Reactions of literary critics and popular journalists to "The Souls of Black Folk" are discussed. (MC)

William G. Allen was an African-American professor at Central College, McGrawville, New York. His lecture, "Orators and Oratory," delivered on June 22, 1852, is the earliest recorded study by an American Black on the ancient art of oratory. The text of the lecture is provided. (BJV)

Discusses Malcolm X's rhetoric use of animal imagery to modify Blacks' image of White America. In general, his rhetoric reflected societal conflict through word choice, sentence structure, and delivery style. The usefulness of his rhetoric in addressing other images that are in need of change is discussed. (BJV)

Seemingly contradictory positions of J. Conrad as both a racist and an opponent of race-based imperial practices are discussed with reference to "The Heart of Darkness." It is argued that Conrad made a conscious effort to shake off the racial theories of the time and to deplore imperial racism. (SLD)

Toni Cade Bambara's novel "The Salt Eaters" is art colored by social responsibility as the author attempts to give her African-American audience a sense of their history and their identity so they can value and accept collective work and responsibility. The novel's strengths and thematic weaknesses are discussed. (SLD)

Careful scrutiny of the literature and actions of Paul Laurence Dunbar reveals that he was more a part of the African-American protest tradition than scholars have been led to believe. He cannot be grouped with the plantation school of writers because of his opposition to slavery and white paternalism. (SLD)

Martin Luther King's speech is examined as a sermon in the Black Baptist tradition. The speech, which is a dialog between speaker and audience, has, in addition to the "message" contained in the code, a broader ethnographic meaning. The speech event itself is metaphorical in nature, signaling political protest. (Author/BJV)

Alice Childress, Lorraine Hansberry, and Ntozake Shange have in their plays created images of blacks that dispel the myths of "the contented slave,""the exotic primitive," and "the spiritual singing, toe-tapping, faithful servant." (BJV)

Religious feeling is always interdependent with racial feeling in the poetry of Langston Hughes. He views religion in the larger context of black culture, presenting it variously as a source of strength for the oppressed, an opiate of the people, the religion of slavery, and an obstacle to emancipation. (BJV)

The field of interpretation needs to be more aware of and sensitive to the contributions of black culture and consciousness. The interpreter wishing to perform black poetry, for example, needs to recognize that the black aesthetic has its roots in African culture and traditions and does not always share the assumptions of the European or…

Earlier African novels, addressed to a Western audience, defend the traditional culture of the authors and attack the hypocrisy of the West. Later novels, written after 1960, are addressed to an African audience, and present balanced appraisals of Western culture and religion. Discusses rhetorical devices and other aspects of African novels. (BJV)