Upon first reading Aphra Behn's work Oroonoko, one might get the impression that this is an early example of antislavery literature that became so popular during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In the short biography of Behn from the Norton Anthology of British Literature, we learn that Behn's story had a great impact on those who fought against the slave- trade. Although the horrors of the slave trade are clearly brought forth, I do not feel Behn was using these images towards the antislavery cause. I think it is more likely that the images were merely devices used in her travel narrative of Oroonoko. To see any negative view of the slave-trade, the reader must turn to the perspective of Oroonoko.
In his speech, well-known white American abolitionist Wendell Phillips praises the noteworthy accomplishments of Haitian general Toussaint-Louverture, the most powerful leader in Haiti, that have been disregarded. He evidently had a keenness for the man, for his praise borders on outright astonishment for him. Phillips' purpose is to lionize Louverture and bring light to his remarkable deeds. He constructs an admiring tone in order to communicate with his readers the idea of equal importance among all historical figures and does so by using historical allusions. Phillips begins his commemorative speech by acknowledging Napoleon and Washington, two honorable people of history.
He wrote books to describe how racism was making blacks act out. They begin turning to prostitution, gambling and violence. In 1903, in his famous book The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois charged that Washington’s strategy, rather than freeing the black man from oppression, would serve only to perpetuate it. I really like this book because it comes from the soul of a black person. In reality no one can relate to a black person better than one of its own.
Discuss the presentation of the character of Celie and how she functions in the novel. How successful do you think Celie is a viewpoint to portray Walker’s view of male/female relationships in the novel? The novel deals with sexism struggle both in America and Africa, where male dominance is a norm. Walker uses Celie as an instrument to show male/female relationships of the 20th Century. In the novel, Celie starts of as an abused, submissive wife, but is transformed into a confident and independent black woman, which goes against the ‘traditional’ values of that time.
Lakeshia Brown US History 211-05 April 19, 2012 Book Review In the Slave Community, John W. Blassingame gives insight on the slaves’ life that we normally do not get to see. He starts off by discussing the horrific enslavement process. He then goes in to depth of the African heritage, cultural, family, acculturation, behavior, religion, and personality. He supports his story with the evidence such as slave narratives, autobiographies, and historical data. Chapter one begins by explaining the process that the Africans had to go through to get to America.
Liza Jane was dressed like an old plantation woman and showed her African heritage in her clothing. In The Gilded Six-Bits, Hurston had the “rich man” Otis Slemmons showered in all kinds of gold jewelry with a mouth full of gold showing how much money he had. While Joe and Missie May were dressed in your typical, normal everyday clothes, which showed their simplicity. The actions of the men from the two stories also play a big part when comparing and analyzing. The two men were both of African American decent and they worked hard for what they had, but those are their only similarities.
Women, Families and Communities: Chapter 2: Women and families in slavery and the slave trade A. Beginning of slavery in North America, 1619 in Jamestown B. Mid 17th century, slave trade was a major source of wealth in Europe. C. Demand for African laborers shattered families, communities, and economic and political systems in many African nations, especially in West Africa. D. Morgan demonstrates the importance of African women to the slave trade and to the development of North American slavery.
These aspects can be traced back from the slavery era, and hence use art at a way of teeming with sadness and bitterness. The author believes that Black-Americas utilize these influential songs to utter their artistic potential in its simplest form. According to Daniels, the “civilized” white people owes to the soul-utterances of its black counterpart numerous moments of joy not to recognize ungrudging the considerable fact that what the Black has attained is of great civilizing worth. To the author, Negroes got the same opportunities and education facilities of the whites.2 Criteria of Negro Art The above topic presents work done by Du Bois. The author explores the value of the artistic potential found in the black people and the manner that it has been absorbed into the American culture.
Slave traders and plantation owners had a crucial interest in representing the black as fit for no other fate. And they claimed a special knowledge of blacks. Edward Long, the son of a Jamaican planter, was typical. He was convinced that ‘the lower class of women in England . .
In both cases, the slave trade worked to undermine the legitimacy of political institutions and sustain large gulfs between the interests of the ruling classes and those of the common people. Although the trans-Atlantic slave trade was a global system that involved several continents, the trade as a whole was controlled by European middlemen. As Walter Rodney wrote, "Only the European capitalist had such world-wide power, and they used Africans for their own purposes. "[1] However, views differ as to the causes and consequences of the African slave trade in Europe. Eric Williams' economic reductionist argument presented in his 1944 Capitalism and Slavery supported the theory that the move toward African enslaved labour in the Americas was entirely a matter of economic expedience that helped catapult Western Europe to the forefront of a new global capitalist economy.