THE BOOK OF NEGROES

When reading the first chapter of the mis-education of the Negro book, the two most interesting items that I found was how it explained about blacks being hopeless, “to handicap a student by teaching him that his black face is a curse and that his struggle to change his condition is hopeless...". To me this first point meant how the teachings towards blacks is as if blacks were a curse and not meant to move forward because of their struggles and being black. The second point that interests me is the part when a student was in a Negro summer school with a white instructor who used such a textbook that states white people are superior to blacks. And the student said why and the instructor said he wanted the students to get that point of view.

The understanding of the life of a slave woman is far beyond the knowledge of you or I, unless you have actually been an enslaved woman. These literary elements depicting the passage from this story are the only

Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass both wrote narratives that detailed their lives as slaves in the antebellum era. Both of these former slaves managed to escape to the North and wanted to expose slavery for the evil thing it was. The accounts tell equally of depravity and ugliness though they are different views of the same rotten institution. Like most who managed to escape the shackles of slavery, these two authors share a common bond of tenacity and authenticity. Their voices are different—one is timid, quiet, and almost apologetic while the other one is loud, strong, and confident—but they are both authentic. They both also through out the course of their narratives explain their desires to be free from the horrible practice of slavery.

Resilience is a factor that drives her survival and ability to persevere as a result of being a victim of circumstances. It is through her knowledge that acquires over time that enables her to fight back and put herself into a role of power within an environment promoting her oppression. Her mother, Georgia, Fanta and Aminata’s strong wills shows how women can take control of their lives and that they are more than just housewife’s, that they can change the world by standing up for themselves and showing other women the impossible, thus creating a movement resulting in how Aminata tells her story to the Abolitionists and how she destroys the stereotypical gender roles. Thus concluding to The Book of Negroes as an example that portrays female women to be strong and brave. It is through her knowledge she acquires over time that enables her to fight back and put herself into a role of power within a harsh

What if you were captured as a slave how would you feel? Do you think you could survive? In the 1700’s life was very different than it is now. Back then if you were a Negro you would have to be extra careful or you could be sold as a slave. But imagine being sold after witnessing the death of your parents and being a child you would be traumatized. Now we do not have those kinds of worries; life was very different then than it is now. As a child, Aminata was taken away and captured as a slave, faced public humiliation, and lost her family, but in the end she overcame it all.

It is impossible for anyone to survive a horrible event in their life without a relationship to have to keep them alive. The connection and emotional bond between the person suffering and the other is sometimes all they need to survive. On the other hand, not having anyone to believe in can make death appear easier than life allowing the person to give up instead of fighting for survival. In The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, Aminata Diallo survives her course through slavery by remembering her family and the friends that she makes. Aminata is taught by her mother, Sira to deliver babies in the villages of her homeland. This skill proves to be very valuable to Aminata as it helps her deliver her friends babies and create a source of

Throughout Alain Locke’s works “Values and Imperatives,” “Pluralism and Intellectual Democracy,” “Cultural Relativism and Ideological Peace,” “The New Negro,” and “Harlem,” I found there to be a number of reoccurring themes, such as absolutes, imperatives, values, and relativism and their place in pluralism. I am going to be focusing on all the aforementioned themes and showing how they are all intertwined into the principles of pluralism.

“The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” is often told with a harsh and unemotional tone; it is this euphemistic style that gives the reader a keen insight into the writer's epoch as a slave in Maryland during the early 1800’s. Douglass never let us forget that his narrative was true, he wanted the readers to understand the truth that was Douglass's life, in addition the symbols and allusions that populate this book showing the intelligence and sophistication of the writer, while the detached writing also gives the reader another look into that time’s attitude and into Douglass’s own perception.

