however, make notes on Finnegans Wake which Joyce termed Work in Progress (the opening section was previewed in 1924) and turned them into an essay. His first published literary work was a short poem with footnotes called 'Whoroscope' in 1930.

After returning to Dublin to take his MA degree in 1931 he taught French for a year. On the death of his father he received an inheritance which enabled him to become a full-time writer. He moved to London where he met a nd lived with a music student Suzanne Dechevaux-Dumesnil whom he eventually married.

They returned to Paris together at the outbreak of war in 1939 then lived in a village after the fall of France. At this time James Joyce left Paris for Zurich where he died in early 1941. (Irish Free State citizens were neutrals during World War II and able to travel in Europe). Beckett worked as a farm labourer until the Liberation in 1944. From this point onward he wrote largely in French, so the titles of his works are sometimes given in both languages with the date of their French or their English publication Malone Meurt (1949) Malone Dies; LInnommable (1949) The Unnameable; Fin de PArtie (1957) Endgame etc. This has caused confusion when there is a gap of several years between the original French publication an d the appearance of the work in English. Watt was his last fictive work in English, completed in 1943 but not published until 1953.

The dramatic work that became best known was En Attendant Godot (1949) Waiting For Godot, which was first performed in 1953 and appeared in English in 1954. It gained attention for its verbal play and absence of plot. Two men Vladimir and Estragon (are they tramps?) wait for Godot who never comes. Pozzo and Lucky pass through. Much has been said by critics about what is not said in the two-act play and the significance of the names has been argued over.

A literary tag applied to Godot was that it represented Theatre of the Absurd a label also stamped on the works of the Romanian Eugne Ionesco (1909-1994) who was elected to the French Academy. It arose from an essay by Albert Camus (1913-1960) Le Mythe de Sisyphe, essai sur l'absurde published in 1942. Camus received the Nobel Prize in 1957.

Becketts rise to fame dates f rom the first performance of Godot at the tiny Thatre de Babylone in January 1953. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969 but declined to attend the ceremony as he wished to avoid all personal publicity: though he accepted the prize money and distributed it to needy Artists in Paris where he lived for the remainder of his life, working mainly in a farmhouse outside the city.

Becketts reputation has not diminished in the years since his death at the age of 83. He continued writing until the end of his life and, like his literary master James Joyce, keeps scholars guessing.

Stephen Colbourn has published many Articles about literature on Literature-study-online at http://www.literature-study-online.com. He is a freelance writer. He has written widely on English Language Teaching and has published Articles on literature, linguistics, and computers in various journals together with many Readers for Heinemann and Macmillan Education. He has contributed Articles on literature to The Essentials of Literature in English post-1914, published by Hodder Arnold in 2005.

Author:: Stephen Colbourn
Keywords:: Samuel Beckett,Waiting For Godot,James Joyce,English Literature,En Attendant Godot
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African Masks The Art of Creation

With western eyes we tend to view a tribal mask as a piece of fantastic sculpture. It is a decorative object to be displayed and enjoyed as a work of art. A piece of art that allows us to touch the world of the other, which we vaguely understand. Yet for the people who created it, it is a living object that possesses specific powers.

If you have ever visited a museum or gallery displaying ethnic or tribal art you may have asked yourself why are these shapes and forms used? What is this for? What kind of occasions called for these fabulous objects? Why and how was it made?

As I have studied mask I have realised that there are many answers to these questions. Each mask has its own story. Each mask is unique. Yet within that uniqueness there are commonalties. Interestingly the common aspects cross continental boundaries.

Why is a new mask needed?

In the aboriginal traditions the need for a new mask could vary greatly.

It could be

to honour an ancestor

to satisfy a request from the spirit world

for a new initiate

an old mask had served its usefulness

commissioned by a shaman for a specific purpose.

To mention a few.

How is the mask commissioned and created?

Once a need for a mask is recognised the commission can be made. A mask maker will have other roles in the practice of his Carving and wood working construction skills. In some cultures all created objects were given a ritual and sacred element. The carves will know the traditional forms yet will also have artistic integrity. A new mask will be an expression of his skills, traditional knowledge and the link with the spirit world.

First a tree must be chosen. The forest has many trees. Which one is the true tree to be used? The diviner is ask ed for help. Using his knowledge of ancient traditions he enters the forest and begins to tune in to the wavelengths of the trees. He is guided towards the perfect tree. He knows this is the one.

The diviner introduces the tree to the carver. A ritual links the carver and the tree. A cut is made into the tree. The carver drinks from the sap. He absorbs some of the tree's spirit, man and the tree become one.

The first cuts for the mask are made into the living wood. The mask is sketched out, roughly hewn in a basic form. As the mask is revealed by the artist it is taken from the tree and finished in a closed workshop or secret place in the forest. Often a mask is carved in secret. To have the mask seen before it is complete breaks its magic, its power. Only when the mask is inhabited by the spirit, animal guide or ancestor is it whole and complete.

The mask has a life. It is not a dead object so long as it is in use. If the mask is not used it becomes less p owerful as the spirit will leave as it is no longer being called upon for useful work.

An African elder visiting a London museum observed that the Masks were dead. Here in this museum the Masks had lost their power as they had lost the links to the spirit world. As exhibits the magic had gone from the mask the spirits returned to the spirit world.

The other aspect that is always worth remembering is that the mask is only one part of the of the whole effect. A costume is needed to support the mask, as is the music, the drumming, chants and songs, dances and of course the other participants. All combine to invoke the ceremony whether it be to celebrate coming of age, harvest or other important event.

Masks have great power to absorb our attention. Not all Masks are created within a spiritual tradition yet the basic process of disguise takes us, at times into another mental dimension.

Ian Bracegirdle 2005 http://www.mask-and-more-Masks.com

http://m ask-and-more-Masks.com You may use this article freely on condition that you include this copyright line and URL and that people who subsequently use this article follow the same conditions. Thank you for accepting these conditions.

Ian Bracegirdle 2004 1 Elderberry Close East Morton BD20 5WA UK 01535 692207 http://mask-and-more-Masks.com

Teacher, Course Leader, Mask maker. Ian has studied and taught Masks making and information for several years. He sees Masks as a link back to our cultural origins.

Author:: Ian Bracegirdle
Keywords:: African Masks,african traditions,Masks,rights of passage,Divination,Carving
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No Single Nation Can Impose Democracy on Another

Imposing Democracy on Another nation is something that many academics and philosopher types have debated over many decades. Some believe that no single nation can impose Democracy over Another nation. Indeed these same people will argue that no group of nations should impose democracy over Another either. And this would also include any group called a League of Nations, United Nations or One World Government.

However there are many who are in the United Nati ons who believe that there are many instances when such imposition would be necessary to prevent war, human rights abuses or and out of control government regime. It is for this reason that many could argue that there will be circumstances when it will be necessary to remove a radical regime such as a dictatorship and replace that governments leadership with a Democracy.

What do you do with a Nation State whose leadership insists on funding and sponsoring International Terrorists or even giving them nuclear weapons to use on large civilian populations and cities? Perhaps a protocol is needed of when to impose a legitimate democracy on Another nation and rather than allowing the Security Council of the United Nations, which is totally political, to decide when to do something about a menacing problem which is bound to get worse. Consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Author:: Lance Winslow
Keywords:: No Single Nation, Can Impose Democracy, Another
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Stagecoach Drivers and Their Whips

Not everyone could manage a stagecoach. The stagecoach driver was held in higher esteem when on the summit of the Sierra than was the millionaire statesman who might be riding beside him.

While most stage drivers were sober, at least while on duty, nearly all were fond of an occasional eye opener. A good driver was the captain of his craft. He was feared by his timid passengers, awed by stable boys, and was the trusty agent of his employer.

The seat next to the driver, weather permitting, was the preferred seat of the men passengers. But this was one seat that was reserved, and it was not gotten by simply being the first to hop on the left front wheel rim and climbing into the box.

If the driver didnt want the person who took the seat there, he would firmly order him down, and then enjoy the passengers discomfiture for the next ten miles.

To sit in the drivers seat, one proceeded very much in the manner of securing an appointment to a high offic e. He went to the source of authorityabove the driver himselfto the superintendent and even to the president of the company.

Charlie Parkhurst was one of the more skillful stagecoach drivers, not only in California, but throughout the west. He was variously called One-eyed or Cockeyed Charlie, because he had lost an eye when kicked by a horse. For 20 years, he drove stagecoach in California. Twice Charlie was held up. The first time, he was forced to throw down his strongbox because he was unarmed. The second time, he was prepared.

When a road agent ordered the stage to stop and commanded Charlie to throw down its strongbox, Parkhurst leveled a shotgun blast into the chest of the outlaw, whipped his horses into a full gallop, and left the bandit in the road.

One-eyed Charlie was known as one of the toughest, roughest, and the most daring of stagecoach drivers. Like most drivers, he was proud of his skill in the extremely difficult job as whip. Proper handling of the horses and the great coaches was an art that required much practice, experience, and not the least, courage.

Whips received high salaries for the times, sometimes as much as $125 a month, plus room and board.

How in the world can you see your way through this dust? one passenger asked Charlie.

Smell it. Fact is, Charlie replied, Ive traveled over these mountains so often I can tell where the road is by the sound of the wheels. When they rattle, Im on hard ground; when they dont rattle I genrlly look over the side to see where shes agoing.

Yet, little was really known about Charlie Parkhurst before or after he came to California. It wasnt until his body was prepared for burial that his true secret was discovered.

Charlotte Charlie Parkhurst was a woman. One doctor claimed that at some point in her life, she had been a mother.

Unknowingly, Parkhurst could claim a national first. After voting on Election Day, November 3, 1868, Charlie was probably the first woman to cast a ballot in any election. It wasnt until 52 years later that the right to vote was guaranteed to women by the nineteenth amendment.

All stagecoach drivers, including Charlie, considered their whips worth their weight in gold. Drivers considered their whips a badge of honor.

Some drivers would as soon be caught without their pants as without their whips. Many of the whips used by the stage drivers were fine works of art, generally ornamented with handcrafted silver ferules girdling a handle made of hickory. Many of these whips are prized museum pieces today.

Whips were never sold, loaned, borrowed, or traded. In his book, Stagecoach Days in Santa Barbara County, Walker A. Tompkins wrote, Whips were considered a part of the driver, who kept the lashes well-oiled and as pliable as a snake in the sun.

Most stagecoach whips had buckskin lashes, usually from 11 to 12 feet in length, attached to a five-f oot hickory shaft. The lashes were 10 feet too short to reach the lead team, which was controlled by reining.

Some rare drivers did carry a six-horse whip with a 22-foot lash, but these were mainly for circus and rodeo appearances, and considered too unwieldy for practical use.

The driver took his whip with him when off duty, and always hung it up. He never rested it in a corner for fear of warping the stock. Neither did he wrap the lash around the handle for fear of curling the thongs.

Stagecoach drivers were scornful of the way they were depicted in the movies. The top-grade stagecoach drivers used cracking of the whip sparingly. These drivers were concerned that the pistol-shot sounds made by the whips would only startle their passengers out of their naps or, worse yet, spook their teams.

