Essay about Booker T. Washingtons Up From Slavery

Booker T. Washingtons Up From Slavery The autobiography of Booker T. Washing titled Up From Slavery is a rich narrative of the mans life from slavery to one of the founders of the Tuskegee Institute. The book takes us through one of the most dynamic periods in this countrys history, especially African Americans. I am very interested in the period following the Civil War and especially in the transformation of African Americans from slaves to freemen. Up From Slavery provides a great deal of information on this time period and helped me to better understand the transition. Up From Slavery provided a narrative on Washingtons life, as well as his views on education and integration of African Americans. All though this book was†¦show more content†¦Booker learned at an early age the importance of doing things for himself. Another story from the book shows what helped to build Bookers character. While at school he noticed that all of the people were wearing caps. When he confronted his mother about this she explained they could not afford to buy him a store bought cap. But she told him that she would work something out. Washingtons mother took two old pieces of cloth and sewed them together to make him a cap. For the rest of his life, he would remember that cap as an important lesson in his life. Washington states: The lesson that my mother taught me in this has always remained with me, and I have tried as best I could to teach it to others. I have always felt proud, whenever I think of the incident, that my mother had the strength of character enough not to be led into the temptation of seeming to be that of which she is not-of trying to impress my schoolmates and others with the fact that she was able to buy me a store hat when she was not.Later, the young Washington took a job at the home of a Mrs. Ruffiner as a house servant. Many boys before him, in the same job, lasted had only a few weeks because of her demands. Ruffiner was very strict and expected the best out of the boys that worked f or her. She demanded that they be clean and well behaved. This stayed with Booker for the rest of his life. He notes, Even to this day I never seen bits of paper scatteredShow MoreRelated Booker T. Washingtons Up from Slavery Essay1467 Words   |  6 Pages The book, Up From Slavery, written by Booker Taliaferro Washington, profoundly touched me when I read it. Washington overcame many obstacles throughout his life. He became perhaps the most prominent black leader of his time. Booker T. Washington belived that African Americans could gain equality by improving their economic situation through education rather than by demanding equal rights. Washington’s life story was told during the mid to late 1800’s into the early 1900’s, in theRead MoreComparison of Booker T. Washingtons Up from Slavery and Web Dubois The Souls of Black Folk871 Words   |  4 PagesDuring a time period when slavery had finally come to an end, African Americans still struggled as their opportunities for equality were next to nonexistent. In this time of hardship and unfair treatment, not many of those facing these adversities had the courage to speak out on their beliefs for change; Booker T. Washington and WEB Dubois, however, did not possess such fears — both thoroughly articulated their opinions and stood for what they believed was right. Booker T. Washington and WEB DuboisRead MoreTheu.s. B. Du Bois1310 Words   |  6 PagesSame Ideas, Different Results For more than a hundred years, important African-American leaders such as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois have been both acclaimed and cherished in our society’s history books for their individual efforts in the struggle for the civil and political advancement of African-Americans. These two seem to be the main advocates for the advancement of African-Americans in the United States of American after the Civil War, but both had a different approach to it. AlthoughRead MoreDu Bois And Booker T Washington Essay1150 Words   |  5 PagesBoth W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington were prominent figures in the advancement of African Americans during the 19th and 20th centuries. The facade of unity among these leaders was broken when Du Bois addressed Washington’s book, Up From Slavery, in a chapter named â€Å"Of Booker T. Washington and Others† from his novel, The Souls of Black Folk. Although he did acknowledge the accomplishments of Washington, Du Bois w as clearly opposed to most of his ideas. Through the topics of submission and educationRead MoreEssay on Booker T. Washingtons Immense Achievements 952 Words   |  4 Pages1856, Booker Taliaferro Washington was born into slavery in Hale’s Ford, Virginia on a local plantation. Being born into slavery, it was quite clear that Washington would never amount to much. Knowing this though, did not stop him from dreaming about the many achievements he wanted to accomplish. Washington’s passion to learn is what transformed him into, not a lowly slave, but instead: an educator, a writer and the founder of the Tuskegee Institute. Through these achievements though, Booker T. WashingtonRead MoreThe Aftermath Of The Civil War Essay1413 Words   |  6 PagesThe aftermath of the civil war came a drastic change to the United States, or so some thought. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. In this document, Lincoln outlawed slavery throughout the entire nat ion. African Americans not only believed that after the Emancipation Proclamation they would obtain civil rights, but also they expected to have the basic liberties as their fellow Americans. Subsequently, this was not the case. Caucasians, specifically in the south, still viewedRead MoreUp From Slavery, by Booker T. Washington Essay1140 Words   |  5 PagesBooker T. Washington was a young black male born into the shackles of Southern slavery. With the Union victory in the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, Washington’s family and blacks in the United States found hope in a new opportunity, freedom. Washington saw this freedom as an opportunity to pursue a practical education. Through perseverance and good fortunes, Washington was able to attain that education at Hampton National Institute. At Hampton, his experiences and beliefsRead MoreBooker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois and John Hope Essay1286 Words   |  6 Pagescomplete mess after the Civil War . The early part of the 20th century brought many changes for African Americans. There was a difficult challenge of helping newly free African American slaves assimilate among their white counterparts. They suffered from crop failures, economic hardships, and the early failures of Reconstruction in the south. So as result many Southern African Americans migrated to northern cities in search of employment and a chance at a better life. However, Southern African AmericansRead MoreBooker T.Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois Essay1184 Words   |  5 Pagescreated a tertium quid, and called it a negro† (Du Bois). In the late 19th and 20th centuries a strong push for economic and social progress for African-Americans was being made. The prominent leaders of this movement amongst the Black community were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, however they had very differing views on how to achieve this goal (PBS.org). Washington and Du Bois essentially split the Black community into tw o parties, radical and conservative. Du Bois, the radical, preached forRead MoreThe Five Most Important Ideas in Up from Slavery Essay1006 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Up from Slavery† is an autobiography written by Booker T. Washington. The book mainly talks about Washington’s life and how he had over come a lot of obstacles to reach his success. The book teaches us a lot of things, some of them are still useful today. There are five significant ideas that Booker wanted the readers to learn from his book; these five things are: education, slavery, work, the relationship between two races and the meaning of success. The most obvious and significant idea of

Mission, Programs, Services, And Operations Of The Agency

In 1989 Family Support Services partnered with Laporte County Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) to create an agency that would offer a non-profit and non-medical home-based family preservation program. Later in 1997 both agencies merged with Laporte Hospital. Additional changes occurred in 2003 when Family Support Services started providing services as Family Focus, Inc. â€Å"In the 23 years since its inception Family Focus has provided an array of Community-Based Programs including Crisis, and Prevention Services, and Parental Educational Instruction collectively serving over 6,000 families to date throughout Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton, Starke, Pulaski, and Marshall Counties† (Family Focus, Inc., 2013). This paper will explore the current purpose, mission, programs, services, and operations of the agency. The orientation that was provided by Family Focus was extensive in regards to reviewing the history, policies, and procedures of the agency. The first day of orientation consisted of meeting with the director of the agency to increase knowledge about the history of the agency and to learn about the policies and procedures of the agency. In addition, the director covered some basic safety information and share several personal field experiences. In addition, the orientation provided much insight into the services that are provided by the agency, established clear expectations, responsibilities, and limitations of the internship position. The following two days ofShow MoreRelatedThe Health Of The Mental Health Field Essay1324 Words   |  6 Pageschanges in an agency. The focus of this analysis is to further provide an examination of agency policies, operations conflict, steps that can be taken in administrative level and steps in the micro level to resolve conflicts that may arise. T he focus of this analysis will also concentrate on a community mental health agency named Enki Health Research System, Inc., (ENKI) that helps children with different behavioral difficulties. One way in which your agency’s policies or operations reflect theRead MoreProgram Planning and Evaluation Paper840 Words   |  4 PagesAssignment: Program Planning and Evaluation Paper Janice Minnis HSM/270: Programming Planning and Grant Proposal Writing in Human Services August 21, 2011 Terri Galindo Axia College of University of Phoenix I have chosen to work with Program Scenario Three, PEACE Domestic Violence Agency. Yuen/Terao (2003) states, â€Å"Program planning is an organized process through which a set of coordinated activities or interventions is developed to address and facilitate change in some or all of theRead MoreA Report On Organizational Environment Essay1537 Words   |  7 Pagesa. Organizational Environment (1) Product Offerings: â€Å"What are your main product offerings?