Mumbo Jumbo’s Alignment to Reality
Mumbo Jumb o’s Alignment to Reality Mumbo Jumbo seems like a really fantastical, nonsensical book, however its contents are a metaphorical and satirical representation of our real world. Jes Grew, and all the elements that go with it, are a representation of black culture and its movement throughout the US. Every element from the dancing to the rituals to the cult-like representation by its opposition matches the way black culture has been treated in America and most of the west. The name Mumbo Jumbo itself gives us an immediate indicator. Mumbo jumbo is defined as nonsense in the English language, however it is actually a figure from an African religious practice (Reed 7). This is similar to the two sides of the spectrum and their beliefs on black culture. While white people might find the cultural movements to be silly or unimportant, they have real meaning to those within the groups that they belong to, therefore giving them legitimacy. However, similarly to the book, white ...