daughters of the dust
In the article, The Black South in Contemporary Film, I read about the usage of religion in Julie Dash's movie, Daughters of the Dust. The way religion is used in this article is not the standard way we think of it, for an example going to church or celebrating Sabbath, but religion as a cultural system. I would like to begin my paper by just explaining what I mean by a cultural system and how it's used in the movie, then go on to talk about what the article had to say about religion in African American culture. When I say religion as a cultural system I'm talking about religion as a set of beliefs, and traditions then anything. A cultural system is based on things that have been passed up and practiced over many years. These beliefs and traditions don't have to be found in a bible or torah, but are held within the society and family. They are things that are revered in the population that make up their own religion. We see this cultural system flourish greatly in Daughter's of The Dust. The sea islands of the Gullah, which are located off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, are worlds of their own. They have their own set of laws, responsibilities and a different way of living. On the
When it comes to the article I read it talked about the individual characters and how they felt towards their cultural system. It began by introducing Nana Peazant and how she really cares about her roots and wants to maintain them in the future. The article continues on and brings up Mary Peazant, also called Yellow Mary do to the color of her skin. It talked about how Yellow Mary was very hostile to her past and felt that they should be sealed up and put it away. It then went on to talk about Viola Peazant how her feeling towards their cultural system. She had similar feeling to that of Yellow Mary and believed that the African American traditions, and memories should be put away because they are outdated. The article then talks about how Dash mediates the old and the new by introducing the character of the Unborn Child. In general terms the article talked about how Dash authenticates the memories and traditions essential to African American cultures, but at the same time incorporates and legitimizes the future and technology. I believe this article was pretty impartial towards religion and it's importance in the African American cultures. It balanced both sides equally and made the rea
Some common words found in the essay are:
African American, Gullahs It's, Daughters Dust, Nana Peazant, Yellow Mary, South Carolina, cultural system, Unborn Child, Viola Peazant, African Americans, Daughter's Dust, african american, religion cultural, religion cultural system, daughters dust, beliefs traditions, yellow mary, bottle tree, african american cultures, american cultures, nana peazant, memories traditions, towards cultural system, movie daughters dust, african american culture,
Approximate Word count = 811
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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