The Life and Death of a Littleman : A Look at the Career of Marvin Sease

Many of you may be wondering who exactly Marvin Sease is. I know I was wondering when I was assigned to write about him. In an article featured on theloop21.com by Mark Neal titled, "As Nasty as He Wanted to Be: Remembering Marvin Sease," Neal gives a brief overview of the life and career of Sease. After reading that article I became extremely interested and saddened with the story of this musicians life. He was a little known artist with lyrics that parallels those of today's hottest hip hop and rap biggest names. The only problem is he died before ever making a name for his self in the mainstream music scene.


Marvin Sease was born in Blackville, South Carolina nearly 65 years ago. While being raised in Charleston he developed his style of music which drew on the southern influences of gospel, soul, and R&B. As a result he settled into the genre of Southern Soul and moved to New York to follow his dreams. With provocative lyrics and strong soulful instrumental background accompaniment it is hard to believe that he did not have as much success. One thing that Neal highlights in his article is that Sease's music never got played on the radio and was forced to live a life time on the "Chitlin Circuit." The "Chitlin Circuit" is comprised of small business and venues in the South that host southern independent black artist that have to gain popularity on their own. These artist work this circuit like Sease did in order to make a name for themselves and get their material noticed.


The sad part about this is that without the article from Mark Neal people like myself, my classmates, and those of you reading this may have never heard of Marvin Sease or known that he had ever lived to pass. I would have been oblivious to his story and his music. By writing his article Mark Neal has become the middleman Marvin Sease never had. Justifying and comparing his work to that of current and pass artist Neal is speaking on his behalf. He understand that there is a market and a purpose for Sease's music and is able to articulate those reason well. Maybe there was someone who spoke for see and help try and communicate to radio what was trying to accomplish with his music. What ever the case was radio kept his music from playing and stunted his career to barely existing.


Despite an extreme lack of mainstream radio support his hit songs like "Candy Licker" and "Ghetto Man" were still able to find favor amongst those familiar with the "Chitlin Circuit." It is also interesting that Neal credits Sease in his article for laying the foundation for newer artist that are forced to pursue the underground approach to the music business. If in fact people want to acknowledge that statement it would make his life and music all the more worthwhile.


R.I.P. Marvin Sease February 16, 1946 - February 08, 2011

Running From Yourself: Middle Class Black Youth and Living Abroad

In both Andrea Lee's novel "Sarah Phillips" and Stew Rodewald's film "Passing Strange," they tell the stories of confuse post civil rights black middle class young adults and how they come to understand their selves and their place in the world. Born in and after times of great struggle for African Americans in the United States these characters grow up in sheltered suburban homes with parents who are civil rights activists, teachers, doctors, ministers, and newly established middle class college educated parents who have created spaces of privilege and protection from knowing the majority of issues that concern race. After a few encounters that cause them to become aware of their race and difference, the characters begin to question their identities eventually leading them to search for the truth in themselves and the life that they have lived. Many personal issues arise out of their soul searching and travel but through their exploration of life abroad in European countries their experiences lead them to an inescapably deeper and concrete understanding of self and community.

In Lee and Rodewald's pieces it is quite obvious that traveling abroad does both strengthen and weaken the ties that bind young African Americans to the black community. Part of the characters, Sarah and Stew, journey in finding themselves is to remove their selves completely from the U.S. By leaving the country and fully immersing their selves in the cultures of other countries with new and different practices they both believe they will gain freedom and independence from the constraints of their own culture. This of course does not help them at first because it causes a slight increase in frustration and confusion within them and how they understand their situation. Eventually it allows for them to examine and appreciate their lives at home and the large investment their parents placed in them to live the best lives possible without restrictions or limitations based on their race. In "Passing Strange" Stew leaves home in search of his real identity and an unrealistic freedom that he never finds. In the process of coming to understand his appreciation of family, self, and the role of the community, he goes to Germany and Amsterdam which are two extreme opposite locations. There he finds two freedoms one that is too free and another that is militantly complex and calls for a truth a reality that he has not yet found. While in search of his song he discovers that the only thing he ever needed was to understand the love and openness that he only truly has in family and his larger family in his community. One important factor to notice in both pieces is that the characters both experienced being completely cut off from communicating with home. For their families this was an issue and definitely weakened the ties between them and their community. This also gave both characters a false sense of freedom and an ability to be disconnected with their old selves. To both characters being disconnected is exactly what they wanted but they soon find that they cannot escape who they are because they are not able to communicate with home. For Sarah Phillips she believes being in France will help define her but she soon learns she cannot escape America because at that time France is overflowing and seemingly obsessed with American culture. She finds America in her companions who travel there and try to emulate American speech and dress. She sees it in there entertainment and businesses with the opening of McDonalds. They also tease her about her origins and accent which leads her to realize the inescapable truth that she is who she is and she should never be ashamed of that. She also realizes that no matter how far she goes and how hard she tries she will never be able to change that part of her being. Like Sarah, Stew also realizes that in his attempts at recreating himself and shift in attitude and behavior he is only loosing himself more than before he left. By being honest with himself and through an argument with his lover he began to realize his mother only wanted him to be the best him he could be.

