The African Diaspora free essay sample

The African Diaspora refers to tales of how Africans, although dispersed, managed to keep hold of their cultures, traditions and ways as they reform in identities conforming to a new world. For a period longer than four centuries, about four million Africans were captured, taken away from their homes and shipped to the Caribbean Islands and North America to work as slaves[1] The change of location and lives motivated the need for African culture and ways to be upheld in the new home away from home. Despite this separation from their tribes, cultures and people, Africans living in Diaspora managed to maintain different aspects of their culture including language, religion, and folklore which they linked to their past. The Americanization process saw the Africans form a new culture called Afro-Americans also known as Creoles[2]. Permanent ties between Africa and North America were created by the Trans Atlantic slave trade having being the biggest in the world. We will write a custom essay sample on The African Diaspora or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Africans from all over the African continent especially the coastal regions were relocated to different parts of North America. The Bantus of the coast of Guinea followed by the Mande had the biggest cultural homogeneity. This made the African-American culture experience a great influence in the Diaspora by the many people coming from these regions. Culture Maintained Afro-American culture differed from one region to another. However, religion was the only homogeneous aspect amongst most of the regions. Christianity is a good example of how Afro-American culture fused its beliefs with the existing religion producing a new theology[3]. The religion spread so fast among the slave communities which saw the Great Awakening sweep the colonies with an influx of evangelical Christianity. The Africans could identify and understand life better with this new wave, which was once used by white slave masters to attract them as potential slaves. The captives later on took Christian teachings of equality which had initially been used as a tool of manipulation by their owners and used it to liberate themselves from captivity[4]. The conversion to Christianity saw the slaves maintain most of their traditions despite having newly acquired some which they blended with their African religious ways. Language is yet another aspect of culture that affected the slaves who moved from their home countries to colonial territories. Pigeon English, also referred to as Pidgin English, has been in the past used largely by Africans even though it was seen as their incapability of using proper English[5]. Studies however show that African Americans’ way of speaking English is tied to some African Languages. Creole languages are still spoken in parts of the USA currently and have gained much acceptance reflecting the survival of African culture throughout slavery and westernization[6]. These languages include Pigeon English and Gullah. This use of two or more varieties of the same language is referred in â€Å"Down by the Riverside: A South Carolina Slave Community†, a book by Joyner. The writer terms this variance in language as Diglossia.[7] African Americans merged their old ways with the new ways the learnt in the new land. These included, cooking, woodcarving, story telling and the tradition of singing gospel songs.[8]   They added their spices to already existing western dishes. The blending of cultures was inevitable at some point as both cultures borrowed aspects of the others’ culture at some point. Western dishes ay some point made use of African spices to enrich their food. Africans living in diaspora kept their culture alive by maintaining their African symbols with their meanings. The placing of familiar snake symbols on metal gates and frames of windows and doors was widely used. Wood used by the carvers played an important role in culture preservation. This led way for carvers to make statues, sculptures, canes in form of chains so as not to forget the days of their bondage and the endurance the went through. The detailed carvings had relevance to family and friends of the carvers. Songs sung while working in the fields to pass time evolved into gospel music which later on constituted themes of freedom from captivity in conjunction with salvation. These songs came with a distinct style of native dancing which varied from one colony to another. These aspects of culture indicate the merger between western and African culture. As documented in â€Å"The African diaspora: African origins and New World Identities†, the writers show marriage among the natives of Africa as having enhanced the maintenance of the original culture for a long while. In the colonial days, women could not own property on their own unless they were married.[9]This resulted in many black natives intermarrying among themselves so as to own property in the new land. The culture of marriage charged the woman with the responsibility of bearing children and teaching them the African ways and cultures. The writers further show how blacks were assimilated into white culture through marriage. Middle class educated black men in Venezuela were the first to be socially accepted to marry white women.[10] They thought that would bring an end to racial bias. The process took some time before the acceptance of mixed marriages, its inclusion into both cultures was expected to reduce racial prejudice. However, racial violence against the Afro-Cuban society was highly noticed in an effort to discouraged mixed marriages. With more time, racial interactions and intermarriages became more tolerable. Black men were better placed to intermarry out of their racial circle as opposed to black women. As documented in â€Å"The African Diaspora: African origins and new world identities†, the issue was widely known to a point of being coined into a saying: â€Å"White woman for marriage, mulata (biracial) for sex, black woman for work.†[11] The gradual subdivision of the colony into diverse social groups was inevitable because of the social and cultural development as well as the changing needs of the society. In â€Å"The African Diaspora†, writers Harris and Jalloh shed light into the development of an elite group of merchants, military officials, church officials, planters and officials of the state. Another group was categorized by artisans, professionals, and people with influence in the church.[12] A third lower group consisted of soldiers, hawkers, and professionals of a low level. The emotional pain suffered by the Africans under captivity was great. However, all slaves were affected differently. Some were emotionally torn by the experience, others died, while other got the better out of the traumatizing experience. Benefits of captivity included, getting education, mastering crude western technology and ways of life like administration, literature, politics, farming, food and religion.[13] An article on Race and History by Barton shows that Black history and its influence on the world is important not only to the blacks in America but the whole world too. The understanding of this history and the need to remember it is important at this point when globalization has hit the world making it a task for all people of different origins. Culture is important to preserve a people and nation too. Blacks in the USA and the rest of the world should in this spirit preserve their culture through music, traditions, language and other aspects despite being assimilated into westernization. Aspects such as the strong structure of the family, matrilineal systems, respect for elders and rites should be upheld to ensure continuity in the African culture[14].

