Category: Slavery

Reading has always been my hobby, which enabled me to take fascinating journeys, visit new countries and learn about new cultures without leaving my room. By exercising my mind and using my imagination, I can experience a full range of feelings, such as sorrow, empathy, admiration, and joy when reading a book. Every book tells me a story about its author, his/her views, and cultural experiences to broaden my scope. For these reasons, I decided to take this African American literature course, which can benefit me with new knowledge of this unique culture and its phenomena. When reading the novel Flight to Canada by Ishmael Reed, I have learned the main features characteristic of a new black aesthetic and Reed’s individual style.

In his novel Flight to Canada, Ishmael Reed blurs the boundaries between the prose and poetry as well as the past and the present to express his satirical criticism of the legacy of slavery even after its official abolishment. By establishing the link between the narrative of Raven as an escaped slave and the late-twentieth-century practices of social, economic, and aesthetical discrimination of black artists, Reed combines his personal experience with the satire of the times.

From the opening pages of his narrative, Ishmael Reed uses the category of time to create a link between the historical condition of slavery and the oppressive cultural environment of then-contemporary culture, which discriminated against him as a black writer. The novel starts with a poem entitled “Flight to Canada,” in which the protagonist Raven Quickskill tells a story of his escape from slavery. “I flew in non-stop/ Jumbo jet this a.m. Had/ Champagne/ Compliments of the Cap’n/ Who announced that a/ Runaway Negro was on the/ Plane…” (Reed 3).

Raven, who acts as the author and the protagonist of the poem at the same time, tells about his past in an ironic key, making fun of the tragic episodes of history. This poem demonstrates Reed’s attempts to reconsider traditional slave narratives. By intertwining the story of Raven’s escape and his own searches for creative liberation, the author of the novel establishes the relationship between the subdual of African Americans under the system of slavery and the cultural practices of the twentieth century restricting the civil rights of black artists.

By comparing the cultural practices of commodification and exploitation of African Americans within the two historical periods, Reed juxtaposes his own destiny as an African American writer in the late twentieth century with Raven’s situation as a slave narrator. Thus, the author uses the category of time to create the link between the practices of material and spiritual slavery and criticize its legacy in the late-twentieth-century community.

In contrast to the classical historical novels depicting the antebellum South, such as Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, for example, Reed in his Flight to Canada focuses on connecting the phenomenon of slavery with its aftermath in the form of contemporary discriminating practices. Criticizing the current legacy of slavery, Reed views the past in retrospection. On the other hand, the two distinct historical periods discussed in Reed’s novel are closely interrelated.

The depiction of nineteenth-century realities provides a valuable historical context, shedding light upon the preconditions of contemporary cultural practices. Reed’s novel can be defined as a post-modern narrative going beyond the historical representation of particular details towards a critique of the American slave system in general. In that regard, Reed’s work can be referred to as an example of new black aesthetics, confronting the traditional stereotypes characterizing middle-class blacks. Reed, as a black artist, does not allow his origin and cultural heritage to frame his destiny and tries to overcome the restrictions created by the dominant capitalist culture.

Analyzing the dangers posed by the commodity culture, Reed also discusses the ways in which this culture can be manipulated. For instance, Raven’s poem “Flight to Canada” becomes a commodity, bringing Raven as its author a celebrity status. This aspect of self-promotion is satirized in the poem: “Passengers came up/ And shook my hand/ & within 10 min. I had/ Signed up for three anti-slavery/ Lectures. Remind me to get an/ Agent” (Reed 3). Therefore, Raven is depicted as not only a slave narrator but also a cultural player who makes attempts to manipulate the existing commodity system to take advantage of it.

The quest for economic, social, and aesthetical liberty as the central theme of the novel Flight to Canada by Ishmael Reed produced a long-lasting impression upon me. By juxtaposing the narration of an escaped slave with his personal experience as a black artist, Reed blurs the lines between the past and the present to create a satirical critique of the dominant commodity culture and the preserved legacy of slavery. Fascinated with the novel Flight to Canada by Reed as an African American writer, I expect the African American literature course to satisfy my curiosity and aid me in my quest for knowledge of new literary genres and movements.

Works Cited

Reed, Ishmale. Flight to Canada. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1998. Print.

Introduction

In the period between the sixteenth and the eighteenth century, a number of European countries led by Portugal and Spain went to Africa to search for slaves. It is said that, during this period, the agrarian revolution had just taken off and as a result, more man power was needed to work in the plantations that were being established in America. In addition, the modern day United States of America was witnessing massive migration of Europeans.