†, (Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, 2015). The agency provides law enforcement and security services in the protection of government employees and GSA owned and leased facilities. The main product offerings are: †¢ Enforce Federal Laws, conduct criminal investigations, serve warrants through law enforcement authority granted by the Secretary of Homeland Security derived from Section 1315 of TitleRead MoreMothers From The Community Will Advocate For Healthy Babies1289 Words   |  6 Pagesmothers from the community will advocate for healthy babies, giving insight on services and programs of the agency enabling it to best fit its programs and services to the needs of the community. They will also provide opinions on what they would like to see from our organization. They are members to the Nomination Committee. How will board member help promote and support this agency? The board members will support the agency by ensuring that it works to reduce health inequalities between expectant mothersRead MoreHow Important Is Mapping Policy? The South Carolina Department Of Mental Health?1415 Words   |  6 Pagespolicy to an agency? Our text states, policy governs the relationship among agency staff members, provide order and direction. Policy can help to develop a plan of action to address a social issue such as mental illness. As a mental health counselor, I chose to policy map the South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH). I will examine this agency and its policies, including its social agency history, mission, money stream, purpose, budget, overall purpose, and effectiveness. My mission is to createRead MoreInternship At The Bibb County Sheriff Department Essay1241 Words   |  5 Pagesassistant of this agencies. Historically, there were two agencies ensuring public safety in Bibb County, The Bibb County Sheriff Department and the Macon Polic e Department. There were five attempts to consolidate the two agencies, but consolidation was unsuccessful. However in 2003, the two agencies were consolidated into one unified government formally known as the â€Å"The Bibb County Sheriff Department.† This consolidations prompted a complete reconstruction of the unified agencies. There were new policiesRead MoreRationale and Analysis1293 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction This rationale paper reviews the department of defense Inspector general. The initial mission for the department when it was formed in 1982 was to serve as an independent supervisor to the department of defense. The powers and responsibilities of the department are drawn from the inspector general Act of 1978. The key tasks of the department were to monitor, evaluate, and investigate all the operations of the department of defense. The department was also expected to provide leadership in policyRead MoreExamples Of Purpose For A Agency1095 Words   |  5 PagesI serve as the Program Analyst for the agency providing expert technical assistance on matters pertaining to the planning, managing, coordinating and oversight of business and financial activities for the agency. I advise senior managers/staff, and personnel of field extension on policies and procedures, payroll and travel claims, administration and records management, resource and space allocations, budget, hand receipts and other administrative support functions. I initiate, plan, develop, analyzeRead MoreOrganizational Management and Operations Essay1141 Words   |  5 PagesOrganizational Management and Operations Keith W. Porter CJA/484 Criminal Justice Administration Capstone Jamie Herring May 6, 2012 As of 2008, there are approximately 765,000 personnel employed as sworn officers in local and state law enforcement agencies throughout the United States (BJS, 2011) with an additional 105,000 law enforcement personnel in approximately 65 federal agencies as of 2004 (BJS, 2006). Law Enforcement agencies function at all levels of theRead MoreAssignment 11247 Words   |  5 Pagesand infrastructure for a service delivery organization supporting thousands of users and multiple lines of business across a large, complex, geographically dispersed environment. The USPTO is a geographically dispersed agency with a work force of around 15 thousand personnel, of which 80% telework full time, the CIO is 700-million-dollar organization with over 1000 federal and contract-supporting personnel. I currently serve as the Directory of Infrastructure services supervising a staff of around

Lengthening the School Day Free Essays

Introduction Let me tell one of my experiences while in school. It was at exactly 3:15p.m when the physics teacher came into class. We will write a custom essay sample on Lengthening the School Day or any similar topic only for you Order Now Normally the class ended at exactly 4:00 p.m.The entire lesson was quite interesting and I knew given a question on the topic I would answer it within seconds. The 4 o’clock bell rang and my mind switched to the soccer game we played the previous day. Despite the red group beating us, I knew our time to revenge had come. The teacher just assumed that he didn’t hear the bell ringing. He continued talking and talking. I realized that no one was paying him attention. Zen was busy   looking at his watch confirming the time, there were some noise in the class, books falling down ,a yawn etc.These were signals to the teacher that learning time was over, we were tired and needed a break. Finally I summoned courage and informed the teacher that time for the lesson was up.After giving me a good lecture on importance of learning, he left. There was a sigh of relief and students rushed out of class some to play soccer, swim and some to hang out. Leaning In Informal Settings Hours spent outside school and classroom setting have large impacts on high performance and