Freedom Explores And Examines The African American Struggle

Freedom? explores and examines the African American struggle in their quest for freedom and the many ways that it has taken form. Webster dictionary defines freedom as the â€Å"quality or state of being free†, but freedom can mean so much more. For the African-American community after slavery was abolished, they faced a time when they were technically free, no one controlled their day to day activities, or forced them back into cotton fields, but were they actually free? Their ideas were not valued, they were shunned into a corner in society, treated as second-class citizens, they were set apart from society in every way possible and treated unfairly everywhere they turned. Hence the name Freedom?. What does it represent? Trudier Harris,†¦show more content†¦Within each of these categories lay artwork that explores freedom in a different way. Within, New-Slave Narratives, James Malone has an acrylic painting hanging on the wall. There is no official title on record, but the painting shows a slave with her baby in three different settings. The painting begins with her in Africa, her baby on her back, bent down picking flowers, unaware of the hunters lurking in the bushes behind her. The painting is filled with bright colors, yellow, blue, and green, the sun is shining and a small snippet of her home peeks out of the side of painting. Malone shows this woman in her element, artistically displaying that Africans were not bad people. They were everyday people just like everywhere else in the world. The woman in this painting is a mother, a human being, and her captures are barbarians, hiding in the bushes like lions just waiting to pounce on their prey. Malone demonstrates the savagery of the capture of Africans in this part of his painting. The second part of the painting depicts an auction. She is being held up in shackles, the baby still on her back while slave owners bid on her. The colors are darker, black and dark green, representing a shift in the mood of the painting. The barbarian man is wearing a confederate flagShow MoreRelated`` True Freedom `` By Langston Hughes1163 Words   |  5 Pagesreally free? One might view freedom as abolished slavery, but true freedom gives one the ability to make choices and act on decisions. True freedom might be gained through lessons learned from history, from accomplishing and seeing dreams become reality, or from standing up for beliefs. Langston Hughes, an American poet known for his writing during the Harlem Renaissance period said, â€Å"In all my life, I have never been free. I have never been able to do anything with freedom, except in the field of myRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Black Women 1645 Words   |  7 PagesBlack women in America are faced with many cha llenges. Sexual discrimination and outspoken anger were some of the oppressions that African-American women had to contend with. 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