Most of them carried with them this agrarian technology, a situation that made them require a lot of people to work for them. This was because the land was in plenty and very few laborers were available to work there. They therefore turned to African and especially in West Africa where they shipped out millions of young and energetic men to work in the plantations. This is what came to form the modern day Africa American community in the United State of America.

Identify and discuss how Stowe uses biblical images to incite a strong response to oppose slavery

Slavery is not a unique phenomenon amongst Christians. This is because the Bible narrates a story of how Jacob’s children became slaves in Egypt. To begin with, we find that Stowe has noted that between 1780 and1830, the religious groups tried in vain to pressurize the government to abolish slavery in both the north and south of the United States of America. She has observed that in their letters they argued that the Black people are not sub human beings.

They have stated that God created all human beings equal and therefore no one should oppress the other for his or her own gains. Stowe has said that the anti slavery groups argued that it was not possible to have the White Christians oppressing the Black Christians counterparts.

In addition, we find that the issue of morality has also been addressed. Stowe has claimed that the anti slavery groups questioned the morality of the white Christians who were at the fore front in the oppression of the Black people. The Bible teachings emphasizes on people to be of high morality. However, this was in contrast with what the White Christians in the United States were doing. She has further observed that the anti slavery crusaders found it untrue that the Blacks were being favored by being brought from Africa to the United States of America. She says that many people died on the way in the course of being transported, which would certainly be termed as murder.

One of commandments in the Holy Bible dictates that no one should kill the other. Stowe has observed that those people who advocated for slavery regarded it as a way of saving Africans from the misery in their former lands. However, those who were strongly opposed to this argued that it was only God who could bring salvation to human kind. As a result, the anti slavery campaigners claimed that if slaves were being saved, then they should be let free so that the salvation aspect become meaningful.

The Biblical teachings do not advocate for war or wrangles amongst people in any given society. However, due to non observance of these teachings, Stowe has claimed that there was a lot of conflict and war as the southerners refused to let go of slaves in the United States of America. She argues that the White Americans were of the opinion that war is good. Names such as Augustine St. Claire have been used to represent their godlessness; that is they are known to serve their own pleasures. This is in contrast with what the word saint is used to signify among the Christians. Therefore, the Whites on one hand supported the Christian teachings but on the other hand failed to execute what those teachings talked of.

Discuss how Jacobs’ journals reinforce the attitude of the Whites that slaves were inferior and/or childlike and needed to be “parented.”

The Whites have for a long time regarded the Black community as inferior to them. To them, that was an illustration that the Black people could not do or discover anything on their own without the assistance of the White people. Although these remarks have been proved to be inaccurate over the years, during the slavery period, the Whites regarded the Black people as sub humans. As a result, they would treat them the same they would to other animals which were not equal to a human being.

According to Yellin (2004), Harriet Ann Jacobs was a Black woman and therefore born a slave in 1813. However, as she grew up she managed to run away from slavery. He has noted that despite being a poor woman, she managed to write several articles to different people showing them how slavery had impacted on the lives of the Blacks in the United States of America. He has claimed that at one point, Jacobs managed to travel to United Kingdom where she found out that people were not discriminated on basis of their skin color.

This motivated her to come up with an abolitionist movement that would help free all the enslaved the Blacks in her country. He however notes that most of her writings revolved around how she would get assistance from other people in her society. This, according to the Whites, amounts to dependency which should not be the case if a person is healthy and able to work. Therefore, he argues that this is one way in which the Whites’ superiority over the Black community is manifested.

Furthermore, Garfield (1996) has observed that Jacobs organized and helped in the construction of barracks for the freed men in her society. However, he has noted that only about 500 people could be accommodated in those houses out of the 1500 targeted. This is a clear demonstration of how the Black people were disorganized in their work. It was hoped that if the White man was in charge of such construction, the total number of people envisaged to be housed would be met. This is an indication that the Blacks needed to be taught more on how to conduct their work by the Whites.

How the beliefs of Lincoln about God and the country are reflected in his address to congress. How do you think he perceived of his role as president within this “spiritual” conflict

Lincoln has remained a key figure in the United States politics because of the role he played in ensuring that slaves were set free. According to Abraham Lincoln, God created all human beings to be equal and therefore no one should have the right to oppress the other because of their racial or political affiliations. As a result, he marshaled the congress in passing laws that set the slaves free.

In addition, we find that Abraham Lincoln believed that people should be let to decide what they want to do other than be coerced. He observed that God created man and let him do whatever pleased him as long as he stuck to the guidelines that God had given him. This was meant to call upon slave owners to let them free.