Roads had to be built at public expense before stagecoaches were given a route. Some were little more than ox-cart tracks linking the various ranchos. Even the El Camino Real, the storied Kings Highway, was little more than a foot trail.

A tale is told about stage driver Whispering George Cooper. He got his name because of his loud bellow, which was said could be heard for miles, even against a wind, while he pushed his team up a treacherous pass.

At one point, Whispering George needed to repair a broken single tree that had developed a bad split. He scoured the stage for a bit of rope or a scrap of baling wire, to make the repair.

At that moment, a rattlesnake slithering across the road in front of them spooked his team. George killed the snake, which measured five feet or more in length. A passenger commented how much the snake resembled a rope.

By gawd, thats what Ill use it for! exclaimed George. He wrapped the dead snake around the single tree and knotted it into place. It worked, holding the damaged single tree together until it reached a relay station.

The term stagecoach came about in medieval Europe, when public coach travel was the only way one could get from one point to another without walking.

Trips were generally made in easy stages because of bad roads and the lack of overnight lodgings along the way. Hence, the term stage coach.

Alton Pryor has been a writer for magazines, newspapers, and wire services. He worked for United Press International in their Sacramento Bureau, handling both printed press as well as radio news. He traveled the state as a field editor for California Farmer Magazine for 27 years. He is now the author of 10 books, primarily on California and western history. His books can be seen at www.stagecoachPublishing.com Readers can Email him at stagecoach@surewest.net.

Author:: Alton Pryor
Keywords:: article submission, Articles, Writer s, Writing, Publishing, Ezine, Email marketing, Email newsletter, Email
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Rasputin

GRIGORY EFIMOVICH NOVYKH (RASPUTIN):

Hail, Hail, Ras-putin. This mans story has intrigued me for all of my life. His daughters book was the most rewarding insight I have read in matters corporeal but it is the issues of his knowledge to heal and how he died, that she makes evident, which deserve further explanation. When first I read how Rasputin had been taught in a monastery I wondered. How is it that Christian brothers or friars are able to practice these shamanic arts? In Nicholas and Alexandra, I saw more of the political aspects as well as the stupidity of the Czar and his wife who depended so heavily on Rasputin. Of course, there are reasons and sciences which I have continued to study and find. These studies are able to explain what happened and how these things can be. For example, he did not heal the young son Alexei of haemophilia because the child actually had Aplastic Crisis and it naturally settles itself when the red blood cells are replenished. But h e knew or sensed this, whereas the doctors did not.

The one aspect of his Prophecy in writing about his death that I regard with awe is that his daughter reports he absolutely knew he went to meet death on the night he died. I can see how he would decree the end of the Romanovs if one of their relatives were involved in his murder. I can even imagine as I read her story about his death that he enjoyed and was fully up to the challenge of cheating death or the poisons used upon him. He died of drowning after being poisoned, shot, beaten and stabbed to be thought dead many times over. His Prophecy about the end of the Russian E mpire was fulfilled because one member of the Royal family was the murderer who led the conspirators. They cut a whole in the ice and dropped his body wrapped inside a carpet into the river. He apparently never learned to apply ethics or RIGHT THOUGHT in his studies but that is also true of the monks or Christians he learned from.

Author of Diverse Druids, Columnist for The ES Press Magazine, Guest 'expert' at World-Mysteries.com

Author:: Robert Baird
Keywords:: Rasputin, Shamanism, Prophecy
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Paper on Hamlet and His Possible Madness

Madness in Hamlet

The issue of madness is one of major importance in this play. Is Hamlet truly mad, meaning insane? Or is he merely angry? Does he feign madness and use it as a guise? Or does he place himself so dangerously close to the line between sanity and insanity that he crosses it without even realizing it? Or is he so intelligent, cunning and in control that this is merely the playing out of his completely conceived and well-executed plan of attack?

The patient is a thirty year-old male. He is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, an introspective, grieving young member of the royalty, plagued by the recent death of his father, and the hasty marriage of his mother to his uncle, Claudius. He is capable of depressing anyone around him; the King and Queen attempt to pry Hamlet from his mourning. As relations become more strained between Hamlet and Claudius, his attitude becomes destitute. He begins to withdraw himself from everyone in the castle, and spends most of his time in solitude; he is often seen walking alone, talking to himself.

Upon deeper investigation, it is discovered that Hamlet is seeing the ghost of the ex-King of Denmark, Hamlets father. The ghost becomes Hamlets counselor, guiding him through his everyday maze of depression and confusion. It is through the ghost of his father that he learns that Claudius, the new King of Denmark, is solely responsible for his fathers foul and most unnatural murder (I.v.26). He claims that he is told to seek revenge on his fathers murder by murdering Claudius. Hamlet sees the ghost at various times over the course of the play, appearing when he is in need of help.

Hamlets condition persists, gradually getting worse, as he becomes increasingly more aggressive and violent. His behavior towards Ophelia, the woman he loves, becomes erratic. He has violent outbursts towards his mother. He kills various members of the castle without explanation. Hamlet is clearly out of control, and is in need of a psychological evaluation.