As Aminata is owned by Solomon Lindo, she deceives him by deciding to disregard her agreement to writing his letter and fleeing from being in his possession. As the story moves forward, Aminata is lied to by being denied passage to Nova Scotia, even though she was guaranteed the travel. Soon after, she battles with self-denial when she loses both her husband and child. She refuses to believe that she will never see them again. Then, the British deceive her as well as many other Africans. They fail to keep their promise of not governing Freetown and keeping the city clear of slaves. Also, throughout most of Aminata’s life, she wishes to reach her hometown of Bayo. She neglects the possible consequences such as being put back into captivity. Overall, deception can significantly influence the way characters’ act and it can even affect their point of view of reality, just as it did in The Book of

Slavery is perhaps the largest and ugliest blemish on the supposed “perfect” face of the American dream. History books recount decades of Caucasian Americans exerting their dominance over those of different, racial background. Perhaps the most discussed is the enslavement of the African-American population in the name of privilege and progress. Tensions culminate throughout the years until finally, the only thing powerful enough to destroy this evil empire rears its ugly head: war. It is no surprise then, that such a powerful and disgusting time is the subject of a vast amount of literary works. Two well-known authors who tackle this painful topic are Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs. Both Douglass and Jacobs provide deep insights into the life of slavery by recounting their actual experiences. These autobiographies possess great power, though they are by no means carbon copies of each other. There are more familial elements in Harriet’s account than Douglass’s, providing a more complex view in Harriet’s case. In addition, while both slaves clash with their masters, Douglass relies on more straightforward tactics. Meanwhile, Harriet relies on cunning to outwit those who oppress her. These differences ensure uniqueness without sacrificing a powerful impact. Indeed, both accounts provide a powerful, personal peek into the everyday life of a slave, alerting the reader in a way that no other work can.

My paper is an attempt to analyze the entire era of slavery and its later effects upon the lives of Africans who were brought forcefully to America as slaves and even after its abolition were treated inhumanly. My major attempt is to get an in depth insight of the struggles of these people for their survival in such an environment and the predicament of black women who were doubly oppressed; were the victims of both the whites and black men; and treated as naked savages and beasts, with Alice Walker’ masterpiece and Pulitzer prize winning The Color Purple. I have taken this project with my keen interest because the novel touched me deeply and I wanted to analyze it thoroughly.

Why is it that contemporary society recognises the immorality of past transgressions against human rights, but allows them to recur? In Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes, Aminata Diallo represents a victim of the 19th century’s slave trade. Struggling to survive in a world that is not unlike today in both prejudice and injustice, Aminata voices the importance of recognising the rights of all people despite its consequences. As numerous research sources have evinced, it is still necessary to speak out against these offenses. While modern society has become more aware of the significance of human rights, it must adopt a deeper involvement in overcoming the current challenges that linger from the mistakes of our predecessors.

The experiences, memories and treatment in any situation are viewed upon differently between a man and a woman. Obvious in the case of slavery, the two sexes were treated differently and so therefore their recollections of such events were-different. In the following short essay, we look closely at the perspective of the female slave, Harriet Jacobs in “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”, and respectfully compared to that of a man slave, Frederick Douglass in “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”. Although both experienced their freedoms despite facing great

Early American Literature reflects many conflicting differences in the presentation of slavery during that time period. Through the two chosen texts, the reader is presented with two different perspectives of slavery; Frederick Douglass’s narrative provides a look at a slave’s life through the eyes if a slave while Benito Cereno showcases the tale of a slave uprising from the viewpoint of the slave owner.. Benito Cereno’s work shows the stereotypical attitude towards African-American slaves and the immorality of that outlook according to Douglass’s narrative. Cereno portrays the typical white slave owner of his time, while Douglass’ narrative shows the thoughts of the slaves. The two stories together show that white Americans are oblivious to the ramifications and overall effects of slavery. These texts assist a moralistic purpose in trying to open up America’s eyes to the true nature of slavery by revealing it’s inhumanity and depicting the cruelty that was allowed.

Jacobs autobiography which is known by the name of ‘Incidents in a Life of a Slave Girl’ gave a true account of the treatment that black women faced during that time and also throwing some light on a perception which has been kept in shadows from the society. While writing the story of her life, Jacobs though focused on her defeat due to obstacles like race and gender, gave voice to something which was hidden from society regardless of the presence of patriarchal society of the nineteenth century.