As a president of the United States, Lincoln knew that it was not easy to persuade slave owners to emancipate slaves because this was the order of the day in many parts of the country. However, he knew that as a president he had the power to punish those who went against his directives. He however knew that he had to approach this matter cautiously not to be seen as slave’s sympathizer to avoid loosing faith amongst the electorate.

Conclusion

Slavery caused a lot of pain not only to the people directly enslaved but also to their relatives and friends who had to see such people being shipped for slavery. Although this trade is no longer visible in the contemporary world, more still need to be done to protect other people from witnessing what the slaves went through in the past. People should learn to co exist with one another so that racial and other forms of discrimination are eliminated.

It should be the role of the modern day governments to pass strict laws that makes it illegal for a person to discriminate the other on basis of race, religion, political or gender. This is a move that will go a long way in making sure that the world is a peaceful place to live in.

Reference List

Garfield, D. (1996). Harriet Jacobs and Incidents in the life of a slave girl: new critical Essays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Yellin, J. (2004). Harriet Jacobs: A Life. New York: Basic Civitas Books.

There is plenty that can be said about the issues that were concerned with slavery, but the truth remains a bitter pill to swallow. The book shows the struggles that slaves underwent during the period of slavery. This was more so for the women who were involved and worked as slaves. The workers endured difficult times during slavery due to the stigma that was in the air, regarding what was considered the lower castes.

The book shows that there was a lot of ignorance in the course of the period of slavery. This may be described better in many situations in the book. Most of the situations that were depicted showed one such situation was when one character in the book lent out money in the range of three hundred dollars to her owner.

It was well known that slaves had no right to any property and thus the money did not count as hers. The money was lent out on the basis of pure honor (Jacobs 13). The borrower had no obligation to pay back the money.

The sexual abuse and assault that the slave women endured under the hands of their masters was another degradation that they knew they would do nothing about. This was due to the fact that they were wholly owned by their masters, and had nowhere to go when such incidences as rape occurred. The masters were well aware of the situation that the slaves were in and they took full advantage of the situation.

They were also aware that the salves were ignorant and they could take advantage of their weaknesses. The book states that the author had to befriend a neighbor in order to try and protect herself from her owner who decided to seduce and threaten her, rather than rape her, although he would have done so eventually.

The fact that she did what she was avoiding to do with her neighbor describes the levels of desperation that the slaves experienced, and it goes to show that they were ready to go to great extents in order to ensure that they were not violated.

Hiding in the attic for around seven years and only seeing her children through a peep hole in the wall, in order to avoid meeting her master who intended to make her his lover ,is quite enough proof that the slaves would stretch their imaginations just to get a sense of freedom.

It was a really trying time for the slaves as they were bound by laws that forced them to stay in the places that they had been sold. These laws stated that an owner could do whatever they pleased with the slaves that he or she had bought or paid money for from a trader.

The twists and tales of the script speak volumes about the lives that the slaves underwent. The main character endeavors to bring her family sired by the neighbor together. Her children are torn apart and they are forced to live in different places although at some point they keep getting back together.

This depicts a true sense of commitment that the slaves had towards their families. It is a natural instinct that is in-built in people that is exuded in situations that seem or appear to be tearing them apart.

Works Cited

Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the life of a slave girl, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 1861. Print.

The question of the Negro people in the American society has always been a real problem. People, especially black one, have always asked themselves questions about their place in the world and why they are treated differently. The problem of the attitude to black people is solved now, they are considered to be the same members of the society, but the problem still exists. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington tried to examine the question from their points of view and their considerations are going to be discussed in the current paper.

Du Bois in the work “The Soul of Black Folk” asks the question, why black people are considered to be different, why they are treated differently as they are the same members of the society, they are the same people, created by God, but at the same time they are thought to be strangers even in their own houses. “The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife, — this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double-self into a better and truer self” (Du Bois ) says Du Bois and he is right. The life of black people is known as the life of straggle, black people were fighting for their freedom for many centuries and now they have got that freedom, they have reached their aim. Du Bois in his work dwells upon the difficulties in Negro lives, when they were rejected by the society, when they had no one to rely on – the whole world was against them.

Booker T. Washington in his work “Up from slavery” tells his story, his life, when he managed to become the respected person, in spite of the fact that he had come out of slaves. Being black, he managed to cope with lots of difficulties and reach the level, where he was at. The chapter, which is discussed, is “The Atlanta Exposition Address”, where the author tried to show the President and Directors that black people are not the minority in the South. Moreover, telling about black people, Washington says with assurance that South America is inhabited with the Negros on one third, and it is unjust not to pay attention to their problems. The terrible conditions of black people are discussed and Washington just wants to ask, how long will black people be ignored. The hope for better fills in the heart of black people and they hope that some time later, they will be considered similar, black and white (Washington ).

