Why is Violence Necessary?

Purpose: This essay is an opportunity for you to reveal your ability to read a text and think critically. Doing so requires careful use of close reading and critical analysis. You will reveal your knowledge of the subject before presenting your own viewpoint of this topic.

Texts:

“On Violence”—Franz Fanon. (see attached docs)

Please make sure you “close read” this text from pages 1-52 with particular focus on these terms/ideas:

decolonization as a process

“new man”

colonized intellectual

violence

resistance

Spoken word poetry and music by Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, Nina Simone (see attached docs)

Topic: As we have discussed thus far, the creation of races was an intentional project that resulted from the European Enlightenment and its philosophical, artistic, and scientific communities. In Fanon’s chapter “On Violence” from The Wretched of the Earth, he discusses the various forms of violence perpetrated against the oppressed by the oppressor (he calls them the colonized and the colonizers). He observes that often, violence must be met with violence. In the music and poetry by Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, and Nina Simone, the artists expose the horrors of living in a world of white supremacy domination and the daily violences upon Black and brown communities.

Writing Task

In a well-developed, thesis-driven essay of 3-4 pages (750-900 words) using two (2) of our texts in this unit as well as our class discussions and lectures, respond to the following prompt:

What are some of the violences Fanon discusses and why does he say violence is often necessary? Make sure you use the poetry and music to support your thesis.

Paper Requirements

Your essay should convince the reader that the claim you make (your thesis) is an arguable one, not simply a statement of fact.

Be sure to support your claim with quotes (textual evidence) from the text.
Papers must be 3-4 pages (750-900 words) and follow MLA format: typed, double-spaced, 12 pt., Times New Roman font with 1” margins and left-alignment.