Both Sarah and Stew are future middlemen like described in Mary Pattilo’s ethnography “Black on the Block.” Their experiences and deeper understanding of self as well as their financial stability and enriched educational and social experiences provided by their parents are going to serve as tools that allow them to become effective leaders and workers for the black community. With age they will come to understand why their parents had them to be involved in certain activities and placed in certain environments with many different types of people. They will grow up and have a decent understanding of their community and better world view.

Bird Summary

In summarizing Gloria Bird’s article one notices immediately that Bird is using her personal life experience and the American Indian’s experience to draw from Silko’s novel “Ceremony”. In her article she focuses on topic colonization in both the story and in the lives of herself and her family which she parallels to the experiences of Tayo in ceremony. Using the story as a tool Bird tries to define the experience of colonization and gain a better understanding of it and its byproduct.

In Bird’s article she also introduces this idea of there being multiple dual consciousnesses throughout the book and in Native American thinking that all stem from the American Indian Experience in the United States. One of the first examples Bird gives of there being a dual consciousness is in the mind. She says that the only way to undo the process of colonization is through decolonizing the mind at the same time she thinks of her people as a dying people like the process intended for the American Indians to think.

Another example she give is language and how it was used as a key tool to enforce colonization. Bird acknowledges the fact that she too like Tayo in “Ceremony” has a lack of knowledge and understanding of their languages and must struggle to gather meaning of it. She identifies this as a second kind of consciousness. This being a kind of guilt because of your lack of knowledge but at the same time liberation because of your new confidence in knowing that the blame comes from that process of colonization. Through the entire article she uses many other examples but mainly focuses on the affects of the consciousness of colonization and decolonization as a way of understanding the American Indians struggle.

Ceremony for Tuesday

We get poetic installments of the Hummingbird tale on p. 42-45, 49-50, 65-66, 76, 97, 104-105, 140 (to this point) How might you relate this story to Tayo’s?

The story relates to Tayo because he can be identified with it's message and with the story as a whole. In the story the people allow themselves to be tricked by an outside influence and that causes them to neglect their own beliefs and work they do. In a reaction to the peoples disobedience their god takes away vital elements they need to survive. So the people enlist the help of the hummingbird that can fly from world to world and talk with the mother god. She tells the bird how to help the people get back what they have lost.

Much like Tayo he feels and knows that he has angered the god or spirits and it has affected not only him but his people and the land. He feels his decisions have directly effected the world and like the hummingbird and the people they he is searching and trying to find a way to make things right.


P. 62-63 covers the theme of Christianity as a coercive force of assimilation. By what means does this occur and what feelings does it evoke?

The theme of Christianity occurs from the white man. It is used to confuse the Indian people and steal their identity. One example the text gives is how the Indian names that everything has get European names which cause confusion and strips the land and people of their heritage. It act as a divider and works to separate the people through it's messages. Christianity evokes many feelings among the people. Feelings of resentment and anger. Also feelings regret, pity, and sadness. It also cause individuality which goes against the Indian traditon of family and wholeness. This the narrator feels is attributed to the message of Jesus Christ and being able to only save the individuals soul.



The long story.poem, p. 122-128, is of how "witchery" created whites and the onslaught of Europeans and all the destruction they brought. Gloss this poem to identify how the story represents Europeans and their relationship with the world. Consider also: what is the point of Betonie emphasizing the American Indian role in the destruction? What IS his point? Why does he think it is important for Tayo to think about it in this way?

The poem identifies the relationship between the Europeans and the world as being careless and destructive to the world. They have no value or care for the earth and it's features and feel no connection at all. THe text say that, "The `trees and rivers are not alive. The mountains and stones are not alive." It also say if they fear something the destroy it. That includes the earth and the Indian people they will soon encounter. The text also say they will bring with them sickness and disease and that will lead to the destruction of the indian people. They will poison the water the poem says.

The role Betonie say the American Indians had in the destruction is in the poem about how the witches of every Indian tribe gather and created such an evil force that they caused the European to come, thir evil magic brang the white people to them. The poem said that it was because of the witches foolish competition and them trying to one up one another that they got carried away and it could not be undone. I think his point is that their people must be careful. I'm not quite sure why it's important for him to think about it in that way. I think it has something to do with deception and neglecting to pay attention to how your action may cause things to happen that will not only hurt you but also hurt other. I could be way off.

Ceremonies and Ethnicity

Ceremonies and Ethnicity

Carefully re-read the pages that involve the old medicine man, Ku’oosh, p. 31-34. Explain the significance of how Ku’oosh speaks, chooses words, and of his point about the fragility of the world.

In pages 31 to 34 Ku'oosh the medicine man has come to see Tayo. His grandmother has been concerned about him and his change in behavior. Ku'oosh speak in a concern yet understanding tone with Tayo and is careful not to offend him with his words. He uses native word and English word because he knows Tayo doesn't fully understand his vocabulary. Tayo has been traumatized by his involvement in the war. The fragility of the world to me represents the state that Tayo is in and how he thinks and sees the world, which is unbalanced and uneasy.

Describe, as best as you can, Auntie’s attitudes about Tayo, mixed blood, and religion.

Auntie doesn't fully seem too accepting of Tayo because he is half white. She care about him but doesn't try to force any of their cultural aspect on him because of that. She seems very ashamed of her sister and how the people around her view her family. She also doesn't try and force the religion on him because she feels he may not truly understand it or accept it because he is a half blooded. So sending for the medicine man was out of the question to her she felt it wouldn't even matter.

First Time

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