Preview

Sugar Cane Alley

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
598 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sugar Cane Alley
Sugar Cane Alley Sugar Cane Alley is directed by Eucha Palcy in 1983. It takes place in Martinique where the black people working at the sugarcane fields. In the movie, I can totally able to understand what the life of the black peoples was in 1980s. They are living under the power and authority of the white people.
“The white own all the lands. The law forbids them to beating us (the blacks) but it does not force them to pay us a decent wages.” An old sugar cane worker tells a story of Africa to the main character, Jose. These few conversations make me think of the strong colonialism in Africa. The white people have the right to control the blacks. Therefore, the development and civilization of Africa is influenced by the white people’s culture, education and etc. The colonialism may be a bad thing for the blacks due to the unfair treatments. However, when we look at the future, the past colonialism may bring some benefits for the next generation. It means modernization. Those experiences and history of Africa are the tool of modernization. People learn from the past and make changes. This is how I deal with my life and the mistakes that I will make. When I look at the black people who are living under the unfair treatments, it makes me think of the humanity. Nowadays, the world claims that “everyone is equal”. However, is this statement is true? Or is this statement does exist in the world among different nationality? I do not think everyone can able to exactly treat people equally. Hence, the idea of racism and superiority complex may still exist in some of the people’s heart. From this point of view, I think of the importance of education. I am so glad that I can able to attend to BYU-Hawaii. It cannot be denied that the people educated people are totally no bias on other people. However, the knowledge that I learn can give me an opportunity to know more about the world and I can able to create my own perspective. What I believe is everyone is equal and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    It is hard to tell if the film “Sugar Cane Alley” is based on the life of the director who is from the city of Martinique, which is the setting of the film, or directly from the book which the movie follows. Either way we are given a good look at the side of Martinique that is easily missed. Most people see the French Colony as a vacation destination partly depicted by the post cards at the very beginning of the film but not everyone knows the story of exploitation that was committed by the French colonists, nor is much light shown on the darker ideas of neocolonialism. This exploitation tool place in many different places and not just in the Caribbean. For example the plantation system in the film is much like the compound systems that were used in Southern Rhodesia as examined by Charles Van Onselen in his book. The main goal of these systems is to gain large profits through the use of cheap labor which is provided by the natives of European colonies. Many tactics were used by the neocolonists to extend the labor cycle and prevent these workers from any personal gains in order to keep from losing any of their labor force. In Sugar Cane Alley we follow the journey of a young boy who lives with his grandmother who knows that education is one of the only and very few ways to escape the life of work that everyone in black shack alley has endured. Jose’s pursuit of education, the second key to freedom, reflects how the neocolonial system provides no way for the lower rungs of the society to honor their own culture and escape the long lasting feeling of oppression and labor, with no substantial self-gain or economic independence.…

    • 1338 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gary Nash’s “Black people in a white people’s country” is an article that provides us with insight into the overall development of the international slave trade and slavery of West Africa beginning in the late fifteenth century and continuing. The economic influences, impact of the stages of transport on the slave ships especially that of the “middle passage”, and the impact on white or the Europeans society as African slavery became not only more prominent but also more institutionalized in the Americas.…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the time of 1892-1975, The continent of Africa was struggling with imperialist aggression, military invasions and eventually colonisation. Many countries within Africa were occupied by other, more powerful, countries. This impacted the social effect placed on the indigenous people of africa. For…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Between the period from 1880 to 1914, European powers went after overseas empires in Africa. The governments and political leaders of the European powers believed that this colonization of the African empires was necessary to maintain their global influence. A second group of people supposed that African colonization was the result of the greedy Capitalists who \only cared for new resources and markets. The third group of people claimed it to be their job to enlighten and educate the uncivilized people of Africa. Although the political leaders of European powers encouraged colonization of African empires to advance their nation’s global influence, others argued that it was only for the profiteering of the Capitalists who sought new resources and markets from Africa and those who benefited from colonization argued that these actions were necessary in order to civilize the African people.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dbq Imperialism In Africa

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The textbook definition of “industrialized” contains descriptors that emphasize its modern context, manipulating words such as ‘streamlined’ and ‘mechanized’. In relation to the Industrial Revolution, the same vein ethnocentrism, within the framework of an automated culture, surfaced. With the influence of this self-importance on imperialism in Africa, ideas of The White Man’s Burden and religious superiority as a justification of expansion, as well as political competitiveness in the form of barbaric tendencies, evolved and repressed the African people rapidly.…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Benefits to Africa as a result of imperialism were plentiful. A primary document, “Does Colonization Pay”, details the many improvements made to the continent; Africa was home to innumerable, rich resources. As a result, Europe was able to utilize these as raw materials, and return the money to Africa. The money was also used to bring the people of Africa food supply, as well as other supplies that were much needed. Besides this, these nations created “roads, canals, railways, and telegraphs”, along with “schools and newspapers” (Document 1). As displayed by the information, imperialism was seen to have profound effects on Africa. Not only did they utilize the rich resources to supply economic gain to the continent, but also significantly developed the continent by providing means of transportation, education, and a source of news. Unfortunately, these benefits were not of significant value due to the immense oppression experienced by the people of Africa during the age of imperialism.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through African Eyes

