Elvis Life :: essays research papers

On a hot Saturday afternoon in the late summer of 1953, a beat up ford pickup truck sat in front of The Memphis Recording Studio, where, anyone for 4 dollars a pop could make themselves a record. The truck driver- an eighteen year old, aspiring country music singer who made only $40 a week as a deliveryman for crown electric had saved up four dollars to sing and play guitar as a late birthday present for his mother. A woman by the name of Marion Keisker made conversation with the young man. â€Å"What kind of singer are you?† She asked him. â€Å"I sing all kinds,† he said. â€Å"Well, who do you sound like?† she asked. â€Å"I don’t sound like nobody,† he replied. â€Å"Do you sing hillbilly?† she asked. â€Å"Yeah, I sing hillbilly,† he said. â€Å"Well, what hillbilly do you sound like?† she asked. â€Å"I don’t sound like nobody,† he said. It was at last the young man’s turn. Ms. Keisker went to the back of the studio to get everything setup and decided to stay back and listen to him sing. For his first number, he chose â€Å"My Happiness,† a popular song sung by the Ink spots, and for the his second number, â€Å"That’s When your Heart Ache Begins.† On both songs he accompanied himself on guitar. While performing his first number Ms Keisker was very impressed and secretly recorded the last part of the first song and all of the second song. The Monday morning she gave the tape to Sam Phillips her boss and president of Sun Records. Phillips was very impressed with the young man’s voice. Who would have thought that this silly little recording would soon make a young man the â€Å"King of Rock N’ Roll!† On January 8, 1935, Gladys and Vernon Presley gave birth to a stillborn to whom they gave the name Jesse and 35 minutes later gave birth to his identical twin Elvis Aaron Presley. Elvis was born in East Tupelo Mississippi and was raised by his mother and father who were extremely over protective of him and taught him to be very well behaved and polite. From a very young age Elvis showed evidence of having an exceptional singing talent. By the age of eight he was singing hymns with his mother and father at camp meetings, revivals, and at the Sunday morning services of the First assembly of God Church.

Analysis of the play “Florence” by Alice Childress Essay

This 1950 play by Alice Childress takes place in a train station waiting room in a very small town in the south. The play describes how Miss Whitney, an old black woman, discovers that her premonition of the success of her daughter, Florence, as a black actress is undesirably similar to that of a racist, white society. This troubling discovery has just as strong an impact on the reader as it does on Miss Whitney. This drama teaches the reader how the views and opinions of individuals or groups can influence other individuals or groups, although their views and opinions may be opposite, to approach situations with the same reaction. Marge, Miss Whitney’s other daughter, first introduces this frame of mind to as she accompanies Miss Whitney at the train station. They sit in the â€Å"colored† section of the train station while Miss Whitney awaits a train to Harlem to convince Florence to come back home to the south. Florence fled to Harlem with ambition of being an actress. After she calls home to ask for money, Marge is convinced that Florence will fail because she is a black woman attempting to make it in a business dominated by whites in a racially segregated society. Although Miss Whitney seems to have a little bit more faith in Florence, she still wants convince Florence to come back home. They even have a check ready to pay for her trip home, which is causing them to be late on their rent. This reveals to us that they are willing to sacrifice a little in order to prevent Florence from possibly failing in her quest for success. As Marge speaks to Her mother she reveals her mentality in regards to Florence’s situation, â€Å"She ain’t gonna get rich up there and we can’t afford to do for her. She got notions a Negro woman don’t need. She must think she’s white!† (Childress. 1320) Her mother expresses a bit more faith responding, â€Å"Maybe we shoulda just sent her the money this time. This one time.† (Childress. 1320) As Marge leaves the station we are introduced to Mr. Brown, an old black porter. As Mr. Brown speaks with Miss Whitney we find out that his son and brother are both attending different colleges. This makes it known to the reader that Miss Whitney feels it â€Å"takes an awful lot of goin’ to school to be anything.† (Childress.1322) Mr. Brown also informs Miss Whitney that his brother saw Florence in a movie. This excites Miss Whitney only for a second  as she proceeds to ask Mr. Brown about his brother’s aspirations, as if it were more interesting. The conversation is short due to the entrance of Mrs. Carter.

Equiano s First Hand Experience Of Being Kidnapped

â€Å"In this situation I expected every hour to share the fate of my companions, some of whom were almost daily brought upon deck at the point of death, which I began to hope would soon put an end to my miseries.†(Equiano). Olaudah Equiano’s first hand experience of being kidnapped, as a child in Africa, is a poignant accounting of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This era and actions of the slavers, which we now view as â€Å"Crimes against Humanity,† lasted approximately 400 years from the 16th to 19th century (Smallwood). Many have called this forced exodus of 12-15 million African men, women, and children as a dark time where profits came at the cost of human suffering. As Equiano and many historians detailed, the abduction of Africans occurred mostly in West Africa, the region from Senegal to Angola. The three-legged trade route spanned many continents and areas from Europe, Africa, the Atlantic, the Caribbean, and South America. There were many who profited from the Triangular Slave Trade, from Africans, Portuguese, Dutch, English, and French. Many have surmised that profitability in the industries involved and the economies of the European empires relied heavily on the output of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The European colonial empires would typically to trade with Africans for gold, ivory, spices, and enslaved Africans. The slavers would then travel to the Americas and the Caribbean, in what was known as the Middle Passage, the horrific journey where, â€Å"millions of enslavedShow MoreRelatedSummary Of The Slave Trade 1149 Words   |  5 PagesTrade In the 1600’s, Slavery played a significant role in European history. The negative aspects that made up the dark times in history are, mainly centered on the brutalizing effects of the enslaved people, which can be best explained by the destroyed family bonds, history of the enslaved people erased, and unjust treatment of the slaves. In Olaudah Equiano’s life there were three ways a person became a slave. Either by one s tribe losing a battle against another, and being forced to serve themRead MoreOlaudah Equianos the Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself1119 Words   |  5 PagesOlaudah Equiano s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself, is the story of the eponymous real-life character, Olaudah Equiano, his life, trials, tribulations and journey from slavery at an early age to freedom. For Equiano, it seems that slavery is almost a metaphysical phenomenon. His entire life is essentially characterized by the different experiences relating slavery, from Africa to the Middle Passage to plantation life inRead MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglass And Olaudah Equiano1398 Words   |  6 Pageslife through their eyes. Frederick Douglass and Olaudah Equiano were two slaves during those times that were forced into the world of slavery. Frederick Douglass’s â€Å"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave† and Olaudah Equiano’s â€Å"The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano† are literary pieces that talk about their views, experiences, and ideas in relation to slavery. The narratives of Douglass and Equiano offer true records of life as a slave. In the matter ofRead MoreRacism : Racial Discrimination And Injustice1257 Words   |  6 PagesWomen s Christian Association (YWCA) - Stand Against Racism, racial discrimination and injustice can be eliminated. All across the United States, African Americans are faced with racial prejudice, a negative attitude towards a group of people based on race — not on direct knowledge or experience. This kind of racial prejudice began in the 17th and 18th centuries, when Africans were brought to America as slaves. In 1756, an 11 year old boy named Olaudah Equiano and his sister were kidnapped fromRead MoreSlavery Is Unjust And There Is No Reasonable Explanation For Slavery2404 Words   |  10 PagesGovernment and A Letter Concerning Toleration, he states that there is a situation when slavery would be justifiable. Slavery, according to Locke, is justified when a man has forfeited his life by having committed an act that deserves death to the person being wronged. To Locke, slavery is nothing more than a state of war between a conqueror with absolute power and the conquered. Once a contract has been formed where the conquered promises obedience, it is then that the state of war and slavery ar e overRead MoreSummary Of The Interesting Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano 2910 Words   |  12 PagesLife of Olaudah Equiano.† The title of this story along, gave me knowledge that this story is not like other stories because Olaudah Equiano is the author of the story and the word â€Å"interesting† stays with his narrative all of these years so there got to be something â€Å"interesting† about this work. Also examiming the title of this work, the reader can notice that prejudices had to be overcome by black people. During the late 1700s , travel literature was very popular. Olaudiah Equiano was born inRead MoreOlaudah Equiano s Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah1993 Words   |  8 PagesOlaudah Equiano is a classical and well known slave Narrative. Olaudah Equiano who also goes by the name of Gustavus Vassa his given name was born in 1745 in a part of Africa that is now known as Nigeria. . Olaudah Equino’s narrative tells the story of his travels as a slave and then as a freeman through the Artic, North and Central America, the West Indies, Europe and Great Britain. This narrative was first published in 1789 and was written by him. When Equiano was eleven he was kidnapped along withRead MoreThe Tribe Not Only Kidnapped Mary Rowlandson1263 Words   |  6 Pages Landcaster was burning, kidnapping was occurring, and men were being gutted, all because of King Phillip’s War. The Native Americans are the ones who set flames to Rowlandson’s life. The tribe not only kidnapped Mary Rowlandson, but her three kids as well. This tragedy is what inspired Rowlandson to start writing and becoming a famous known American author. The beginning of Mary White Rowlandson’s life started in the year of 1637. She was born in Somerset England. A little ways down the road ofRead More Interpretations of Slavery Essay3734 Words   |  15 PagesLucy Terry was the first known black writer in the United States (1730-1821) . Terry was one, among a number of slaves, who was encouraged by their masters to compose and publish literature, as long as it was written in the accepted format and on accepted topics. These early slave-poets did not write on the abolition of slavery, or show any anger toward their white masters. After the Revolutionary War, people became more vocal about wanting slavery to end. In the 1830s and 1840s, there were largeRead MoreHistory Of Columbus s Voyage By Columbus Essay2522 Words   |  11 Pagesadvantages accrued to Spain as a result of Columbus s voyage? Discuss the transition from the use of the indigenous native peoples of the Americas to the use of Africans. What is the plantation ec onomy and how did it mesh with mercantilism. As a result of Columbus’s voyage, Spain accrued multiple advantages. According to the primary source, due to the expedition, Spain inherited new islands discovered by Columbus. Throughout the journey, Columbus kidnapped native men to help him acquire information about