These two works, by Washington and Du Bois raise the similar problems, the place of black people in the society, the attitude to black people and their equality with white people. The works show that black and white people are the same, from the point of view of their vision by God, as they were created in the same way, but it is people who decided to change the priorities and make white race the dominated one. These two works are devoted to the place of black people in the American society and the question is asked, why there is no place for them.

In conclusion, the racial discrimination was one of the main problems in America for centuries, but thanks to work of some people, to black race desire to be the same with white one, the discrimination is reduced to minimum and is even prosecuted by law.

Works Cited

Du Bois, W.E.B. “The Soul of Black Folk.” In Nina Baym (Ed.), The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007.

Washington, Booker T. “Up from slavery.” In Nina Baym (Ed.), The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007.

The literature of the slavery period was written by black Americans of African bloodline. Its main theme is slavery but it also exhibits other themes like the fight by Afro-Americans for freedom, the search for the identity of black Americans and the appreciation of the uniqueness of African American culture. A lot of works with related themes were written during this time. The earliest of these works that are still preserved were written by African slaves in America from around mid-1700. An example of these works is “Bars Fight”, which was a poem describing a raid in Massachusetts, written by Lucy Terry. The slavery, somehow, contributed to the acquisition of literary skills by slaves and the resultant works (Terry 1).

African-American writing and slavery are inseparable. At the beginning of the slavery period, almost all of the slaves were illiterate. They slowly learnt how to read and write while in slavery. Most of them were guided and motivated by the bible to learn how to read. This literacy provided inspiration and knowledge that helped the slaves find means of escaping bondage. An example of such works is, Incidents in the life of a Slave Girl, the story by Harriet Jacob in 1861that described the challenges women faced in slavery. The story has an honest bias in slavery rape which was common in those days (Jacob 1). Another example is Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various subjects, Religious and Moral which is based on the bible and touches on her American patriotism and African heritage. The difficulties these slaves were going through were a great catalyst of African-American literature. There was the need to record the events of the slavery period and thus slaves strived to acquire literacy in order to record these events. African-American literature was also used as a weapon for fighting slavery and thus the slaves were highly motivated to write these works. It is believed that African-American literature was one of the major contributors to the ending of slavery in America. The most celebrated works of the slavery period are done by Frederick Douglass. He became a very influential American after the slavery period. He was an American Ambassador, Presidential advisor and orator in the post-slavery period. His inspiration to literacy and writing was hatched when he heard his master’s wife reading the bible. Although his master did not want him to learn, he took this as an indication that knowledge is powerful and from that time on, he did not relent in his quest for knowledge (Wheatley 1).

The African-Americans who were free at the slavery also gave substantial contribution to the slavery literature. These people were sympathetic of their ‘brothers’ and thus they were actively involved in the fight against slavery. They used literature to express their opinions towards slavery injustices like rape, racism etcetera.

The Afro-American literature of the period between 1764 and 1865 and slavery are deeply related. While slavery gave the Afro-Americans exposure and themes to write about, the writings contributed substantially to the end of slavery. First-hand information on the slavery period was also recorded. The Afro-American writers of this time, therefore, did a great job. The conditions under which they learnt how to read and write and consequently produced these stories were very unfriendly and thus they should be always celebrated as the American heroes of the 19^th century.

Works Cited

Jacob, Harriet. “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”, 2004-Web.

Terry, Lucy. “Bars Fight”, 2009 – Web.

Wheatley, Phillis. “Poems on Various subjects, Religious and Moral”, 2001- Web.

The situations regarding slavery in New York and Pennsylvania were drastically different from those in the southern states due to varying attitudes. Thus, the former’s relationship to this institution was guided by humanity towards the slaves and the development of legal methods of improving their lives that did not exist in the latter case. According to Dunbar, one of the main measures of this nature was the adoption of “the gradual abolition law” (64). It allowed the representatives of these population groups to claim their freedom after six months of servitude (Dunbar 63). In turn, Pennsylvania’s views on the matter were even more critical due to the activity of religious organizations, such as the Society of Friends (Dunbar 65). Consequently, this state’s laws were more favorable for the slaves compared to those of New York as they had more chances for freedom regardless of age. The information concerning the differences between a northern and a southern state changes my views by highlighting varying attitudes towards benefits for the affected persons. In the former case, they were linked to independence, whereas in the latter situation, care for the slaves was vital.

