Code Noir Essays

Code Noir Essays Code Noir Paper Code Noir Paper Le Code Noir (The Black Code) The Code Noir was a decree passed by King Louis XIV of France in 1685 and ended in 1848. It had a great impact on the sugar industry and trade involving French colonies and territories. The Code Noir contains 60 articles each with its own right and specification. The Code contained rights on slavery, restriction of the freedom of black people, banishment of Judaism, rejecting African cultures and that Catholicism should be the only religion of the colonies. Background The document was encouraged by a favorite minister in the King’s court, Jean Baptiste-Colbert. However, the document remained unfinished due to the minister’s death. Nonetheless, his son succeeded him in completing the source. It was modified and accepted by Louis XIV but rejected by the government. Nevertheless the King’s successor, Louis XV appointed the Code and authorized the law to be passed in the West Indies. The code was considered as a very racial document due to discrimination of colour and culture. By banning the African traditions, the Mauritian arts such as â€Å"Sega† were created. Layout and Perspective The arrangement of the article is based upon 60 laws. The first decree consisted of Jews being banned from every French region, due to the belief of Jews being the enemy of Christianity. The second law passed was that there should be no other religion other than Catholicism and every resident should be baptized. The documentations continue with the rules of race and eventually come to a point of slavery. The context of this contains the restrictions of black people and slaves. The last article on the document declares laws on taxes and fees. The original script was printed in French and translated into English. The script’s sixty articles are based upon life and death, purchase, religion and treatment of slaves by their lords. The slaves had little benefit from the code namely: * being clothed and fed, * to not work during Sundays and religious holidays * should be baptized in Catholicism * Should be educated in the religion. However the detriments of the verdict were greater, stating that slaves were prohibited from owning any property and had no legal capability. It also oversaw their marriages, deaths, religious traditions, punishments and the extent they had to go to for their freedom. The Code Noir in Mauritius The Code Noir in Mauritius was supposed to act as a justification to the slaves but ended being a Bible claiming the rights of lords over slaves. The punishments were very severe and brutal even abnormal. If a runaway slave was found, his/her ear would be cut off and for the second time they do something wrong, a thigh was chopped off. But the third penalty was the most ruthless of all; they would be stabbed with a hot iron mark on their body namely the Fleur de Lys. The treatments of slaves were that of dogs. Their masters did not give a care if something bad happened to them. Their nutrition was limited and therefore the slaves themselves had to cultivate their own food in secret. However, not all masters were like that to their slaves. Some did care for their workers and gave them a proper living by gifting them appropriate clothing and food. Abolishment Slavery was abolished in France in 1794 and a few decades following that, the Code Noir was also eradicated in 1848. The Code Noir had remained intact for 163 years. Although slavery was obliterated in 1834, the Code Noir stayed for 14 years and then stopped. The slaves who will continue to work would not be referred to as slaves but as apprentices. The Code Noir only had two goals that was: To give slave owners rights to their slaves To boost the morality of the slaves Although the Code Noir was not always obeyed and followed, it remained a very important aspect to French Colonies. Legacy Even if the code was removed, the phase of this period was adopted into many books and documentaries. A few of these books have been published in Mauritius specifically, â€Å"Gorges† by Alexandre Dumas. The Code Noir remains a legacy of the French Revolution in Mauritius; nonetheless it depicts the suffering and torture of slaves while working. It also reflects the pain of Mauritius’ ancestors and toilers. The Code Noir serves as an example to our people and a dedication to all those who gave their time and effort into making this island what it is today.