Subliminal Messages Essays

Subliminal Messages Essays Subliminal Messages Paper Subliminal Messages Paper After reading the article, what hypothesis do you think the researchers were testing in this study? Looking at the article of Merikle and Skanes, they analyzed the relationship revolving around the actual effects of subliminal tapes on the way it enhances or helps users in their problems pertaining to various health reasons. â€Å"The present study was a direct attempt to evaluate possible placebo effects that may occur following regular listening to subliminal audiotapes† (Merikle and Skanes, 1992, p. 773) In their study though, the two did not mention any hypothesis concerning the relationship of subliminal tapes in achieving a placebo effect among its patrons. Due to this, after reading the article, a probable hypothesis that the researchers used in testing the study revolved around establishing the relationship and actual effect of subliminal tapes and the placebo effect among its users. In addition, the hypothesis may have been geared towards such claim due to the fact that in their analysis and discussion, the two pointed out that subliminal message/s in audiotapes have no relationship whatever to persons achieving a placebo effect and creating improvements in their certain problems. â€Å"The results of the present study provide no evidence whatsoever that subliminal audiotapes are an effective means for modifying behavior† (Merinkle and Skanes, 1992, p. 775) For what reason were researchers interested in testing this hypothesis; what do you think was their purpose in doing so? In the analysis of Merikle and Skanes, the researchers pointed out the importance of conducting this study. There had been various researches that emphasize the positive effects of subliminal tapes in achieving a placebo effect among patients. â€Å"Recent studies in which the efficacy of subliminal and placebo audiotapes has been compared are unanimous in showing no advantage for subliminal tapes relative to comparable placebo tapes† (Merinkle and Skanes, 1992, 772). In their own way of understanding, the authors used such contention to create a standpoint or view that subliminal tapes have no direct relationship in achieving placebo effect contrary to what other researches have been pointing out. Another reason of interest revolves around the notion that the author’s wanted to disprove the notion of many researches conducted by the producers of subliminal tapes towards the aim of achieving a placebo effect among patients. It is through this that they tried and tested their own analysis using data gathering and experimentation techniques. The authors in the study pointed out that there have been no striking differences in weight loss among the volunteer respondents. Seeing this, the purpose of Merinkle and Skankes is to create awareness among patrons to think again of purchasing these subliminal tapes. This is due to the results presented by the authors and several studies concerning the two concepts relationship. With this, the notion of the impact of subliminal tapes shall be lessened and its credibility is addressed and questioned appropriately. Briefly state the results After the respondents were tested using various research instruments, the study reported several findings that second the claim made by previous studies that indeed subliminal messages do not facilitate the creation of a placebo effect. Seeing the results, it revolved around the answers posted on postexperiment questionnaires, the loss of weight gained after using the subliminal device and the differences in the practices of their relative vices and problems. In postexperiment questionnaires, it showed a striking relation between the answers among respondents. It was said that â€Å"the answers that the subjects gave on the postexperiment questionnaires indicated that the three groups were roughly equivalent in terms of listening habits and life-style changes during the course of the study† (Merinkle and Skanes, 1992, 774). With regards to the issue surrounding weight loss and differences in practice, the results showcased little changes that can be characterized to be drastic in the analysis. It was mentioned that â€Å"a similar number of subjects in each group reported an increase in the number of times they participated in weekly exercises, and no more than 1 subject across all three groups reported a decrease in weekly exercise, a cessation in the use of tobacco, or a change in the use of oral contraceptives† (Merinkle and Skanes, 1992, 774). How could you apply the results of this study to helping students improve their marks in this (or any other) course? Applying this paper in the realm of student education, there are lessons that can be exhausted from their analysis. The first important facet that students must learn is to be critical about the information they gain. It is not sufficient for them to absorb information; they must synthesize these issues to create better understanding and personal development. In addition, by thinking critically about issues, students can gain advantage on how properly to address them – through research and testing. On the other hand, the results also point out that improvement must come from the individual. He/she does not need any instruments that will motivate him/her to pursue such actions. Only with the proper willpower can such issue be addressed appropriately and effectively. Can you think of any way this study could have been improved, or extended? A way this study can be extended is by allowing the time frame of the study to be longer than the usual. The objective of this is to actually determine in the long run if such subliminal tapes affect the creation of placebo effect. Also, better gauges, results and measurements can be established that can set a better outcome for the study. Reference Merikle, P. M. and Skanes, H. E. (1992) Subliminal Self-Help Audiotapes: A Search for Placebo Effects in Journal of Applied Psychology. 77 no. 5 Retrieved July 16, 2008. pp. 772-776.