The plan developed by Washington for circumventing the anti-slavery legislation adopted in Philadelphia was related to the attempts to avoid keeping slaves in one place for over six months. In this situation, they could have had a right to claim their freedom by referring to the new laws, which were critical for the family due to their financial hardships (Dunbar 63). This decision seems dubious from the perspective of humanity towards the black population of the time and certainly changes my opinion of the first president of the United States. In this case, he seems to be a person who cares about his own interests in the first place. Even though Washington claims that “protecting his human property” is necessary for addressing the interests of his slaves, the proof that his main motivation was his personal situation modifies the perception of his decisions (Dunbar 67). It is clear that he might genuinely be concerned about the well-being of these people; however, this circumstance does not change the fact that he appears to be more selfish than expected.

The free black leaders significant for the overall movement for claiming their rights were Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, and their importance is conditional upon the organization of efforts for eliminating racial injustice. They were the founders of the Free African Society in Philadelphia intended to be “the first black mutual aid society” for assisting those in need due to different life circumstances (Dunbar 77). Meanwhile, these former slaves also played a critical role in encouraging their peers to participate in societal affairs in order to prove their worth to the white population (Dunbar 83). These people might have influenced Ona Judge by showing her the possibilities of living as a free person in the northern states, which was especially vital after she lost most of her relatives (Dunbar 85; 86). They have also affected her mental and emotional mindset by highlighting the benefits she might have had, such as marriage. If she did not meet these leaders, her life might have been spent in servitude out of fear of further complications, which were especially typical for free black women in terms of their labor conditions.

Work Cited

Dunbar, Erica Armstrong. Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge. 37 Ink, 2017.

The theme of slavery has been thoroughly investigated over many decades; the world of literature reflects this global problem of humanity through national sufferings, and social oppressions experienced throughout centuries. The paper will be concentrated on the analysis of the works ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano’ by Olaudah Equiano, ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass’ by Frederick Douglass, and ‘Incidents in the Life of a slave Girl’ by Harriet Jacobs, through which the authors managed to reflect their personal experience, exaggerating slavery reality through its corruptive power, cannibalism and psychological oppression.

The horror of slavery was demonstrated by Equiano’s narrative, depicting the period of slave trade through human moral mistakes. The story ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano’ appeared to be the background for the stories of abolitionists, who dedicated their works to the disclosure of slavery as the grave error developed by people from generation to generation.

‘The stench of the hold while we were on the coast was so intolerably loathsome, that it was dangerous to remain there for any time’ (Equiano, 113)

It is necessary to underline the fact that the author shows American slaves through their sufferings of horror treatment; the slaves lived in poor conditions and were sold as cargo, being packed and transferred from ship to ship.

‘They also made us jump, and pointed to the land, signifying we were to go there. We thought by this, we should be eaten by these ugly men’ (Equiano, 205)

Equiano’s narrative managed to reflect the atmosphere of slavery horror touching African cannibalism producing emotional effect on the basis of personal experience. It is the reflection of life under the pressure of constant fear and psychological pressure. Besides, the narrative touched the problem of social isolation, being taken from native land to the world of Western culture, striving to keep his purity and innocence characterizing him as an African.

Further on, the theme of social isolation as the basic slavery component was continued by Douglass’ narrative in the story ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass’; the author touched the problem of social ignorance concentrating of whites’ strategies and power aimed against black people.

‘My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, and the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died:

the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!‘ (Douglass, 89)

The author managed to demonstrate the limitations of rights and freedoms oppressing black people; slaves were deprived of opportunity to get any knowledge, as this could lead them to capability sense and self-sufficiency, being the path to freedom. The narrator demonstrated how slave owners kept black people aside from getting any education; the story appeared to be the reflection of white people’s power over the nation of Afro-American origin. The author managed to illustrate the destructive effect of slaveholding promotion, which gradually leads to moral health damaging and psychological oppressions suffered by the whole humanity. It is necessary to stress that the theme is close to modern period, when the racial discrimination problem is still faced by most Eastern World countries.

And finally, it is necessary to analyze the depth of slavery problem through the story by Jacobs Harriet ‘Incidents in the Life of a slave Girl’; the author raised the theme of slavery corrupting power and morality destruction. Special stress is given to the slavery mastership, which is the basic element in slave-holders psychological destruction.

‘When he told me that I was made for his use, made to obey his command in everything; that I was nothing but a slave, whose will must and should surrender to his, never before had my puny arm felt half so strong’ (Jacobs, 114)

Personal experience of the author depicts white people as inhumane monsters oppressing their servants and providing horrible conditions for their existence. It is necessary to stress that the story provides a comparative line between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ slave owners, which have almost the same features, being characterized by betrayal and roughness.

