Race and Ethnicity in the U S 11 2 Archetype Something that writers authors story tellers and movie makers have to use Used throughout classic and contemporary stories Can either be characters or situations symbols Image model of which all things of the same kind are based a symbolic pattern How we tell stories reflects cultural values Examples of archetypes Hero s Harry Potter Moses Hercules Superman Wonder woman Hero s always o Save a victim Safe or Prophet Yoda Dumbeldore o There is almost always a choice to be made o Choose good over evil o Extremely powerful o A guide or teacher for the hero Gandalf Always o Old o Wise Outcast Juno Shrek Star Crossed Lovers Romeo Juliet Bella Edward Villian Darth Vader Voldemort Byronic Hero Tragic or Flawed Hero Evil Witch from Wizard of Oz Macbeth Always o The underdog achieving a greatness The task or quest o Have good intentions but something always stops them from Missions that have to be accomplished for the story to be fulfilled o Defeat Voldemort o Slay a dragon o Wake sleeping beauty The lost paradise Looking for something that can t be found The search for the fountain of youth The road to Elderado Slave Archetypes Black buck Jezebel Coon or Sambo Uncle Tom and Mammy The Black Buck Often Tall and muscular dark skinned Similar to Fu Man Chu Violent Proud Fights the system Sexual with an appetite for white women especially virgins Often a reflection of white people s fears of miscegenation He embodies fears of mixed children revolt or rebellion Regularly dates and has sex with white women Jezebel Corresponding character to Black Buck Light skinned beautiful Wanton with a sexual appetite overly sexual Purposefully tempting or seductive of white men Continues to remain a popular image of black women Wants to have sex with white men all the time Sexually uncontrollable o Not until the late 1960s that a single white ma was convicted of raping a black women because of this Coon or Sambo Lazy slow Simpleton Always trying to avoid work Jive Talking ebonics Carefree joking Not sexually threatening Ex The Fat Albert gang Keenan and Kale Uncle Tom and Mammy House Slaves Faithful servants Very dark skinned heavy set Not attractive Happy being a slave Often portrayed as older loving and doting especially to white children Aunt Jemima Used this archetype to sell products The Argument for Slavery The coon sambo Untle Tom and Mammy all portray slaves as o Docile o Happy o Asexual and uncontrollable In comparison to the buck or jezebel that portrays slaves as sexual violent In either case whether you depict a slave as a coon or a buck both can be used to justify slavery as a good institution because o If you have a coon or an uncle tom and you play them as happy they love being taken care of and they don t need or want freedom love their masters etc then there is no need for a the civil war and things are fine the way they are o On the other hand if you play a buck or a jezebel they are dangerous and need to be controlled by slavery All archetypes in one way or another argue that slavery was beneficial Counter Images Begins in the 1970s The Roots Phenomenon o The start of new and different images for African Americans o Really focused on a reclamation of black masculinity o Roots is a mini series that came out in the 70s o A whole new version of the slave story o There are no uncle toms or happy slaves
View Full Document
Unlocking...