The multiple readings, the spirituals, and even the theater production of Blood at the Root all present this abstract of hope or optimism, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the speakers. While there is hardship and even apocalyptic events, the indomitable human spirit persists. This faith is represented mostly in religion, specifically Christianity. Paired with this is the idea of “roots”, seen literally in titles and readings, but alluded to in others. These songs, these articles don’t occur in a vacuum; rather, they are the result of years and years of displacement, of tradition, of adaptation. These roots grow and branch off, creating new avenues to explore, creating all of the different modes of discourse.
There is absolutely a function to showing so many forms of critique. Generally, it promotes a richer understanding of the material. People’s learning styles lend themselves to favor different pieces of media. For example, articles lend themselves to visual learners, sounds to auditory, and a stage production to both. By appealing to multiple senses, and therefore modes of learning, a student can better internalize the information. In addition, these multimodal forms exhibit how widespread these ideas are–they aren’t just discussed in scholarly contexts. They affect everyone from the most educated writers (Du Bois and Baldwin) to church congregations singing hymns. It allows for more interaction and for the possibility of more spectators (or, perhaps, specactors).