    • 521 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Throughout the first part of the book, The African Past, the purpose is to look at African history through the eyes of many Africans and to learn about and appreciate it. The reader immediately learns about how Ghana controlled the trade and how Ghana’s wealth derived from gold and was though of as the middleman. Ghana’s name was an inspiration for the future. Next, we learned about Mansa Manu, who became more powerful than Sundiata had and established himself as an exceptional administrator. Once he passed, Mali had become one of the largest and richest empires in the world. Also, Aksum was a significant part of African history because it was one of the few African states that developed its own written language; Historians have been able to learn the “advanced form of agriculture practiced by the early Ethiopians” because of this (67). Through the second part, The Coming of the European, the reader discovers about personal horrors produced by the slave trade and the economic and social effects it had on Africa. Slaves were examined and embarrassed by having to strip naked while judged into categorizations of “good” or “bad”. The trade robbed the continent of more than fifteen million of its strongest men and women and Africans started turning against each other because they believed it was the only way to survive. During part three of the book, The Colonial Experience…

    • 521 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In today’s society in America we still have and witness racism. Today we expect that our schools create an equal outcome for all its students. Whether they live a "normal" lives or their homes are severely disadvantaged by family and community poverty. But the children who come from severely disadvantaged families and are suffering go to school with sometimes unqualified or inexperienced…

    • 63 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sugar Cane Alley

    • 1413 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Sugar Cane Alley was filmed during the summer of 1931 in Martinique a time after the abolishment of slavery. This film parallels a time in Southern Rhodesia where there was a compound system that controlled the mining workers just as the overseers in the cane fields controlled the cane workers. Every aspect of daily life is in some way controlled. Sugar Cane Alley is an insightful film that shows how no matter your environment, if you want to succeed you can with a lot of hard work, but there will be hurdles to jump on the way.…

    • 1413 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the age of Imperialism, racial divisions were at an all time high between the Europeans, “The White Man”. And, literally anybody else of another race at the time. However, racial tensions were quite particularly tense between Whites and Blacks. For the not so first time, Europeans were expunging resources out of Africa. And using the natives to do it for them. And an insightful look into the tensions of the time can be observed in two literary works from the time period, “White Man’s Burden” by Rudyard Kipling. And, alternatively, “Black Man’s Burden” by Edward Morel. The White Man’s burden deals with the social implications of being the Imperialist, exploring countries, and making them your responsibility, to “civilize” them. The Black…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Slavery is not the beginning of what is known of as Africa, which tends to be what all people think the African experience is. The syllabus states, “Well over half of the human development took place exclusively in Africa. Studying Africana therefore requires long-view historical markers derived from intra and extra African conceptual tools.” So I will start my essay before what we know as the modern world. According to the African…

    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    African American Imperialism

    • 3738 Words
    • 15 Pages

    In definition colonialism is the situation where by the strong country control the weak country in socially, economically, and politically normally these strong country introduce little benefits or not to the weakest so as to get more from them, such they doing is like introduction of education which based on the their side, example they introduce their culture, example adoption of the Western culture in Africa. Also these strong country they introduce crops which benefit them, example cash crops, sisal introduced in Africa by German. Due to all above, it shows that the colonialism in Africa was, due to a number of reasons. This essay will attempt to discuss the merits and demerits derived by Africa from the European colonial experience by…

    • 3738 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Race And Inequality

    • 72 Words
    • 1 Page

    Race and inequality continue to affect quality education in America. These factors continue to represent a major problem in social stratum in both emerging and successful countries. Inspite of some work the government has done to eliminate prejudice for example, make the law strict against racism, some people still continue to spread racism. Racism continues in numerous countries, such as the United states. Race continue to affect the quality of education…

    • 72 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Africa is more undeveloped than any other country today because of the problems that were rooted from the past. The trading system, having their history denied, and the inequality had a major negative effect on Africa’s development. Africa's history has been denied and it's resources have been taken advantage which has taken an effect to their…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    African American Culture

    • 4492 Words
    • 18 Pages

    As we begin to think about Africa and its, we must also consider how Western perceptions of "race" and "racial" difference have influenced our notions about the history of Africa. These ideas, which have usually stood out against the presumed inferiority of black peoples with the superiority of whites, arose in Western societies as Europeans sought…

    • 4492 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays