Aldo's Tales from Uni English

The African-American vernacular tradition — the system of oral and literary expression developed by Black people in the United States and exemplified by their folk tales, religion, music (blues, jazz, spirituals) and unique dialect of English — is at the core of much of the literature we have read so far in this class. These elements of the vernacular tradition are frequently used both directly in our texts and alluded to, contributing to an interesting, authentic, and uniquely Black style of literature. In an era where slavery was still within living memory for many of its most prolific writers, this field gave Black people a kind of voice they never had before and allowed them to share and relate to each other's experiences and further their culture. But before the literacy rate of African-Americans skyrocketed following the Civil War, their vernacular tradition was mostly driven by oral expression, like folk tales, sermons, and especially music. Multiple influences combined to f...

Never in Lee Harvey Oswald's childhood, the story of which is told in Don DeLillo's Libra , does he have a father, or even father figure, who is around long enough to matter. His mother's first husband, Edward, walked out on her when she was pregnant with Lee's half-brother John Edward Pic; his biological father Robert died suddenly of a heart attack during her pregnancy with Lee; and her last husband, Edwin, cheated on her. (4-5) Furthermore, Lee rarely gets much recognition, respect, or validation. In the South, he is viciously harassed for his "Northern" speech, while in the North people mock his perceived Texas accent with a variety of colorful nicknames. Without engaged or supportive parents to help him with any of his trauma, he becomes isolated, sad, and even aggressive, and is sent to a youth home after he begins skipping school. Because of his constantly changing childhood and adolescence, Lee seems to feel lost an...