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Portfolio Assignment

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Running head: PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT 1
Portfolio Assignment
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PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT 2
PART ONE
The Vernacular Tradition
The vernacular tradition of the African American literature includes the spirituals and the
blues. The spirituals were a form of art in which the African Americans used to express their
plight as slaves and to show their desire for freedom. The blues on the other hand showed the
secular lives of the African Americans. The above came to life in the 18
th
century when slavery
was at its peak. Since the slaves, who were made up of African Americans were not allowed to
read or write, they turned to oral forms of literature hence giving rise to the vernacular traditions.
When the African Americans were taken to America, they were scattered all over the continent.
Since they had also been taken from different parts of Africa, they did not speak the same
language. Their plight as slaves forged some form of unity which led to the birth of Creole,
which was a common language spoken by the slaves.
The vernacular traditions were songs, poems and stories in Creole. They did not follow
any rules of grammar. They were presented in a call-response pattern which is where one person
leads while the rest respond. The vernacular traditions included some of the forms of music
known in today’s America such as Jazz, Ballads, blues, sermons and spirituals. The songs also
included a dance routine which gave them rhythm. The lyrics consisted of the hardships the
African Americans were going through at the time (Graham et al, 2013). They also talked of a
better future which gave them hope and the will to live on. Spirituals for instance were mostly
sang in the plantations while they worked. The slaves could shout, chant and speak in tongues as
they had that freedom at least. They integrated their beliefs in to these songs and kept their
beliefs secret so as to prevent the whites from sabotaging them.

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Running head: PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT 1 Portfolio Assignment Name Course Professor Date PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT 2 PART ONE The Vernacular Tradition The vernacular tradition of the African American literature includes the spirituals and the blues. The spirituals were a form of art in which the African Americans used to express their plight as slaves and to show their desire for freedom. The blues on the other hand showed the secular lives of the African Americans. The above came to life in the 18th century when slavery was at its peak. Since the slaves, who were made up of African Americans were not allowed to read or write, they turned to oral forms of literature hence giving rise to the vernacular traditions. When the African Americans were taken to America, they were scattered all over the continent. Since they had also been taken from different parts of Africa, they did not speak the same language. Their plight as slaves forged some form of unity which led to the birth of Creole, which was a common language spoken by the slaves. The vernacular traditions were songs, poems and stories in Creole. They did not follow any rules of grammar. They were presented in a call-response pattern which is where one person leads while the rest respond. The vernacular traditions included some of the forms of music known in today’s America such as Jazz, Ballads, blues, sermons and spirituals. The songs also included a dance routine which gave them rhythm. The lyrics consisted of the hards ...
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