The central problem of the story was focused on the character’s unrealized dream; the dream of having a family and a home, getting freedom and living in love. It should be stressed that the disclosure of slavery destructive nature was highlighted by the narrative through personal freedom limitation and moral oppressions.

The three narratives analyzed above appeared to be presented as the authors’ tool to demonstrated the depth of slavery horror and reflect the feelings of fear suffered black people living in the oppressive conditions.

The analysis of the stories ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano’ by Olaudah Equiano, ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass’ by Frederick Douglass, and ‘Incidents in the Life of a slave Girl’ by Harriet Jacobs, gave an opportunity to evaluate the depth of one common problem shared by the authors’ narratives, the problem of slavery destructive power and horror corruption. The stories managed to reflect the atmosphere of black people oppressions and limitations which are still suffered in some countries. The theme of slavery appeared to be emotionally colored and thought provoking because of personal experience image disclosure and the depth of horror reality created by human beings through slavery promotions.

References

Douglass, F. ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass’ Penguin Classics, 1982.

Equiano, O. ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano’. Coffeetown Press, 2008.

Jacobs, H. ‘Incidents in the Life of a slave Girl’. Oxford University Press US, 1988.

“The Known World” by Edward P. Jones tells a story of slavery, identity, and nature. Although the book follows a multitude of characters, Moses can be considered to be the protagonist of the book. This paper will cover these major themes, the coping mechanism of the character, and my ideas about the book.

Freedom, Slavery, and Identity

The book tells a tale of Moses, the first slave of a black slave-owner named Henry Townsend. While growing up as a slave, Henry bonded with his master William Robbins and his behavior later in life was formed by this bond. This fact explains how he can so easily deal with the ethics of owning slaves after being a slave himself. Henry is intelligent but cruel and lacks empathy. Despite being a free man, he chooses to focus his freedom on enslaving others and sees no issues with slavery. Moses becomes his first slave, but before that, he was a slave of a French prisoner, where he had a wife. This first separation traumatized him and perhaps made him neglectful and violent toward his second wife. This draws a clear line between freedom and slavery. Moses begins as Henry’s friend, but soon Robbins makes Henry stop treating Moses as an equal. Nevertheless, Moses is loyal to Henry even after this change. Moses is used to this kind of life and described by one of the other characters as “world-stupid,” meaning he does not know how to live in the outside world.

And yet, Moses is not devoid of agency. He has a strong connection to nature, both in the story of the book and its literary language. Early on, we see him go to the woods after a tough day to relax, showing how he feels free in the forest. Jones pays close attention to the nature around Moses. We can also see how Moses eats a little bit of the soil after work, connecting him to nature on a physical level. Moses gains his energy from nature, his will to live, and argued that he gains his identity from it.

In contrast, his family life is described as very sparingly. He does not have a strong connection to his wife; he neglects and beats her. On multiple occasions, Moses declines to eat with his family and chooses to spend the night in the woods instead.

Although his view of the world gets disrupted after he becomes involved with Henry’s wife Claudia, his connection to nature does not change. Even after the book’s tragic events, we can see how in his old age, he thinks about his time in the woods; however, now he has a slightly closer relationship with his family.

The Author and I

Edward P. Jones was born on October 5, 1950. He grew up in Washington, D.C., and witnessed much poverty and desperation during his life there. He was raised by a single mother whom Edward loved and dedicated his first two books. He experienced homelessness in the 1970s and often suffered from depression, which can be seen in his stories. His books often concern African Americans struggling through hard times. While they are often depressing, he finds a way to generate positive feelings from some of his characters’ warm-hearted nature. The book covered in this paper, “The Known World,” was published in 2003, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2004.

I have not experienced such a turbulent childhood as Jones, but his personal story is sympathetic. I cannot help but admire his achievement and hope that I would reach at least half of what he did. While I cannot directly relate to the author, I found Moses’s feelings toward nature to be reminiscent of my personal experiences. I cannot say that I am connected to nature in the same way he was, but there are times in my life when I find a walk outside of town to be the only thing that can calm me down. The smell of the forest, the way the sun peeks through the trees, and perhaps the feeling of isolation helps me get distracted from my problems. I also really enjoy the rain, and the description of how Moses was getting almost a high from the rainfall is very relatable. There is nothing like the feeling of heavy rain during a hot summer day.