social development of the students. Many people have questioned whether time outside class can boost their grades. My answer is –yes it does. Contrary to what many people beliieve, much learning takes place in outside school settings like home and the community. Hours spent outside school give a good chance of reinforcement of what is learnt in the classroom. Time Spent With Parents Parents for instance play a bigger role in student’s achievement. When parents spend time with their children, they supervise their school assignments ensuring that it’s well done. For example, my father used to check all my books after school. This made me pay attention during class time because I knew I had to explain to him why I failed some sums like in arithmetic. They do show the children their love and ensure they eat well balanced food and are generally healthy. By telling them their expectations, they reinforce high performance of the students. They share their own past experiences and provide information on how the students can access resources like libraries. They provide a link with relatives or people who have excelled in studies. All these are done outside classroom and automatically lead to high student performance. This is because the time the students are in school they will have maximum concentration due to their good health. Children learn from museums, libraries and theters.Incorperating community, family partnerships in students learning leads to greater student achievement than adding those extra learning hours in class. Sports Many times parents, guardians and even teachers think that time spent by students in sports hinders high achievement by the students. This is not true.Reseach shows that students participating in sports score higher grades than the non participating ones. Those who are always in class reading books without engaging in sports don’t score highly in tests .While many people argue that participation in sports hinders maximum concentration in studies, this is not true. Balanced participation leads to greater achievements than extending learning time for students. Good Planning Research shows that when teachers are given enough time to teach they produce better results than ‘too much time. In this case, adding an extra 2 hours to learning time is too much time. The teachers are in a position to plan their lessons well and teach effectively than adding them an extra 2 hours. Teachers can use power point handouts and small group tutorials which are more effective than too much classroom learning. Teachers can minimize time spent in school by giving group assignments . This makes students share ideas hence minimize the time used. This is very effective and improves average mean score of the school teachers go straight to the point unlike extra hours which give room for story telling and idle talk. This happens that the teachers can easily miss classes knowing they have extra time to teach. My argument is that teachers can accomplish much within time given than adding more time. Poor Concentration The human mind works well when fresh. Adding extra hours for instruction will mean that students are taught while exhausted. This will mean there is less concentration and retention of what is read. A teacher who teaches when he or she is tired will not deliver the knowledge efficiently. My experience illustrated in the introduction gives a clear picture of this. At the end of last lesson in school the mind deviates to other things like sports. Remember all work without play makes Stacy a dull girl. Extending learning hours will mean there will be dull students in class. Assignments When students are given much time to do assignments, they do a shoddy job. Ninety nine percent will never finish the work when given extra time. This means there is no need of adding the extra 2 hours to the school day as it will automatically lead to poor student’s performances. While in elementary school, Helen’s geography teacher used to give them assignments and add them extra hour to finish. It turned out that the students never used to finish the work despite the extra time given. When the teacher gave the same assignments to other students in another school she was teaching part-time, it was done well though no extra time was added. The assignment in the part –time school was well tackled and handed in on time. Over Depending Of Students on Teachers Adding extra learning hours will mean spoon feeding the students .This can be quite tiring to teachers .In any learning, it is good for teachers to give students room for personal research and study in much more relaxed environment. It is good for teaches to let students discover some things for themselves than spoon feeding which makes students easily forget what they were taught. Spoon feeding is not good for development of future scholars. It is not logical to add an extra 2 two hours to school day for greater student’s achievement. Instead of excelling, it will lead to decline in scores. Conclusion Contrary to what many believe, learning does not just take place in formal setups but also in non formal setting. This includes the family, which plays a bigger role and the community at large. Out of school experiences contribute much to student’s performance. The after school time spent by students with parents puts tremendous reinforcement to their achievement. Adding extra time will lead to poor concentration, poorly done assignments and inefficient teachers. So why want to do something poorly within much time, when you can do it better in little time? How to cite Lengthening the School Day, Essay examples

Can You Understand The Message free essay sample

Dating back to the times of slavery, the black community In America has historically used music as a vehicle for self-expression and Introspection. The blues was the original form of musical self-expression, and was conceived from field hollering, the melodious manner In which slaves working the fields and forests aired out grievances and gave their opinions on their present situation.The use of music for communal empowerment and expression of self within the black community is still seen today, but is seen in the more contemporary genre of hip-hop music which originated in the early ass in the New York Inner City. Grandmaster Flash is credited with being one of the original pioneers of the hip-hop movement and musical genre. The idea behind the hip-hop movement was one of peace solve problems with words not guns; and The Message, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Fives most popular song released in 1 982 fiftieth album The Message, served to embody perfectly the groups creed. Similar to how It Is possible to understand the problems and qualms the slaves had by listening to the blues, understanding the contemporary problems of the black community was made possible via the hip-hop tedium. The Message discusses and boldly brings to the forefront Issues of poverty, the cyclical nature of socio-economic stagnation, the plight of women, and lack of education all pressing issues that plagued the black community specifically those living in the inner city.In this paper, I will carefully examine several technical musical elements of hip-hop music as seen in The Message, its lyrics, instrumentation, visualization, melody, tempo, mood, and illustrate their impact on the aforementioned thematic content of the song. Furthermore, I will affirm that hip-hop sic, like its predecessor the blues, is a thriving mechanism for self-expression, a product of resistance, and if applied appropriately, a thriving facilitator of awareness and catharsis.Grandmaster Flash and his mus ical partners The Furious Five founded the hip hop movement In response and resistance to the turbulent condition of the black community In his Bronx neighborhood where the crack epidemic was ravaging the social infrastructure, and black on black violence was on the rise as a result. Theyre aim was to create harmony through music, and create an alternative form of venting motion rather than turning to violence. Using catchy disco and reggae beats, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five created the hip-hop sound, and thus a platform for the inner city youth to express anger with words, not weapons was created. While the beat and instrumentation of a hip-hop song drive the rhythm, augment the melody, and influence the mood and overall tone, its lyrics carry the majority of thematic weight. The resulting interplay of the lyrics and the instrumentation serve to encapsulate the songs universal message. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Fives The Message, Is no exception. Specific Instrumentation and varied methods of visualization combine to generate songs mood, which serves to complement Its lyrical content. This Interplay Is seen explicitly during the opening seconds of the track.Following the initial percussion, jungle. Sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under effectively preparing the listener for a discourse in coping with struggle. This feeling is immediately reaffirmed by the instrumentation, the sound effect of glass breaking, followed by the opening line broken glass everywhere, people pissing on the stairs, oh know they Just dont care. Grandmaster Flash uses the metaphor of the Jungle, to insinuate the unpredictable, volatile, annalistic nature of life in the inner city which pits hungry soles amongst one another to fend for themselves.The second image he brings into play, of people urinating in public to the indifference of those surrounding, serves to demonstrate the kind of conditions omnipresent in the ghetto: a public that is desensitizing to uncivil behavior. Additionally, the instrumentation of the baseline and the chorus serve to augment the songs message. The baseline, a perpetual, consistent descending chord progression, fosters the notion of life being a slow and steady dose of challenges that tend to weigh one down. The moderate tempo, marked by a drum and the baseline, form a consistent, stea dy beat that creates the illusion of time passing.The constant downward chord progression builds on this notion of time passing, and suggests that Just as regular as the passage of time, is the constant necessity of dealing with problems. Additionally, implementation of the synthesizer to create a psychedelic chord progression that is eared exclusively during the chorus of The Message, creates an aura of instability and further amplifies the feeling of volatility that characterizes life in the inner city as alluded to by the earliest referenced metaphor of the Jungle as rapped by Grandmaster Flash in the first line of the song.While the aforementioned musical elements have the capacity to suggest and augment the thematic content, the lyrics are the primary propagator of the artists message in hip-hop music. In The Message, Grandmaster Flash seeks to heighten the awareness of the conditions of he inner cities, implicate the system that creates the conditions, and also illuminate upon the state of mind that results from living in such conditions, and its consequences. Poverty is the first issue he addresses, and raps l cant take the smell, I cant take the noise no