Black History Theatre
1. Are you wearing a mask in your life? In what situation are you or were you afraid to share your Iwa or inner
essence, inner thoughts because of race, gender, sexual orientation or religion? Using at least one of the
Federal Writers Project narratives from week 1 (The Male Narratives or We Are Your Sisters or another you
find on your own) compare the situation in which you have been forced to hide behind a mask, to that of the
former slave in the narrative. Include in your response a quote from the narrative that relates to your situation
and an explanation of Iwa. (200 word minimum)
2. Explain the difference between the work songs or field hollers and the Black spirituals. From what common
source did they originate? Use a specific spiritual in your answer and in what category does it belong: sorrow
songs, songs about a better life in the hereafter, songs about Biblical heroes, or songs that carry a hidden
message. (200 word minimum)
3. The Mammy, Pickaninny, Zip Coon. Sambo, Uncle, The Vicious Black Brute or Buck, Urban Coon, Jezebel
or Yaller Gal and Tragic Mulatta are all caricature based stereotypes created in minstrelsy to justify the
enslavement and dehumanizing of African Americans. Unfortunately the line between where the stereotype
ends and the true sense of African American identity begins, has become blurred. Discuss how one of these
stereotypes is still affecting race consciousness in current events, music, film or television. Make sure you
define the original prototype of the racist stereotype in your answer and compare that to the modern version of
the stereotype. Support your answer with at least 3 specific current events, or media examples. Be specific
with your modern examples and do not generalize. Please think beyond Madea. (300 word minimum)
Khachaturian's life in any case, was not constantly a smooth course. In February of 1948, the Communist Party's Central Committee, including head Andrei
Zhdanov, reviled the music of Khachaturian, Shostakovich and Prokofiev – proclaiming it as formalist and hostile to Soviet. Each of the three writers had
their collection excluded from execution lobbies and foundations, and had to freely apologize. This tragically affected Khachaturian, who was an energetic
socialist, having formally joined the Communist Party in 1943. He reviewed, "I was squashed, decimated. I genuinely viewed as evolving callings". Khachaturian
had joined the Union of Soviet Composers as Deputy Chairman in 1937, and after two years he turned into the Deputy President of the Moscow branch. The
criticism by Zhdanov was progressively a revilement of the advancement of the Union of Soviet Composers instead of Khachaturian's music itself. The
condemnation was reestablished after the expression of remorse, in spite of the fact that his melodic style remained the equivalent. Truth be told, From then
on, Khachaturian turned his enthusiasm to directing and educating at the Gnessin Institute and the Moscow Conservatory. He turned into the secretary of the
Composer's Union in 1957, holding the situation until his passing. Khachaturian composed his second artful dance Spartacus, which debuted in 1956 and
adequately end up being his last universally eminent work. He kicked the bucket on the first of May, 1978, and was covered at the Komitas Pantheon in Yerevan
close by other Armenian learned people and specialists.
Aram Khachaturian composed his violin concerto in an extremely brief timeframe. He spent the late spring of 1940 in the Ruza Composer's Home, a stretch of
cabins and stops along the Moscow River where arrangers would go to rest, work, and be loaded up with inventiveness. The work was done in around more than two
months – a consequence of his exceptionally dynamic and creative psyche. Khachaturian claims "I worked with no exertion, now and again my considerations and
minds outraced the hand that was covering the staffs with notes. The topics came to me in such bounty that I made some hard memories of placing them in a
request".