The most major of mental il lnesses is schizophrenia, a psychotic illness, where the patient is out of touch with reality. In this disease, thoughts may be deranged or delusions without basis may arise. The individual tends to withdraw from their already little social contact. They become unresponsive and lose interest in normal activities. Emotionally, they can be irritable, angry, aggressive, and even violent at times. At other times, they can have an obsession with death, or voices can be heard or visions seen. The reasons for this change often appear unexplainable to relatives and friends. Some try to explain this new behavior as due to stresses, past or present, especially from interpersonal difficulties and mishaps. It is generally a devastating illness, troublesome to the patient and painful to the relatives and sometimes offensive to society. (Chong, 1)

William Shakespeares literary opus Hamlet is an adventure story of the highest quality, a tale of the psychological trials of a man who is isolated from the society he must live in, and a portrait of a family driven to bloody and gruesome murder by one mans lust for power (King, 1). In his essay Hamlet: A Riddle in Greatness, Louis Kronenberger states that even on the surface, Hamlet remains among the greatest of unsolved psychological mysteries, and the one that has been provided with the most solutions (1). The theme of madness in Hamlet has been one of great discussion; there is much conflicting evidence that can be found when trying to prove the validity of the claim to Hamlets true madness.

The patient, Hamlet, prince of Denmark, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia due to his erratic, sometimes irrational behavior. Ever since the death of his father, King Hamlet, young Hamlet has been what appeared to be in a state of madness. This case study on Hamlets condition will cite many instances in William Shakespeares Hamlet in which the patient has acted in a schizophrenic, meaning mad, manner. Hamlets madness is the result of his fragile, overanalytical personality being confronted wi th a great deal of anguish.

Hamlets madness is apparent even before he sees the ghost of his father. At the start of the play, Hamlet is shown to be in the throes of bereavement (Though This is Madness, Yet There is Method in It., Online Archive, 1). The queen encourages him to look to the future, and to cease his grieving, for she believes it is false. Hamlet responds angrily to her suggestion: But I have within which passeth show; these but the trappings and th e suits of woe. Hamlets strained relationship with Claudius is now evident; as he comments on his mothers marriage, It is not nor it cannot come to good (I.ii.158), he already senses that it embodies much misfortune. This line sets a portentous prediction for the course of the play, as Hamlet struggles between emotion and sobriety in order to enact revenge on his fathers death.

Hamlets encounter with the ghost of his father considerably changes his disposition, an d his actions become more bizarre. He has the unique ability to communicate to his father by talking to a ghost; his friends must swear themselves to secrecy because of the threat that others may dismiss him as mad. Nevertheless, Hamlets actions after meeting the ghost do lead everyone except Horatio to believe he is crazy, but never acts upon his feelings and loses control. From the beginning, Hamlet feels much pressure to speak out against the king, but lacks the strength to do so. This inner conflict is shown in his soliloquy in act two, when he states, O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! (II.ii.534). He confesses that he is a coward, and is torn between speaking out and actually taking action against Claudius. These new pressures cause much inner torment in Hamlet, and hint at the fact that he is mentally indisposed.

Further evidence of Hamlets madness can be found in Hamlets encounter with his mother in act three, scene four. < b>Hamlet has gone to see his mother in an attempt to force her to purge herself of her sin, her hasty marriage to Claudius. As he attempts to make his mother see her wrongs, he screams at her: Nay, but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stewed in corruption, honeying and making love (III.iv.92-95). This attack on his mother clearly shows that he has gone beyond merely playing the role of a moralist, for he has crossed the line between sanity and insanity with his wild and whirling words.

After this attack on his mother, Hamlet furthers his irrational behavior by killing Polonius, who was standing behind the curtain in his mothers room. As Polonius slumps out from behind the curtain, the queen exclaims O me, what hast thou done?. Hamlet replies, Nay, I know not. Is it the king? After the slaying, Hamlet appears to justify the killing in his own mind by stating that Polonius death is almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king and marry with his brother (III.iv.30-31). Hamlets excuse for the murder is irrational, for he left Claudius a scene before, and did not take any affirmative action then. He continues to verbally attack his mother, and does not cease until his next meeting with the ghost. Hamlet is indeed acting madly, and without justification.

As he continues the attack on his mother, the ghost appears in a nightgown. Hamlet appears to come back to his senses, his mood changes, and begs for guidance: Save me, and hover oer me with your wings, you heavenly guards! What would your gracious figure? The queen, oblivious to Hamlets hallucinations, cries out: Alas, hes mad! (III.iv.107-109). The queen is now convinced of Hamlets psychosis, as she has what appears to be solid evidence that Hamlet is hallucinating and talking to himself.

After Hamlet kills Polonius, he will not tell anyone where the body is. Instead, he assumes the role of a madman once again, speaking in a grotesque and ironic manner. The king asks him, Now Hamlet, wheres Polonius? Hamlet replies with a sarcastic remark: At supper. He continues, Not where he eats, but where a is eaten. (IV.iii.16-19) Hamlet is clearly disrespecting Claudius, and making him look like a fool. Yet again, Hamlet does not act upon his plan to seek revenge of his fathers murder, but merely attacks Claudius verbally, as he did to his mother in a fit of rage.

From the beginning of the play, Hamlet has a great fascination with death, another common symptom of schizophrenia (Goldman, 3). Despite being warned by his friends that following the ghost was a bad idea, Hamlets obsession with death was so great that he was prepared to risk all to follow. Taking such a risk, Hamlet organized a play that revealed the truth about his fathers death. This play was to serve as a strategy to force Claudius to admit to the killing of Hamlets father. Claudius reaction to the play served as solid evidence against himself; it was all Hamlet needed to be convinced that he was the true murderer. While he is struggling with the truth of his fathers death, Hamlet is also struggling with thoughts of suicide: Devoutly to be wished; To die, to sleep... (III.i.65). This soliloquy shows how Hamlets obsession with death turned on him, to the point where he is considering taking his own life.

