1. Emergence of the Tradition
Forslag til problemstillinger | Dokumentar- og filmklip | Hjemmesider, statistik og tekstmateriale |
|---|---|---|
| The Vernacular Tradition (Ebonics): How did the vernacular tradition emerge? | Ebonics Dictionary (Standup Comedy, Steve Harvey) |
2. Characterizing the tradition
| Forslag til problemstillinger | Dokumentar- og filmklip | Hjemmesider, statistik og tekstmateriale |
|---|---|---|
| List some of the general characteristics of the black vernacular and its role in black culture from the west African culture to hip-hop |
3. The Vernacular in Hip Hop
| Forslag til problemstillinger | Dokumentar- og filmklip | Hjemmesider, statistik og tekstmateriale |
|---|---|---|
Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” (1970) and Public Enemy’s “Don’t Believe the Hype” (1988) are two texts that illustrate intertextuality. How do the two lyrics speak to each other? Consider the use of elements such as theme, tone, imagery, and sound devices (e.g., anaphora) as well as each lyric’s particular sociological, political, and cultural contexts. Compare the various hip-hop songs listed here. What do they have in common in terms of style, theme, rhetorical devices? What image do they give of the lifestyle of African Americans? What challenges might modern African Americans face in not using standard American English? What challenges might someone brought up in a vernacular environment face in the education system and in terms of job opportunities? | Hip Hop Lyrics: Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five: The Message Public Enamy: Don’t Believe the Hype Queen Latifah: The Evil That Men Do Eric B. & Rakim: I Ain’t No Joke Biggie Smalls (The Notorious B.I.G): Things Done Changed Professor Mary Zeigler of Georgia University talks about the influence that African American's have had on the development of American English. | Public Enamy: Don't believe the hype, lyrics Queen latifah: evil that men do, lyrics The notorious big things done changed lyrics African-american english: Linguistic prejudice is a real prejudice and has real consequences (homepage with links to other pages, statistics etc.) link |
4. Vernacular, the Education System and job opportunities
| Forslag til problemstillinger | Dokumentar- og filmklip | Hjemmesider, statistik og tekstmateriale |
|---|---|---|
| What initial challenges did African American literature face in becoming recognized on equal terms with white literature? | Article critical of the idea that Black Vernacular should be an official language of education |
5. Vernacular and the Literary Tradition
| Forslag til problemstillinger | Dokumentar- og filmklip | Hjemmesider, statistik og tekstmateriale |
|---|---|---|
| What role did the negro spirituals, gospels and other types of African American song and music traditions play in the development of the vernacular tradition? | link |
6. The Emergence and Development of the Vernacular Tradition
| Forslag til problemstillinger | Dokumentar- og filmklip | Hjemmesider, statistik og tekstmateriale |
|---|---|---|
Compare and contrast one of the work songs in the Vernacular Tradition section with a blues, jazz, or rap lyric. What rhetorical elements suggest that the worksongs are the origin of the other forms? |
7. The Vernacular Hero
| Forslag til problemstillinger | Dokumentar- og filmklip | Hjemmesider, statistik og tekstmateriale |
|---|---|---|
Compare and contrast the figure of the vernacular hero in sacred and spiritual texts such as “Ezekiel Saw de Wheel” and “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel” with the heroes of John Henry or Stackolee. What reveals these different heroes emerge from the same traditions? How does the folk hero John Henry compare and contrast with other black vernacular figures such as Railroad Bill and John of “Ah’ll Beatcher Makin’ Money”? | Ezekeliel Saw de Wheel” performed by Louis Armstrong | Ezekeliel Saw de Wheel” lyrics “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel” lyrics |
8. Comparing Genres within the vernacular Music Tradition
| Forslag til problemstillinger | Dokumentar- og filmklip | Hjemmesider, statistik og tekstmateriale |
|---|---|---|
| Amiri Baraka has said that, “the Blues could not exist if the African captives did not become the American captives.” What do you think this idea means? Give examples from the black vernacular blues tradition, or from hip-hop that might support or go against this idea? | Pick a Bale of Cotton (Leadbelly) The Ballad of John Henry (Norton p. 34) |
9. Vernacular, the tradition of the church sermon, and the great African American Speaches
| Forslag til problemstillinger | Dokumentar- og filmklip | Hjemmesider, statistik og tekstmateriale |
|---|---|---|
| Traditionally, sermons in the Black pulpit generally teach in a call and response style and assume the congregation’s full attention. This use of drama and improvisation creates tension and excitement. Identify the rhetorical features in vernacular texts that represent this tradition. | Martin Luther King Jr. I Have a Dream Malcolm X The Ballot or the Bullet James Baldwin The Ku Klux Clan Killed My Father |
10. Øvrige links
Tupack Shakur: Panther Power Video til sangen med historisk materiale Mahalia Jackson singing Amazing Grace live The Golden Gospel Singers: Freedom Harlem Gospel Singers - Go Down MosesVernacular in the classroomWe Be Talkin'; The Structure and Complexity of African American English Black Talk Documentary. This 15-minute documentary highlights the issue of black vernacular in the African American community focusing heavily on the history of ebonics, the media's influence on it, and how it's been preserved throughout the years. Dr. Mabel Grimes performs "When Malindy Sings" Gil Scott Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be TelevisedI, Too read by Langston Hughes The Invisible Man and its Impact on the American Lexicon. This video explores the affect Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" had in changing the lexicon of African Americans. Audio book version of The Invisible ManBiographical information and criticismJames Baldwin biography Louis Armstrong and the All Stars 1954 Beale Street BluesThe Color Purple: Alice Walker on Her Classic Novel, Speilberg's Film, and the Broadway Adaptation BookTV: Alice Walker, "The Color Purple" 30 Years Later Edward Jones reads “The First Day”Z.Z. Packer talks about Brownies
