Thursday, April 12, 2012

Vocabulary, Level 2 Words/ Harlem Renaissance

Saturday Night Street Scene. Archibald Motley Jr. 1936

Write a response to the painting above in which you use at least 5 of the Level 2 Vocabulary Words.

21 comments:

  1. This painting is very lively, not haggard at all. All the African Americans are embellished with fancy clothes as they dance on the street and have a fun Saturday night. The only person who is not having fun is the white police officer. It seems as if the celebration is nettling him and he looks very incongruous with the numerous happy people behind him. The scene seems very natural, almost as if this celebration occurs diurnal, or at least weekly.

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  2. The people in the painting are not at all haggard, they are very full of life.it is unequivocal that the people are carnally celebrating something through dance. Some might say the celebration is incongruous to the situation, where they seem to be in Harlem. The painting is more or less analogous to the paintings we saw in class, based on the fact that they are both celebrating African-American culture.

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  3. When looking at this painting, I decided to embellish a story that encompasses the events before and after. The people act in an impetuous manner when they all of a sudden burst out dancing, but the police officer does nothing to mollify the wildness of these people. This dancing would be a transient thing because soon the dancers will become haggard and exhausted. After their dance the people will be clement, and a bit sweaty, and they will go home to rest for the next days dance.

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  4. These people, paragons of cultural revolution, are not incongruous with their surroundings. Embellished in such clothes that they waive anonymity, they dance to the corroborative melodies of the musicians under the flickering street lamps.

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  5. It's a little ambiguous as to what's happening in this picture, definitely not unequivocal. However, it's obvious that the people aren't haggard. Rather, they are really lively and excited. The people all look very friendly, if they had any problems with one another it seems like they have reconciled. The only incongruous person is the police officer, who seems rather unfriendly.

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  6. Music played a big role in the Harlem Renaissance, especially in assuaging feelings, and relaxing the entire atmosphere. The whole scene is embellished with joyful presences and singing and dancing, instead of a haggard image of slavery. This sort of gathering at night happened diurnally to celebrate the black people. The only incongruous person in this image is the man in the front, whose scowling, wearing a sour expression.

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  7. These people seem very lively and happy, not haggard at all. The people have embellished themselves in their best clothing. They look like they are all enjoying themselves, however, it is ambiguous as to what the police officer is thinking. The scene doesn’t seem transient, but rather something that happens diurnal.

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  8. The policeman in the foreground of the painting looks haggard. He seems not to like that the city sanctioned an event so far from tranquil this late in the night, and that his squadron was allocated to monitor it. (Did I use allocated correctly?) I wonder if what's going on is a diurnal event, or if it doesn't happen very often. The use of dark colors in this painting mollifies me somewhat.

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  9. This picture seems like a paragon of a celebration in Harlem. Nobody seems nettled because they are all very lively, happy and cavalier. It seems that if their were any enemies in the town, they have reconciled and forgiven each other. However, the police officer seems incongruous in the picture since he is not celebrating like the rest. This is probably because he has been allocated to watch over the town gates while the rest of the town celebrated. Nevertheless, this must be a diurnal duty of his, so he is probably used to it.

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  10. After failure to mollify the spirits of the crowds, the haggard police officer takes a deep breath and lets his head gravitate to the ground. The embellished streets, filled with passion, energy and celebratory people, sparkle as chocolate bodies spin and sway in sync as if they'd found a secret passage, a secret way to assuage the grief and sorrow that lies in the eyes of their children and parents. And maybe to the police officer, the reasons for the dancing remain ambiguous, like a puzzle piece that doesn't fit anywhere, or perhaps due to struggles these dancers have encountered, the upbeat melody even seems incongruous, like a lullaby in the morning. But the strong people still dance to a tune that the police officer can't understand, a tune only heard by those who want to really hear.

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  11. This entire party the scene paints is not a haggard scene at all, everyone is wearing colored clothes, the lights are on, and everyone seems to be happy and energetic. It is unambiguous that the people in this painting are celebrating something or having a good time. It seems like during this time their would be some drinking going on which, would lead to impetuous behavior and possibly could be the reason why the cop is there. But it seems that the cop has not embellished himself like the other Saturday night partygoers. In general this painting gives a paragon for what a great party looks like.