Another instance of madness in Hamlet is found in Ophelia, Hamlets true love. Before the tragedy began, Hamlet and Ophelia were already in love, and was shown through Ophelias words: My lord, he hath importuned me with love in honorable fashion...and hath given countenance to his speech, my lord, with almost all the holy vows of heaven (I.iii.111-115). Ophelias madness was caused by the repression of their true love; Claudius wanted Hamlet removed, and Polonius was determined to not let Ophelia be caught in a harsh social class (Desmet, 2). This subplot even furthers the theme of madness in Hamlet, and plays an important role in the other characters rationalization of Hamlets madness.

The appearance of Ophelias madness is sudden; Hamlet is unaware of her cond ition, preoccupied with his own mental deterioration and his lust for revenge. The repression of her love for Hamlet, his rejection of her, her fathers death, and Hamlets own mental incapacity all drive Ophelia across the line between sanity and insanity; in this madness, she takes her own life. Hamlets behavior towards Ophelia is inconsistent throughout the play. After her death, as he was visiting her grave, he jumped in the grave to fight with Laertes. During the f ight, Hamlet states Forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love, make up my sum (V.i.250-253). This statement contradicts his words when she returned his gifts, stating that he never loved her. Hamlets madness does not reflect Ophelias true madness, his actions contrast them (Soon, 4).

When Hamlet was sent to England, he carefully exchanged the letter that accompanied Guildenstern and Rosencrantz; the result was these men going to their deat h, because of Hamlets clever exchange. Even though they were not part of his plot of revenge, he had them killed, a demonstration of his madness once again.

In the final scene when Hamlet is confronting Laertes, his thoughts and words turn again to the topic of madness:

Wast Hamlet wronged Laertes? Never Hamlet.

If Hamlet from himself be taen away,

Then Hamlet does it not, Hamlet denies it.

Who does it then? His madness (V.ii.223-226).

By these words, Hamlet is speaking of his true madness, which caused him to kill Polonius. He is apologizing to Laertes, and admits that his loss of control is due to his madness. In this final scene, Hamlet comes to terms with his own madness, and apprehends that it was his suffering and procrastination that kept him from killing Claudius sooner. He loses control over his revenge, and it is at this time that he finally finds the right opportunity to kill Claudius, and satisfy the wishes of the ghost of his father: Hamlet is of the faction that is wronged; his madness is poor Hamlets enemy (V.ii.227 -228).

The theme of madness in Shakespeares Hamlet has been a widely popular topic in the discussion of the play by both critics and readers alike. It is quite simple to see the reason why, since the play confronts us with evidence to prove the validity of the claim to Hamlets true madness, or, rather a view that the actions and words arising from the apparent madness is but a feigned antic disposition as proclaimed by Hamlet himself. (Soon, 1) The psychological c ase study of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, presents the theory that Hamlet did have a break with reality, and should be diagnosed with schizophrenia, a devastating disease that affects a mere 1 percent of the worlds population. The preponderance of evidence that has been displayed clearly points to the conclusion that Hamlet was indeed mad; the diseases onset is in the young adult years, it is disabling, resulting in a period of productive time lost, and it has social effec ts on the patient, as well as his family. In Hamlets case, all criteria have been met, and therefore can be declared schizophrenic, or mad.

Bibliography

Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Penquin Putnam Inc., 1998.

Bradley, A.C. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1964.

Charney, Maurice. Style in Hamlet. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1969.

Chong, Wong Yip, Dr. General Introduction to Mental Illness. 9 March 1999. .

Cordell, West. A Critical Analysis of Hamlets Madness. 9 March 1999. .

Desmet, Christy. I lovd You Ever: Love and Madness in Hamlet. .

Goldman, Larry S., MD. Psychosis and Psychotic Disorders. 9 March 1999. .

Hamlet Navigator: Hamlet: His Madness. 9 March 1999. .

Holland, Henry Scott. Shakespeare: Some Essays and Lectures. New York: Kennikat Press Inc., 1970.

King, Amy. A Study Guide For Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. Class handout.

Kirschbaum, Leo. Character and Characterization in Shakespeare. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1962.

Kronenberger, Louis. Hamlet: A Riddle in Greatness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965.

Lewis, Charlton M. The Genesis of Hamlet. New York: Kennikat Press Inc., 1967.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Bantam Books, 1988.

Soon, Adi. Hamlet Essay. 9 March 1999. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/6440/eng-lit/Hamlet5.txt>.

Though This is Madness, Yet There is Method in It. Online Archive. 9 March 1999. .

Was Hamlet Mad: Arguments For and Against. 9 March 1999. .

This article is protected under copyright laws.

Dr. M. Cooper provides research and term paper assistance at http:/ /www.TermPaperAdvisor and http://www.TermPapersMadeEasy.com He also offers free advice on how to produce quality term papers and book reports. Dr. Copper has a B.A. in history, a M.S. in data communications, and a Ph.D in computer information systems. He is a retired military officer and a Vietnam veteran.

Author:: Mike Copper
Keywords:: Hamlet term paper, Hamlet-essay, Hamlet, shakespeare Hamlet, Hamlet, Hamlet and maddness
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The Complex Simplicity of Henri Rousseau's Art

A few basic, descriptive words can define a persons reputation in a mere brush stroke. Nave, childlike, primitive - words like these have lived on long after the renowned French painter Henri Rousseau has left this world. Yet time and time again they are the tidbits of vocabulary, or the glaring labels that people give to Rousseau.

One has only to stare intently at his works with their bright shades, seemingly simple forms and fantasy like scenarios to see that they do have an unmistakable childlike aura about them, yet surely they show us more upon second glance.

The man Picasso would one day go on to befriend after seeing one of Rousseaus canvases being sold for reuse, was born in Laval France on the 21st of May, 1844. Never a rich man by any means, Rousseau entered the army as a youngster and later became a toll clerk in Paris. At the somewhat early age of forty nine Henri Rousseau retired from his life in the civil service so he could devote night and day t o his dearest passion, Painting.

