Wednesday, April 29, 2009
In their articles, although Hooks, Hall, and West argue that the common Black experience created a unifying identity, they also discuss that because of the impact of postmodernism on this experience, a depiction of Blackness would be incomplete without reference to class, gender, and sexuality. For example, Hooks argues that this period was witness to increasing class division that created both a Black middle and upper class and a growing underclass. Therefore, it might be difficult to find a show that is a complete and total representation. However, one character that seemed to represent both sides of this division was Will Smith of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In this show, Smith grew up in Philadelphia where he was raised in poverty. Because his mother was fearful of the consequences of living in such an environment, she sent Smith to live with his upper-class relatives in Bel-Air. Thus, through this dual experience, Smith's character might be a good representation of Blackness as he saw both sides of this seeming class division.
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This is one of the best posts thus far--you provide a strong analysis of the tv character from Fresh Prince while tying it to the specificity and complexity of the reading assignment. Well done!
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