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  12. It is ambiguous as to what exactly is going on, but I would think that this painting is about street performers entertaining the people walking by. The police officer looks sort of suspicious with his stick in his hand; it seems that he has sanctioned this gathering of black people, allowing it to take place, but he’s still keeping an eye out so that he can mollify the crowd if they get too rowdy. In the background, I can see a couple of white people, but they are all incongruous; they look as if they don’t belong there. This painting and the first painting we viewed this morning are analogous; although they are during different time periods and in different places, they share similar aspects such as the people dancing, the buildings, and the abundance of black people.

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  13. It is unequivocal that these people in the painting are having a wonderful time. They seem like the kind of people who can have fun no matter the situation, even if it won't last or its transient. These people are embellished in many colorful clothes and what seems to be their finest clothing for a night on the town. The many musical instruments corroborate the existence of lively music in this scene. The policeman in the front of the picture seems a bit incongruous; he has a sour expression on his face and isn't involved in the exuberant and vibrant party going on around him.

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  14. In contrast to the lively scene depicted by the painting is the haggard attitude of the white policeman. He provides an unequivocal manner that makes him look like he is out of place and uncomfortable amongst the busy scene. He is deeply immersed in a crowd of embellished African Americans having a great time. The policeman seems nettled with the people having a great time, especially from the scowl on his face. Besides from the incongruous policeman, the rest of the painting presents a lively atmosphere in the south. Perhaps New Orleans because the main building looks like it has French writing on it.

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  15. The cavalier crowd of people dance through the transient night, mollified by the music of the jazz group. However, the artist makes a point to allocate the jazz group as unequal to the lucrative group that they are entertaining. But by showing the free spirited blacks and whites dancing together, the artist corroborates the dream of equality for blacks during that time period.

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  16. The activity on this street certainly seems to be the paragon of a good time. Everyone is playing music, dancing, or socializing with others. The painting is full of the sentiment of the Harlem Renaissance as African-American people began to embrace their culture, rather than repudiate it. However, the policeman in the front wears a nettled expression that is incongruous with the rest of the carefree scene. His discontent shows that some white Americans such as himself were perhaps not as happy with the Harlem Renaissance as those celebrating it.

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  17. Despite the haggard policeman who seems rather incongruous in front, everyone is this picture seems to be having a great time. However, this loud group also appears to be nettling the owners of the nearby shops. This looks like it could be a special festival, however it could also be a diurnal occurrence. Let's be honest, in the south who really needs a pretext to have a good time in the south!

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  18. The Harlem Renaissance was not a haggard time. It was not a time filled with verbosity but with jazz. In this painting there was a transient moment of people celebrating in the streets. The policeman tried to nettle the crowd but they would not be overcome by the policeman’s irrelevant concerns. However, the policeman probably thought that the impetuous crowd was going to get out of control.

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  19. The people in this picture are not haggard but actually full of life at what looks like a party. I am ambiguous about the little boy becasue he does not fit in with the crowd. The people seem to be spendthrift with the jewerly i see and other items.But the noise seems to be nettling with the shop owner at the top of the picture.

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  20. This painting is a little ambiguous upon first glance with so many people and so much activity visible. But as soon as one takes a closer look there is an unequivocal good time taking place. The transient scene seems to come alive at night with dancers, musicians, and of course revelers passing through. The attendants embellish the party with dressy clothing and happy music. The people use the night as a pretext to celebrate life.

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  21. The musicians met out on the street, attempting to mollify the deep rooted anger of their people with a little dancing and the resounding notes of their jazz music. Some men and women came all dressed up, embellished with heels and ties, while others came still clothed in their working uniforms. The haggard policeman gave up attempting to silence the crowd; when groups met like this on the streets of Harlem it was like a tidal wave: there was no stopping it. Pop-up parties like this were transient of course, they only lasted for an hour or two, but they always ended up drawing a crowd. And it always started with the musicians. Wherever they started to play, the people would come running. They didn't just do it for the soul; it proved to be a lucrative deal when their instrument cases were filled with money after every night's performance on the streets.

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