Rousseau belonged to an elite class of Artists, though many of his peers and critics were not so quick to see Henris career as such. Rousseau was a self-taught Artist through and through. Though he obtained the needed permit to sketch inside of the national French museums in 1884, Henri never so much as took a formal Art class or apprenticed under any master of the day. Like so many with great loves, he simply had a burning passion for Painting embedd ed in his soul.

The Art world was alive in new and fantastic ways in the late nineteenth century; thousands of would-be Artists clambered either in the shadows or in the limelight for recognition. This was the era that would produce such legends as Paul Gauguin, Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec to name but three. So in this time of Artistic explosion Rousseau worked whether intentionally or not in a style and manner that was delightfully unique and captivating. Though ofte n grouped under the heading post-impressionism, Henris work somehow stands out from the crowd.

It is innovative and subtly provocative, surrealist and dreamy. He favoured animals, real life subject matter (including Paintings of many of the people closest to him) and vivid, well-saturated colours. His passion for Painting jungle scenery and wild beasts is thought to come from time spent in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, a lush botanical garden that housed a well stocked zoo of exotic creatures.

In his work we do see a sense of childlike innocence, but it may be because that is what Rousseau was attempting to do, rather than a by-product of his creativity. In an epoch of so many social, political, religious and technological not to mention Artistic changes, living a lower class life (Henri and his wife Clmence had nine children to support on his meagre salary), and without formal training to sway him towards other more traditional or in vogue forms of Art, perhaps Henri was trying to carve out the sort of life he secretly wished for through his work.

And so, like a child who daydreams incessantly in the face of reality, Henri Rousseau painted the world in a way that showed both its colourful simplicity and its mysterious secrets; a place of ambiguity, a fascinating jungle of fantasy amidst the harsh backdrop of late nineteenth century Paris.

Born is Vancouver, BC Jessica Cander is a professional freelance writer who currently calls the Southern tip of Ireland home. She intensely enjoys writing on all aspects of culture and the Arts, and is a fan of Henri Rousseaus Painting.

Author:: Jessica Cander
Keywords:: Henri Rousseau,Henry Rousseau,Painting,Art,post impressionism
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Build & Unite Black Media Forums Toward Racial Understanding

In the 60s, when I was a child, I looked optimistically forward to the day when we would all be judged by the content of our character, and not by the color of our skin. That day has not yet come. We Black folk, as a people, are still not treated as equals in this society. This neglect is an una manera de la vida - a way of life. It is still knit into the very fabric of the heart of America.

I dont believe Racial negligence is always overt and intentional. I believe it is oftentimes a by-product of what is subconsciously natural. Bear with me... People are naturally more comfortable around those who are most like them. Oftentimes, what we dont understand, we reject. If Blacks were in power, I believe Whites would have many of the same problems with us we now endure from hem. They are no worse than us - but certainly no better, either. Therefore, in order for equality and acceptance to increase, understanding must increase. It is incumbent upon US, then, t o make our Voices heard. As we diligently push for an equal place in this world, we help the majority culture understand us, and what we expect. We must let them know we desire, deserve, and demand the same respect as everyone else... and then we must let them know again - until they truly understand. Our opinions, ideas, and concerns have been silent too long. We Speak among ourselves in raised Voices, but in public in hushed tones. We have been disjointed and unfocused too long. Have we any idea the power of our collective Voice? Do we recognize the great wisdom we possess? (Do we realize how much MONEY we have!?) Do we know it is through a constant and united display of Peaceful, but eloquent force that we make our position on equality understood?

Some of us understand these concepts, but mos t of us dont know what the proper course of action is.

Towards this and other ends, we should create more Media forums. In these places - print, Television, internet, and radio mediums, we can build more of a gathering place for our ideas and information. In these forums we can learn and unite, If we build more united Media blocks, we can help the African American commUnity understand itself, so we all can properly help other men understand us.

The resultant effect, then, will certainly help make that great dream of our childhood more of a reality for our children, and our childrens children.

Pray for and think of ways YOU can help implement this approach. -BKB

Brian K. Burns is the Production Editor and Graphic Artist of ROOTz Magazine of Austin TX, and a Christian writer and musician.

http://www.rootzMagazine.com email: brian@seniordigest.net or brianblam@gmail.com

Author:: Brian K Burns
Keywords:: Race, Racial , african americ an, Media, Unity, Black, Peace, Mlk, Voice, Magazine, Television, Speak
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The Quest for SelfDetermination: Reminiscences of Two Minority Women Part Two

By far the most severe oppression that the women faced comes from the dominant culture. This oppression is shown in numerous ways, such as degradation, exploitation, and murder. As a result, the women have an understandable fear and hatred of white people. Maya describes an errand into the white section of town like this: We were explorers walking without weapons into man-eating animals' territory (Angelou 25). Likewise, because of Mary's beatings by Catholic nuns at the Indian Boarding School, she hated and mistrusted every white person on sight, because [she met only one kind (Crow Dog 34).

One example of whites' degradation of minority peoples is the changing of their names. Native American peoples were forced to adopt Christian first names. Mary writes that her husband's family name should have been Crow Coyote, but due to a white interpreter's misunderstanding, they ended up with the name Crow Dog (Crow Dog 10). Maya also had her name changed by her white employ er. Her given name is Marguerite, but the white woman called her Margaret. Then a friend of the white woman told her the name Margaret was too long and she would call her Mary if I was you (Angelou 107). Maya said that every person she knew had a hellish horror of being 'called out of his name' and that it was a dangerous practice to call a Negro anything that could be loosely construed as insulting because of the centuries of their having been called niggers, jigs, dinges, blackbirds, crows, boots, and spooks (Angelou 109).

