African American Oral Tradition: From Slavery Time to Michael Jackson

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In this research I have thoroughly analyzed the following topics: 1)Michael Jackson's songs and performances in relation to African American folk tradition; 2)the significance of AA oral tradition in the context of AA culture and American culture in general; 3)violence and humor in AA folktales; 4)their adverse value system and the way AA people express themselves in double value system; 5)slave songs that express their joy in life, which was back lined by hardships, criticism on their masters, and desire for flight from slavery; 6)the change of hammer song lyrics, which show the changes of their concept of self and the other; 7)how the motives and imagery in religious songs have changed from negro spirituals to modern gospel songs; 8)blues song lyrics developed as a way of controlling psychological depression of the people.