- According to “the souls of black folk” by Du Bois, he reflects that African-Americans yearn for freedom, equality and their self-affirmation. As the article says that, African-Americans think that their skin color is an innate veil, they look like white people, they also look like black people. From a long time ago, they have been treated unequally. In Du Bois’s writing, African-Americans use music to express their aspirations. These musics are not happy or joyous. He called them “sorrow songs”. The significance of these songs is that they are the precious historical wealth of black people. The slaves of black people speak to the world through these “sorrow songs”. As time went by the melody of songs transmit ideas what the slaves want to express to generations after generations. We don’t know the meaning of the lyrics, but we know the meaning of the melody. When people hear these “sorrow songs”, they feel their sadness and think about the black people culture and history. African-American deserve to be treated fairly.
- I think “My way is Cloudy” by Dinwiddie Colored Quartet is the most significant. This song is different from what we usually hear, it sounds like something coming out of a phonograph. There is a group of people singing “My way is Cloudy”, which makes me feel like a group of black slaves sing in order to find the joy of like and not to bow to the fate. They sing in a low voice to tell us their sad stories, and loudly yearn for a life of fairness, freedom and happiness. I can’t help thinking about the miserable life of those black slaves, and I also yearn for the real elimination of racial discrimination.
ENG 101: an Introduction to Composition and Research (Fall 20)
Ways of Seeing/Ways of Hearing
“they are the precious historical wealth of black people” I agree with you. these “sorrow songs” are really important in history because they have been expressed by the people who experienced slavery.
i agree with you about African american really yearn freedom and equality and history song is really important because we can realize those people feeling and situation pain.