more/Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice Tried to get away, but I couldnt get far/Cause a man with a tow-truck repossessed my car. The picture Grandmaster Flash paints describes the depressing reality of poverty. Many inner city dwellers are often physically, socially, and economically trapped to the confines of their living situation. Lack of financial stability in the inner city prevents many residents from improving their situation, and in effect leaves an entire community socially and economically stagnant and living with rats in the front room, roaches in the back/Junkies in the alley with a baseball bat. In the authors case, one shared by countless other inner city residents, the ability to even catch a breather from the depressing sites and life of the inner city is not even feasible due to lack of transportation. Another image that Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five portray is a crazy lady living in a bad/Eating out of garbage pails, she used to be a bag-hag. While this image serves as another reinforcement of poverty in the ghetto, it also brings to light the plight of a single woman in the ghett o.The crazy lady, Grandmaster Flash explains, used to be a dancer however at some stage in her life she went to the city and got Social Security/She had to get a pimp, she couldnt demonstrates the realities of life for a poor, single woman trying to make a living in the inner city. In The Message, her ambition to be a dancer was squashed by the ace of opportunity and resources of the inner city, and the only form of social security she could find was provided not by the government, but by the neighborhood pimp.Due to the constraints placed on her life potential by her living situation, she forwent a dance career for prostitution, and eventually homelessness and the dubious honor of being the crazy lady living in a bag. The failure to succeed for this single woman represents the plight of many single women of the inner cities whom are held in economic submission by their financial situations and have to exult to prostitution for social security, only to end up homeless and helpless.One of the primary causes for many inner city dwellers to be trapped in social and economic stagnation is the fact that they are not eligible for work that would take them away from the inner city. This can be directly attributed to the lack of substantial education that many urban residents receive. Grandmaster Flash, writing form the point of view of a father, illustrates this point. My son said: Daddy, I dont want go to school/Cause the teachers a Jerk, he must think Im a fool/And all the ids smoke reefer. .. Through the sons description of what his education is like, Grandmaster Flash illuminates the true environment at inner city schools. Because there is lack of community contribution to the education system, the only financial backing the inner city school board receives is the government issued sum from states education budget. As a result, many inner city schools are poorly equipped, and their lack of resources restrains the inner city students potential.Furthermore, many of the children of the inner city are products of broken families and at a young GE are already forced to cope with oppressive life issues. The result is turnover from the schools to the streets, where the only education is the code of the streets, not individual morality. Grandmaster Flash best elucidates this point again through the son, who tells his father All the kids smoke reefer, I think itd be cheaper If I Just got a Job, learned to be a street sweeper. The fourth verse of The Message is the most poignant verse of the song, in which Grandmaster Flash reaches out to the vast population of inner city residents by describing the conditions f the ghetto, and the individual mindset that it extracts. He extrapolates that upon birth, God is smiling on you but hes frowning too Because only God knows what youll go through Youll grow in the ghetto, living second rate And your eyes will sing a song of deep hate.In this passage Grandmaster Flash discusses the paradox of God, and how while he smiles on all his children, he frowns on those living in the inner city, for he knows that the second rate life that residents of the inner city live only lead to cultivation of hate. He does on to describe how places that were once sweet memories turn sour, ND that t he only role models there are for the youth are the thugs, pimps, pushers and big money makers/driving big cars, spending twenties and tens However, despite the glory of making money, the next step down that path is one of Jail time and imminent death. Grandmaster Flash concludes the verse, Mimi was cold and your lives so fast and died so young, a fitting description of the unnatural life of those living in the inner city. By utilizing the vehicle for expression that is hip-hop, pioneers Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five were able to create a song that could speak to entire populations of oppressed African Americans.Any Black American whether they hailed from Bronx, New York or Compton, Los Angels could relate to the images and attitude expressed in the song The Message. Similar to how hearing peers sing the blues during times of slavery helped the slaves cope with hardship, hearing a hip- hop artist voice his blues through a different musical medium performed the same cathartic experience. Additionally, for those incapable of relating on a tangible level to what Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five described, the s ong educated those on hat ghetto-living entailed from a first-hand, primary source.