Response

 Remeber the Zong!

Enter weekly resposes below.  Feel free to comment on others.  Use about 100 words.

The Black Atlantic is a dense account of how our contemporary society attempts to segregate different cultures and influences to ensure that each community has an untainted sense of identity.  I was impressed by how Paul Gilroy tried to mention each perspective in his book and also that he didn’t seem to denounce anything violently but simply propose alternatives.  It seems as if his goal in the book is to mesh all ideas about ethnicity together to convey one cohesive picture of our current society.  I also liked that language is not the only cultural medium that he dealt with; he also included some artistic facets, such as music.  Although I respected his approach to his topics of choice, I would not praise his writing style.  If global perspectives are what he is trying to alter, how can he possible reach his audience when he is so wordy?  I do respect that he seems learned and articulate, but I had a hard time paying attention to his long winded prose and found he took his merry time making a point.  It was a valuable read but not particularly an enjoyable one.       

Alyssa Dytko