Personal Insights

“The Known World” is a rare kind of story that, while telling a relatively traditional tragedy, still finds a way to keep itself fresh and say something new. The attention to authenticity through references to fictional historians and statistics separates this story from the more general slavery stories. Although it might seem that the topic of slavery has been completely covered by literature, this book shows how slavery is not only able to ruin the lives of enslaved people, but also the lives of everyone surrounding slavery. People lose family, friends, and their lives during the book, and slavery affects almost every one of these events. Overall, the book presents an authentic and tragic story of the effects of slavery.

Conclusion

Edward P. Jones had a difficult childhood and saw firsthand the effects of poverty and how people live. This could be seen in the authentic portrayal of characters on hard times. He presents an interesting perspective on how people form their identity and connect to nature to deal with our problems. I wish I could have the same love for anything that Moses did for nature.

Morrison’s Beloved provides a literary account on African-American tradition that allows the author to create an intense representation and analysis of slavery in American history. At this point, Morrison implicitly criticizes historical and ritual methods based on healing and spiritual influence that shapes the basis of upbringing. From this viewpoint, the author reconstructs the conceptual knowledge, as well as historical background, to confront the spiritual oppression and intellectual persistence of African-Americans.

In such a manner, the novel widens the concept of freedom and provides a new meaning of such words as ‘rememory’ and ‘disremember.’ In particular, although Seth’s new life is deprived of slavery, her memories and her past do not allow her to forget her identity and her affiliation to Sweet Home. The words ‘rememory’ and ‘disremember’ provide strong opposition to Sethe’s inner struggle with her psychological recovery and her attitude to the role of slavery in the nation’s welfare.

In the novel, Morrison builds the connection between the heroine’s inner confrontation and the general recovery process of the American nation that sets codes and rights for former slaves. Sethe, the protagonist of the story, constantly resorts to her past, although she is not reluctant to rememorize it: “if you go there – you who was never there – if you go there and stand in the place where it was – it will happen again; it will be there waiting for you” (Morrison 42).

To explain this issue, Krumholz remarks in her analysis, “Sethe’s process of healing in Beloved…is a model for the readers who must confront Seth’s past as part of our past…that lives right here where we live” (395). At this point, the proposed interpretations refer to the ideas that past traumas and challenges continue affecting consciousness indefinitely and, therefore, it is possible to recollect unhappy and destructive moments.

Even though Sethe relates to future tense, she underscores the inevitability of the presence of memories. She features the past as a physical construct, which also confirms the materiality of American history. By recovering memories and recognizing their physical presence, Morrison amplifies the inevitability of the bond between national history and individual perception.

On the one hand, Sethe’s strong desire to ‘disremember’ the past imposes a serious psychological pressure. On the other hand, ‘rememory’ of Seth’s previous life at Sweet Home prevents her from forgetting her murdered daughter. Nevertheless, the heroine denies the past and, therefore, she strives to get the best future for her children.

As she sees the threat to her daughter’s future, she decides to kill her and provide a better ‘afterlife’ rather than let her be doomed to live in Sweet Home: “Collected every bit of life she had made, all the parts of her that were precious and fine and beautiful…dragged them through the veil” (Morrison 190). It is clear from the passage that Seth establishes a slight distinctions between death and life.

Also, the passage indicates Sethe’s comparison of her children with the most precious part of her being. So, taking Sethe’s children away from her would mean destroying everything she loved and praised in her life. Although Sethe’s murder is considered a morally unjustified act, the emphasis is still placed on the criticism of slavery as the ‘rememorized’ past that ruins her future.

In Beloved, Morrison makes use of supernatural rituals and traditions to shape the reality in which characters live (Krumholz 397). In particular, Morrison provides the novel with the possibility to transform and build individual perception, as well as influence the characters’ social relations. The ritual method implies a certain strategy for learning epistemology in which knowledge construct depends on the spiritual context.

Despite her faith in the healing power of ritual, Morrison reconstructs the parallels between the fragments of Sethe’s emotional and psychological recovery. At this point, Krumholz stresses, “personal and historical past is retrieved and reconstructed” (400). At this point, the author employs narrative techniques, such as repetition, to make a transition to the ritual dynamics within the novel retrospective.

Moreover, the presence of the supernatural becomes the major obstacle for Sethe to ‘disremember’ the past and lead a life in a new place free from slavery. About the above-presented consideration, the concept of ‘rememory’ stands at the core of ritual, which corresponds to several episodes in the novel. In the first episode, Paul D tries to make Sethe return to reality and ignore any supernatural influence on her consciousness.

The second section is dedicated to Sethe’s constant searching for reconciliation, which makes her overwhelmed with her past mistakes. The presence of Beloved complicates the heroine’s attempt to overcome the grief and forces her to suffer from the pain. The final episode refers to the forcing out of Beloved from the community to allow Beth to reconcile with her experiences and recognize the situation from a different angle.