The Great Gatsby Study Guide

The Great Gatsby Study Guide The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, is F. Scott Fitzgeralds most famous novel. Set during the Roaring 20s, the book tells the story of a group of wealthy, often hedonistic residents of the fictional New York towns of West Egg and East Egg. The novel critiques the idea of the American Dream, suggesting that the concept has been corrupted by the careless pursuit of decadence. Though it was poorly received in Fitzgerald’s lifetime, The Great Gatsby is now considered a cornerstone of American literature. Plot Summary Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, moves to the Long Island neighborhood of West Egg. He lives next door to a mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby, who throws extravagant parties but never seems to show up at his own events. Across the bay, in the old-money neighborhood of East Egg, Nick’s cousin Daisy Buchanan lives with her unfaithful husband Tom. Toms mistress, Myrtle Wilson, is a working-class woman married to mechanic George Wilson. Daisy and Gatsby were in love before the war, but they were separated due to Gatsby’s lower social status. Gatsby is still in love with Daisy. He soon befriends Nick, who agrees to help Gatsby rekindle his affair with Daisy by acting as go-between. Gatsby and Daisy restart their affair, but it is short lived. Tom soon catches on and becomes furious over Daisys unfaithfulness. Daisy chooses to stay with Tom due to her unwillingness to sacrifice her social position. After the confrontation, Daisy and Gatsby drive home in the same car, with Daisy driving. Daisy accidentally hits and kills Myrtle, but Gatsby promises to take the blame if need be. Myrtle’s suspicious husband George approaches Tom about the death. He believes that whoever killed Myrtle was also Myrtles lover. Tom tells him how to find Gatsby, suggesting that Gatsby was the driver of the car (and thus indirectly suggesting that Gatsby was Myrtles lover). George murders Gatsby, then kills himself. Nick is one of only a few mourners at Gatsby’s funeral and, fed up and disillusioned, moves back to the Midwest. Major Characters Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is a mysterious, reclusive millionaire who climbed from a poor upbringing to immense wealth. Hes an idealist fixated on grandeur and romance, but his relentless attempts to woo Daisy and free himself from his past only brings more tragedy upon him. Nick Carraway. Nick, a bond salesman whos new to West Egg, is the narrator of the novel. Nick is more easygoing than the wealthy hedonists around him, but he is easily awed by their grand lifestyles. After witnessing the fallout from Daisy and Gatsby’s affair as well as the careless cruelty of Tom and Daisy, Nick becomes more jaded and leaves Long Island for good. Daisy Buchanan. Daisy, Nicks cousin, is a socialite and flapper. She is married to Tom. Daisy displays self-centered and shallow characteristics, but the reader occasionally sees glimmers of greater depth beneath the surface. Despite renewing her romance with Gatsby, she is too unwilling to give up the comforts of her wealthy life. Tom Buchanan. Tom, Daisys husband, is wealthy and arrogant. He also displays hypocrisy, as he regularly carries on affairs of his own but becomes furious and possessive when he realizes Daisy is in love with Gatsby. His anger over the affair leads him to mislead George Wilson into believing his wife had an affair with Gatsby- a lie that ultimately results in Gatsbys death. Major Themes Wealth and Social Class. The pursuit of wealth unites most of the characters in the novel, most of whom live a hedonistic, shallow lifestyle. Gatsby- a â€Å"new money† millionaire- finds out that even immense wealth does not guarantee crossing over the class barrier. In this way, the novel suggests that there is a significant difference between wealth and social class, and that social mobility is more illusory than the characters think. Love. The Great Gatsby is a story about love, but it is not necessarily a love story. No one in the novel truly feels â€Å"love† for their partners; the closest anyone comes is Nick’s fondness for his girlfriend Jordan. Gatsby’s obsessive love for Daisy is the center of the plot, but he is in love with a romanticized memory rather than the real Daisy. The American Dream. The novel critiques the American Dream: the idea that anyone can achieve anything if they work hard enough. Gatsby works tirelessly and acquires enormous wealth, but he still winds up alone. The misfortune faced by the novels wealthy characters suggests that the American Dream has become corrupted by the greedy pursuit of decadence and wealth. Idealism. Gatsby’s idealism is his most redeeming quality and his biggest downfall. Although his optimistic idealism makes him a more genuine character than the calculating socialites around him, it also leads him to hold onto hopes that he should let go of, as symbolized by the green light he stares at across the bay. Historical Context Fitzgerald was famously inspired by both the Jazz Age society and the Lost Generation. The novel is steeped in the historical context of the era, from flapper and bootlegging culture to the explosion of â€Å"new money† and industrialization. In addition, Fitzgerald’s own life was reflected in the novel: like Gatsby, he was a self-made man who fell in love with a bright young ingenue (Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald) and strived to be â€Å"worthy† of her. The novel can be read as Fitzgerald’s attempt to critique Jazz Age society and the concept of the American Dream. The decadence of the era is portrayed critically, and the idea of the American Dream is depicted as a failure. About The Author F. Scott Fitzgerald was a key figure in the American literary establishment. His work often reflected on the excesses of the Jazz Age and the disillusionment of the post-World War I era. He wrote four novels (plus one unfinished novel) and over 160 short stories. Although he became something of a celebrity in his lifetime, Fitzgeralds novels didn’t achieve critical success until they were rediscovered after his death. Today, Fitzgerald is hailed as one of the great American authors.