RURAL PARADISE OR A CONCRETE JUNGLE? :: essays papers

RURAL PARADISE OR A CONCRETE JUNGLE? Over the course of the semester we have watched numerous movies (Heartland Reggae, The Harder They Come, Countryman, Dancehall Queen, Third World Cop, Rockers, and Land of Look Behind) that depict Rastafarians living in both the country and the city. Not knowing much about either Jamaican setting, I decided to take a closer look at both the urban and rural areas in which Rastafarians live and practice their beliefs. I wanted to see if the different settings had much influence on Rastafarians. Is this a personal choice they have or are they forced out of rural paradise and into the concrete jungle of Babylon? According to the Webster’s Third New International Dictionary the definition for urban is 1)a: of, relating to, characteristic of, or taking place in a city, b: constituting or including and centered on a city, c: of, relating to, or concerned with an urban and specifically a densely populated area. The definition for rural is: 1) living in country areas: engaged in agricultural pursuits, 2): characterized by simplicity: lacking sophistication: uncomplicated, 3): of, relating to, or characteristic of people who live in the country, 4): of, relating to, associated with, or typical of the country, 5): of, relating to, or constituting a tenement in land adapted and used for agricultural or pastoral purpose-opposed to urban. Many rural and urban areas exist in the United States. Depending on where you live definitely affects who you are, how you think, dress, eat etc. Is this true for the Rastafarians? GENERAL JAMAICA INFORMATION Located in the West Indian Islands, Jamaica represents the third largest island. Jamaica is 150 miles long and 52 miles wide. The subtropical climate does not produce the extremes related to climate found in the United States. The island of Jamaica is described as being very beautiful with its rivers, harbors, and many mountains. The population of Jamaica has not quite reached three million with the majority of people living in the city of Kingston, the capital of Jamaica (Barrett 3). The difference in wage earnings among Jamaican people is alarming. Those who have a profession make around thirty times as much as those who do not. Nearly half of all Jamaicans make less than twenty-five dollars per week (Barrett 12). There has been a tradition of migration from Jamaican rural areas since the nineteenth century.