For me this map was interesting because it was like spying on a part of America that wasn’t usually revealed in the way is portrayed here. Usually Harlem is depicted as the slums of America due to financial hardship, which is true both in 1932 (when the map was created) and today. Instead what can be seen in this picture is the more animated community of Harlem. Ballrooms and clubs that are supposedly filled with music are cited all over the map. Furthermore some I noticed that there was one club named the ‘cotton club’ which displays that this is a predominantly African-American community, that has sure links with ancestors that were brought over to America as slaves. The fact that the image was made just as Prohibition (1920-1933), and that there would have been numerous speakeasies is just one example of how American adapt in order to continue the running of/further their economy, regardless of regulations.
The map ultimately shows an underground world to America that is dynamic and entertaining – one which in today’s news is often not mentioned, or mentioned for negative aspects, such as crime. However it could be argued that because of the way Afro-Caribbean members of America were treated, it is this that caused them to create an illicit world in order to entertain themselves, and ultimately survive.
No comments:
Post a Comment