The fact that Thomas Jefferson, one of the writers of the Declaration of Independence, who fights for freedom and equality for all, would allow his biological daughter to be put up and sold at auction just shows the great deal of hypocrisy during the time of slavery. Brown’s novel also focuses on the tragedies and struggles experienced by mulatto men and women in slavery. Brown used his first hand experiences to create the fictional characters in Clotel which would provide a sense of the suffering endured by slaves while in captivity. Through his first-hand experience in the world of slavery, Brown provides a vivid picture of what life was like as a slave woman on the plantation. Although the novel is fictional, Brown’s use of real memories, events, and news stories from his time as a slave provides a realistic look into the pain and suffering endured by slaves at this time.
c. The overall tone of Douglass’s speech would be very pessimistic as he shared his personal history with factual knowledge. The tone he chose fit the event and the circumstances. Time had passed, yet nothing had changed significantly. Mr. Douglass begins his speech by addressing the audience as “fellow citizens,” indicating to that although he was a “Negro” he himself was also a citizen. He then gave acknowledgement and praise to the revolutionist for gaining freedom and independence for all men from the British in 1776 (the past).
In my opinion, the narrative was very well written and it was a great resource when learning about the lives of slaves. Douglass’s Narrative shows how white slaveholders continue slavery by keeping their slaves ignorant. At the time Douglass was writing, many people believed that slavery was a natural state of being. Slave owners keep slaves ignorant of basic facts about themselves, such as their birth date or who their parents were. This ignorance robs children of their natural sense of individual identity.
She tries to gain sympathy for what she has been through. The largest difference between the three stories is the audience. The quote I chose is the quote from Jacobs; it reads “I would rather drudge out my life on a cotton plantation, till the grave opened to give me rest, than to live with an unprincipled master and a jealous mistress” (Jacobs 84). I decided to change the audience to white men of the time period; as they believed that slaves were their “property”. Many slave masters were also sexists.
Therefore, Morrison uses “whiteness” as a symbol in the novel so she can criticize the treatment of African-Americans by the whites and the legacy of slavery. The whiteness symbol is used by Morrison to develop her criticism against segregation and racism throughout the book by representing everything that is bad in the novel. One of the ways that Morrison uses the symbol to develop her critique to the society of the time is by creating the majority of the characters in the novel black, and the few white people present are always representing violence and wrongdoing. For example, the accident that led to the death of Guitar’s father was in a white man’s mill. This scene can serve as a representation of how the white man treats the black man and by describing Guitar’s
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a work of abolitionist writing created by himself with his own experiences. Douglass’s triumph of his humanity makes The Narrative one of the most compelling abolitionist works because it recounts his first hand experience with slavery. Most writings of that time were by someone opposed to slavery, but this was a real slave writing true stories and that’s what made it interesting. Through his autobiography he was able to put forth an argument against the evils of slavery. His argument is expressed in the story of his life’s journey – a journey that is intellectual, spiritual, physical and political.
Holly Socially Acceptable Is Not Always Right In the novel Kindred (1979), Octavia Butler ubiquitously uses Dana’s thoughts about slavery and how slaves let themselves be treated to show how society can mold and change a person’s thoughts on a subject. As Dana delves deeper into the culture of the 1800s antebellum South she is transported back into, her views on slavery begin to change from those of opposition to ones of indifference and finally to acceptance. This is a shocking view of how society can subtly sneak into people’s lives and change their opinions about something they once felt so strongly about. With this, Butler is warning readers to be careful about accepting ideals that society deems as correct because they are not always right. When readers are introduced to Dana, she is portrayed as a modern, strong black woman.
In Kate Chopin’s short story “Desiree’s Baby” she attempts to show the racial ideologies that were prevalent in her day. She does this by not only implementing a shocking twist into her story but by using very subtle clues that can be found upon close study. By comparing the circumstances in her character’s lives before and after they become “aware” of their own or other’s racial heritage, Chopin points out that blacks were seen as an unhappy, miserable people and that only among whites can true happiness be found. Chopin creates these differences by using imagery and descriptions to stereotype both the blacks and whites in her story. While examining the circumstances surrounding Desiree’s life after she “becomes” black we can see Chopin’s genius at work.
His behavior and outlook on life are influenced by how his mother raises him. In Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “Everything that Rises Must Converge”, Julian and his mother maintain conflicting personal views surrounding the status of African-Americans in 1960’s society. Mrs. Chestny closely associates herself with the time period of plantations and slaves but says that she “can be gracious to anybody” (O’Connor 1017). Julian, on the other hand, believes his mother is a flat-out racist and almost feels the need to apologize to African-Americans for his mother’s behavior and attitude. Despite these clashes of perspective, the main conflict between mother and son derives from Julian’s inability to put his pride aside, accept the sacrifices his mother made for him, and move on from his lack of success in the real world.
Since she is a witness of bearing the lack of freedom, she creates a high credibility in her speech knowing that women and male supporters will believe in her claim of demanding equal rights to women. Fredrick Douglass was a rare educated slave that learned how to read and write. He knew the unnecessary evils behind slavery, unlike others who were taught to be inferior to their masters. In 1852, he delivered a scathing attack on