Another element of oppression by whites is how minority peoples are exploited for their labor and cheated out of what is owed to them. Native and African Americans were relegated to the lowest and worst paying jobs by whites. Mary claimed that all the whites living near the reservation made their living in some way by exploiting [the Indians, by using Indians as cheap labor, by running their cattle on reservation land for a mere pittance, by using [Indians as colorful props to attract the Eastern tourists (Crow Dog 81). Mary discovered that her people were being cheated by the reservation trading post when she was in New York. According to Mary, everything was so much cheaper than on the reservation where the trading posts have no competition and charge what they please (Crow Dog 112).

African Americans suffer from this exploitation also. Since they were segregated, African Americans were only allowed to attend certain schools and colleges. These colleges trained Negro youth to be carpenters, farmers, handymen, masons, maids, cooks, and baby nurses (Angelou 170). They were not given the opportunity to become Galileos and Madame Curies and Edisons and Gaugins (Angelou 179). As with the Indians, whites cheated the black cotton pickers out of their earned wages. Maya reported that no matter how much they had picked, it wasn't enough to pay the staggering bill that waited on them at the white commissary downtown (An gelou 8).

The most severe oppression suffered by minorities is the physical violence and unjustified murder committed by white people. Maya describes a gruesome scene in which she and her brother learn about the murder of a black man:

And once, we found out about a man who had been killed by whitefolks and thrown into the pond. Bailey said the man's things had been cut off and put in his pocket and he had been shot in the head, all because the whitefolks said he did 'it' to a white woman (Angelou 37).

Mary also recounts numerous times Indians were murdered by white men. The following account is pArticularly inhuman:

Not long before that a Sioux, Raymond Yellow Thunder, a humble, hard-working man, had been stripped naked and forced at gunpoint to dance in an American Legion Hall at Gordon, Nebraska. Later he was beaten to death just for the fun of it (Crow Dog 83).

The previous passages narrate only a few of the many indignities and humiliations these women (and other people in their ethnic group) saw and suffered due to the oppression by the white dominant culture. To survive in the harsh world they are forced into, African Americans and Native Americans developed numerous strategies to keep on living. For example, both minority groups have a dream, they both have a communal spirit, neither believes crime against the whites is wrong, and both adhere to the concept of double consciousness.

The African American dream consists of achieving full rights and equality with the dominant culture. This dream is exemplified in Maya's narrative when she imagines her grandmother standing up for her rights against a dentist and demanding to be treated with the respect that is due her as a human being:

Stand up when you see a lady, you contemptuous scound rel...You knave, do you think you acted like a gentleman, speaking to me like that in front of my granddaughter?...I order you, now and herewith...Leave Stamps by sundown (Angelou 190).

This passage reflects the African American dream of equality with whites; since whites have long exerted power over blacks, the roles are reversed and the blacks have the power now. The passage also shows that African Americans have the right to be spoken with politeness and respect and not as if they were dogs.

In contrast, the Native American dream does not seek equality with whites. Rather the Native Americans want their homeland back the way it was: no white people and plenty of buffalo.

And so they began to dance and sing, to bring back the buffalo, to bring back the old world of the Indians which the wasiun [white man had destoyed, the world they had loved so much and for whose return they were praying (Crow Dog 149).

Native Americans and African Americans develo ped these dreams to give themselves hope that, eventually, their condition will be better.

In a time when the whites were trying to obliterate Native and African Americans, they developed a sense of us against them. These minority groups do everything in their power to help their people survive. In regards to visitors, Mary's grandmother told her, Even if there's not much [food left, they gonna eat. And whatever is left after they leave, even if it's only a small dried-up piece of fry bread, that's what we eat (Crow Dog 19).

Maya describes the communal spirit among blacks in the following way: Whatever was given by Black people to other Blacks was most probably needed as desperately by the donor as by the receiver (Angelou 49). Both these passages illustrate how the groups do without something they need in order to help others survive.

In order to combat economic oppression by the dominant culture, many minorities turn to crime as a means of survival. Thes e crimes against the whites are not viewed as wrong by Maya or Mary. When Maya meets two African American con men who perpetuate scams upon white businessmen, she said it wasn't possible for me to regard them as criminals or be anything but proud of their achievements (Angelou 224). Similarly, Mary describes shoplifting as just getting a little of our own back, like counting coup in the old days by raiding the enemy's camp for horses (Crow Dog 61).

The concept of double consciousness is very important among African Americans and Native Americans. This concept was probably developed to achieve selfesteem in minorities. In other words, minorities identify with someone of their race who is successful in order to feel better about themselves and experience success vicariously.

This concept of double consciousness is seen when Maya describes a boxing match between the heavyweight champion Joe Louis and the contender Carnera. She writes that the fight might be the end of the world and that if Joe lost [African Americans were back in slavery and beyond help (Angelou 135). After Louis wins the fight, she says Joe Louis had proved to the world that we were the strongest people in the world (Angelou 136). This illustrates the idea of people living vicariously through other members of their race.

Another facet of double consciousness is seen in Mary's narrative. In this instance Mary feels she represents all the Lakota women and therefore cannot fail in her endeavors. During an extremely hot sweat ceremony, in which more rocks were used than Mary was used to, she felt she could not cry out to have the flap opened because she represented the Sioux women on this occasion (Crow Dog 205). Double consciousness works both ways: other people in your race represent you, and you represent your race. Consequently, Mary's story is not just hers, but the story of a whole generation and era (Mahtowin 28).