Analysis of Canoe Restaurant in Pasadena Assignment

Analysis of Canoe Restaurant in Pasadena - Assignment Example As a prerequisite for sale contacts, completion of the Canoe restaurant was necessitated and  paramount. The Los Angeles restaurant grading ordinance got formulated to monitor, evaluate and recommend restaurants  particularly  on their food handling methods,  preparation  and storage regulations (Hutter 15). The grading ordinances  have  enabled customers, and authorities to achieve peace of mind in terms of food quality and health (Hutter 20). After inspection of the  Caneo  restaurant, I  wish  to  give  the  inspection  report as follows: First, the restaurant assistants were reluctant to  observe  some basic food handling  procedure; Failure to clean and  sanitize  the  instruments  used for chopping foodstuff. The kitchens chopping instrument gets used on different kinds of food, for example, beef and chicken. This increases the risks of food contamination for both customers and the workers. Secondly, the  chef, his  assistant and the entire kitchen staff  had  a set  of  complete  protective wear although none of them had  hair  nets. This increases the  possibility  of foreign material such as hair strands to  drop  in the food and  thus contaminate  it. The refrigerator  content  is not labeled clearly. This makes it confusing for the chefs to  pick  the  right  ingredients for the preparation of menus. Some of the kitchen units do not contain thermometers for measuring the  exact  temperature of food to prevent them from contamination. There is also laxity in food handling; foods  do not get wrapped  but instead get left to open air. This too increases the  possibility  of contamination. Finally, lack of maintaining the required kitchen temperature from the required optimum temperature hinders proper food storage. However, Canoe restaurant demonstrated positive results in kitchen practising habits. First, there is a high  level  of cleanliness maintained in terms of personal hygiene, equipment, clothing and the kitchen surroundings. An excellent grading result depends on  the perfection  of the restaurants’ staffs’. The  chef gets tasked with the ability  and skills to ensure  per fect  food handling, storage and preparation (Hutter 26).