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 Hero s always Superman Wonder woman Safe or Prophet Yoda Dumbeldore o Save a victim o There is almost always a choice to be made o Choose good over evil Gandalf Always o Old o Wise o Extremely powerful o A guide or teacher for the hero 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 achieving a greatness The task or quest o The underdog 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 Jezebel Black buck Coon or Sambo Uncle Tom and Mammy The Black Buck Similar to Fu Man Chu Often Tall and muscular dark skinned Violent Proud 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 Sexual with an appetite for white women especially virgins Fights the system Jezebel Light skinned beautiful Corresponding character to Black Buck 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 Simpleton Lazy slow Always trying to avoid work Carefree joking Not sexually threatening Ex The Fat Albert gang Keenan and Kale Jive Talking ebonics Uncle Tom and Mammy Faithful servants House Slaves Often portrayed as older loving and doting especially to white children Very dark skinned heavy set Not attractive Happy being a slave 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...