Maya's narrative is also regarded as b eing representative of her people. One critic of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings wrote:

The process of her autobiography is not a singular statement of individual egotism but an exultant explorative revelation that she is because her life is an inextricable pArt of the misunderstood reality of who Black people and Black women truly are (ONeale 26).

Both of these women's autobiographies explore the realities of Native Americans' and African Americans' lives, and seek to dispel the myths surrounding them that have been spread by the dominant culture.

Maya Angelou and Mary Crow Dog gained their self-determination in different ways. Maya fought to be accepted by white society and Mary fought to be left alone by white society. Mary, speaking of the Indian civil rights movement and the African America n civil rights movement, made this distinction: They want in. We Indians want out! That is the main difference (Crow Dog 77).

Maya integrated herself into white society step by step, peacefully. Later in her life she pArticipated in peaceful demonstrations, but she began this process when she was fifteen in San Francisco. She wanted to get a job on the streetcars, even though they don't accept colored people on the streetcars (Angelou 265). Maya was determined, though, and she haunted the railway officials until the blissful day when [she was hired as the first Negro on the San Francisco streetcars (Angelou 269).

In contrast, Mary's struggle was forceful. At a very young age, she responded to insults and discrimination by fighting back. For example, at the Indian Boarding School one of the nuns single d out Mary as a bad example for being too free with her body for holding hands with a boy (Crow Dog 38). Mary attacked back with the following passage:

You people are a lot worse than us Indians...Maybe twelve, thirteen years ago you had a water stoppage here in St. Francis...When the water backed up they had to go through all the water lines and clean them out...And in those huge pipes they found the bodies of newborn babies...And they were white babies...They weren't Indian babies...At least when our girls have babies, they don't do away with them that way (Crow Dog 39).

Later in life, Mary also becomes involved with the Indian civil rights movement and pArticipates in many demonstrations. Some of the demonstrations are violent confrontations, such as Wounded Knee. Mary finds her identity through he r involvement with the American Indian Movement and when she marries a Lakota medicine man, who teaches her the traditional ways of the Lakotas.

To conclude, both of these minority women struggle against oppressive restrictions throughout their formative years. But the dominant culture fails to break them and make them submit to their will. Instead Maya and Mary break down the barriers blocking their chosen path and achieve the power to lead their lives as they see fit.

Bibliography

Angelou, Maya. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. New York: Bantam, 1993.

Crow Dog, Mary. Lakota Woman. New York: HarperPerennial, 1991.

Draper, James P., ed., et al. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 77. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993.

Mahtowin, Mary Crow Dog: Real Life Hero. New Directions for Women, Vol. 21, No.2, March-April, 1992, p. 28.

Narins, Brigham, and Deborah A. Stanley, eds., et al. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 93. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1996.

ONeale, Sondra. Reconstruction of the Composite Self: New Images of Black Women in Maya Angelou's Continuing Autobiography. Black Women Writers (1950-1980): A Critical Evaluation, edited by Mari Evans, Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1984, pp. 25-37.

Mary Arnold is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Creative Writing.

Her writing portfolio may be viewed at http://www.Writing.com/authors/ja77521

Author:: Mary Arnold
Keywords:: Mary Crow Dog, Maya Angelou
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Coming Up: Sue Kenney and the Camino De Santiago: Pilgrim BestSelling Author & Workshop Designer

In October of last year I attended a presentation at the Spanish Centre in Toronto, entitled Camino de Santiago, an event to which I had brought 6 of my friends who I throught would enjoy this topic. I enjoyed that evening very much and I was intrigued by the speaker, Sue Kenney, who is a very unusual individual. Sue has a very special, spiritual energy and her inner peace, strength and confidence radiate visibly. The event impressed me so much that I wrote about it in an earlier article.

During the last few years, I had heard of the Camino de Santiago, Spain's most famous pilgrimage route, and although I am not formally religious, I found the idea of a month- long pilgrimage on foot a fascinating idea, for a variety of reasons.

People from all over the world walk the Camino, and they do it for different reasons: for religious or spiritual reasons, to challenge themselves physically and/or mentally, to connect with the fascinating Spanish landscape and culture, and many other rationales.

Sue Kenney did it for her very own personal reasons. After having been laid off from a successful 24-year career in the telecom industry Sue figured it was time for a long walk.

And this walk has indeed transformed her life. In the few years since this soul-transforming event, Sue has found true meaning in her life by communicating her learning experiences and the life philosophies that she developed on the Camino de Santiago.

She has since written a best-selling book and recorded a storytelling CD called Stone by Stone about her experiences on the Camino, she has become a sought-after keynote speaker and workshop leader who is teaching the corporate world about the values that she discovered on the Camino, she has just finished writing her second book and is working on a variety of other creative endeavours at the moment. She has also become a spiritual leader who inspires others and has since returned to the Camino, taking a gr oup of people along with her on this spiritual journey.

Shortly after October presentation I approached Sue to do an interview with her, but her schedule has been so tightly packed with another trip to the Camino, promotional appearances, workshops and other activities that it has taken a while to bring the interview to fruitiion. However, I am pleased to announce that Sue has found the time to answer my questions and that you will be able to read her life-transforming story very shortly.

Meet Sue Kenney, a fascinating woman, and one of the few people who have discovered their true purpose in life...

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions (http://www.Travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional Travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life Travel experiences, interviews with Travellers and Travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys.

Submit your own Travel stories in our first Travel story contest (http://www.Travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance t o win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River.

Life is a Journey Explore New Horizons.

The interview with photos is published at Travel and Transitions - Interviews

Author:: Susanne Pacher
Keywords:: Travel, adventure Travel, eco tourism, outdoor adventure, women Travel, family Travel
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