Coming of Age in Mississippi Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coming of Age in Mississippi Paper - Essay Example Since this kind of racism is a big part of the American experience for African-Americans in the past, it is important to know about it. The book is set during the 1960s as well, when the civil rights movement was in full swing and it was often very dangerous for African-Americans. That makes this book an important read to anyone who wants to know about this time period in America. During her childhood, Anne was named Essie and she grew up in the rural part of Mississippi in Centreville. Her family was poor and the white people they worked for usually did not treat them nicely. In addition she had family problems, as her father was abusive and then abandoned them. Her mother settles down with a new man, but has more children and times are still difficult. From a young age, Anne had to work after school to make sure her family had enough money to eat. At the beginning of the second section, she becomes aware of the horrible things about race in a new way when she hears of a fourteen-ye ar-old black boy being killed. Throughout high school she becomes more and more worried about things like this, being almost obsessed with killings and KKK attacks on other African-Americans. She goes to college after getting a scholarship to play basketball and while she is there she decides to take part in the NAACP. Her family is upset about this because white people threaten Anne and her family because of it. After college Anne becomes a member of something called CORE and goes to try and encourage African-Americans to take a more active part in their civil rights movement. This part of the book really shows the tension between Anne and many of the other characters, as even among the civil rights activists she is seen as sometimes too serious. The book ends with Anne growing unhappy with how the movement is going because nobody's life is really being improved. Coming of Age in Mississippi is a powerful book that really had a big effect on my way of thinking. Although I have grow n up in the American South in Tennessee, Georgia, and Texas and am not white, I have never experienced anything close to the kind of racism that Anne Moody talked about in her autobiography. It was really an eye-opener to me to read from someone who experienced about how bad things were in those days. After reading about her experiences as a high school girl and especially when she was involved in CORE and trying to get African-Americans to vote in Canton, Mississippi, I now look at the slight racism that still exists in America in a new light. It makes me want to take this book and show it to people who just take their lives for granted in the USA. Even though the book is sometimes very upsetting, I did find myself enjoying it a lot. The author is a very good writer and knowing that she really went through everything in the book made it very easy to get into and forget what time it was. This is hard to do. The things I liked the most about the book was the way that Moody did not sh y away from using strong language if that was what the people it represented would have used. For instance, when Anne finds out about the murder of fourteen-year-old Emmet Till at the beginning of chapter ten, the boys she is with swear quite a lot because they're angry with her for not paying more attention to her own community. This also makes us see Anne's character as a more real person, because she is not trying to pretend that she

Write a 500 word paper which discusses the complexities of Red Chalk Assignment

Write a 500 word paper which discusses the complexities of Red Chalk media and which gives detailed examples of at least one artist (Leonardo Da Vinci) who used this media. Remember to cite references - Assignment Example l paintings, as when Geurcino used this medium fro a study in preparation for the monumental oil painting ‘Erminia Finding the Wounded Tancred’ ( circa 1660), but red chalk was also used to make decorative and quite elaborate landscapes. The writer goes on to state that red chalk became very popular during the Rocco period in France and was utilized This particular technique can be used to exercise great control and precision. It is very easy to use , no mixing of colours, preparation of pigments etc., and gives a rapid result, using simple strokes. That of course does not mean that it does not also require great skill. A famous picture in red chalk is usually referred to as Renaissance man is often credited as being a self -portrait by Leonardo Da Vinci, although it is perhaps a portrait of a relative of his. Scholars are in dispute about this. It dates from 1512 and is held at the Biblioteca Reale in Turin, Italy ( Daily Mail, 2009). It is rarely on public view simply because it is so fragile, because it is subject to foxing, yet at the same time it is often copied and so well known. There has recently been developed a special box, a Climabox, which will, it is believed, preserve the wonderful portrait from further deterioration. Mayhew ( undated ) has spent a great deal of time researching the various materials used by early artists. He describes it as a natural material and easy to cut into sticks right from the earth as it was already very compressed. He states that da Vinci was the first artist to use it. However supplies became depleted by the end of the 17th century and so it dropped from popularity. By 1795 an artificial substitute had been developed by Frenchman Nicholas Conte, but Mayhew states that this ‘crayon’ simply doesn’t have the ‘glow’ of the natural product, and is harder to work with. He quotes Edward Burne-Jones as being in despair as he asks every colour man for the rare original, and saying ‘Now the