Archetypes of African-American Men and Women in literature, film, and culture

Archetype An archetype, also known as a universal symbol, may be --a character, --- a theme, --- a symbol or ----even a setting. **Many literary critics are of the opinion that archetypes, which have a common and recurring representation in a particular human culture or entire human race, shape the structure and function of a literary work.

“Collective Unconscious” Carl Jung (1875-1961), Swiss psychologist, argued that the root of an archetype is in the “collective unconscious” of mankind. The phrase “collective unconscious” refers to experiences shared by a race or culture. --This includes love, religion, death, birth, life, struggle, survival etc. These experiences exist in the subconscious of every individual and are recreated in literary works or in other forms of art.

Common Archetypes in Literature and Film Archetypes in Characters Example #1--The Hero: He or she is a character who predominantly exhibits goodness and struggles against evil in order to restore harmony and justice to society Example #2--The Mother Figure: Such a character may be represented as Fairy Mother who guides and directs a child, Mother Earth who contacts people and offers spiritual and emotional nourishment, or Stepmother who treats her stepchildren roughly.

More Archetypes in Characters Example #3--The Scapegoat: A character that takes the blame of everything bad that happens Example #4--The Villain: A character whose main function is to go to any extent to oppose the hero or whom the hero must annihilate in order to bring justice e.g.

Archetypes in Situations Example #1--The Journey: The main character takes a journey that may be physical or emotional to understand his or her personality and the nature of the world. Example #2--The Initiation: The main character undergoes experiences that lead him or her towards maturity.

More Archetypes in Situations Example #3--Good Versus Evil: Story elements represent the clash of forces that represent goodness with those that represent evil. Example #4--The Fall: The main character falls from grace as a consequence of his or her own action.

Function of Archetype The use of archetypical characters and situations gives a literary work a universal acceptance, as readers identify the characters and situations in their own social and cultural context. By using common archetypes, writers attempt to impart realism to their works, as the situations and characters are drawn from the experiences of the world. http://literarydevices.net/archetype/

Stereotype a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing man as “breadwinner” woman as “carer" athlete as “stupid” attorney as “dishonest” politician as “corrupted”

Some typical American stereotypes, by region

Stereotypes & Archetypes archetype - the original pattern or model from which copies are made; a prototype ... an assumed ideal pattern. stereotype - a preconceived and oversimplified idea of the characteristics which typify a person, situation, etc.; an attitude based on such a preconception. Also, a person who appears to conform closely to the idea of a type. Archetypes are typically seen as something positive, while stereotypes are typically negative. However, archetypes can be quite negative as well.

Slave owners maintained negative and simplisitic ideas about African American people because they justified the system of enslavement. Ideas about certain stereotypes became so widespread as to be handed down as archetypes… that we still see around us today.

Archetypes of African-American Men in the Antebellum South Sambo: passive, happy, enjoys slavery; sees himself as a child of the slave master; docile — a projection of the “ideal” slave; this idea was popular in Antebellum South

Coon: not a slave; harmless, happy-go-lucky; hates work

Zip coon: not a slave; well-dressed, “dandy”; uncivilized, barbaric, uses sophisticated words incorrectly

The Brute: After slavery ends, during Reconstruction, the vision of the black male changes... He is now a brute: a violent, sexualized black male with no self-control

Another Brute image Recognize this ad from WWII? It was supposed to scare people into supporting efforts to fight the Nazis.

Archetypes of African-American Women in the Antebellum South Read more at http://sites.uci.edu/slaverebellionswinter2011/enslaved-women-and-rebellion/ Mammy: compliant; part of the family; motherly, but not sexual; typically a large bodied woman

Sapphire: physical embodiment of maleness in black women; dominates the black male; sexless

Jezebel: hypersexual black woman; the seductress; a woman who wants, desires, and eludes sex; because she “tempts” men, she cannot be raped (this archetype justifies sexual violence)

In Missouri, October 1855, Celia fought back against master Newsome who had raped her. She was then tried and executed. She had no legal protection from rape or beatings from her master; because of this, she had to fight back. Celia could not use “rape” as her defense because one had to be a respectable woman to be raped and slaves were not even considered to be human beings; this legal foundation was used to justify the stripping of “humanity.”

Slave owners maintained negative and simplisitic ideas about African American people because they justified the system of enslavement. Ideas about certain stereotypes became so widespread as to be handed down as archetypes… that we still see around us today.