The evidence from the text shows that slavery experiences “are accumulated through fragmented recollections, culminating in the revelation of Sethe’s murder of her child” (Krumholz 400). Subsequent episodes introduce the process of Seth’s realization of the impossibility to restore the past, as well as her final relief from the previous experience.

Therefore, the concept of ‘rememory’ and ‘disremember’ are involved in the process of Seth’s re-evaluation of her past deeds. In the novel, Morrison focuses on the concept of memory as the means of recollecting and bringing together the members of Seth’s family. To do that, the heroine has to cross spatial and time boundaries. Also, memory is presented as an unpredictable process related to spiritual and material space.

Beloved starts the process of heroine’s gradual reconciliation and psychological cleansing. Seth’s ‘rememory’ sets the ground for the transformative process of the spiritual self in the real world. In the novel, Morrison remarks, “trust and memory, yes, the way she believed it could when he cradled her before the cooking store” (114).

By introducing the historic flashbacks, the author explains that the future and present tense cannot exist without the past because the latter creates identity and belonging. In conclusion, Morrison introduces the concept of ‘rememory’ and ‘disremember’ to explain Seth’s constant struggle with her past, as well as her reconciliation with the future, being an integral component of her identity.

In particular, Sethe undergoes three stages of realization by engaging in the ritual of healing. From this viewpoint, the heroine’s psychological pressure strongly correlates with historical recovery. The history of slavery is possible to reconsider through Sethe’s experience, as well as her struggle with fears.

In this context, Beloved is the obstacle that does not allow Sethe to relieve from the grief. In general, the story creates a new understanding of how the African-American community managed to overcome the slavery period in American history.

Works Cited

Krumholz, Linda. “The Ghosts of Slavery: Historical Recovery in Toni Morrison’s Beloved.” African American Review 3 (1992): 395. Print.

Morrison, Tony. Beloved. US: Vintage, 2004. Print.

Introduction

India is an Asian country with an emerging economy and a population slightly hovering over one billion people. Despite posting impressive economic growth figures, a large section of the population still lives under the poverty line. Additionally, the country has high incidences of social ills mainly brought by its unique demographic trends and sometimes failure or laxity of law enforcement.

One of the social ills affecting the Indian society is human trafficking especially for sex slavery. Sex trafficking which involves coerced recruitment, transportation transfer and receipt of men people for sexual exploitation propagates sexual slavery¹.

Sexual slavery can be defined as situations where unwilling people (both men and women) are forced to sexual exploitation for low or no pay at all. Sexual slavery arises when some people have the right of ownership over others and induce repeated sexual abuse, rape and forced performance of sexual acts on other people.

Various organizations including the international Organization for Immigration and UNICEF estimate the number of individuals involved in sexual slavery to range between 400,000 to 1.75 million².

Sex Slavery in India

Asia has been identified as one of the trouble spots as far as human trafficking is concerned. The US State Department considers India a source, transit point and destination of sex trafficking victims in Asia and the world.

The Supreme Court of India famously declared in the year 2010 that the country was becoming a hub for child trafficking and prostitution and urged urgent measures to curb the vice. The government of India through the Ministry of Women and Child Development estimated in 2007 that the country had about 3 million sex workers with approximately 35% of them aged below 18 years³.

According to authorities and international organizations such as the UN, human trafficking for sexual exploitation in India is mainly internal with the country low income and lower cast communities providing the major source of victims.

In the country, there is major trafficking ring of women and young girls trafficked within the country mainly for sexual exploitation.

Most of these sex slaves work in the tourism industry in the country with major town and cities acting as the hub of sex tourism. Surprisingly, authorities and nongovernmental organizations concur that sex slavery in India does take place within the confines of religious pilgrimage in centers such as Tirupati and Puri⁴.

There is an intricate connection between the prostitution cartels operating in the country especially, Nepal and Thailand. While a good number of girls are kidnapped and forced to prostitution, a large number from north eastern India are normally duped with promises of regular and high paying jobs in larger cities only to end up in forced commercial sex work⁵.

Additionally, some of the men and women especially in Tamil Nadu are trafficked out of India through fraudulent employment bureaus that mainly send them to Middle East where they end up as sex slaves. The presence of Maoist rebels in neighboring Nepal exacerbates the problem as the group operates a well established cartel that operates brothels in India to source funds for their operations.

According to NGO sources, as many as 200 thousand girls have been trafficked from Nepal to India’s red light district with the rate being 5000 girls annually whose ages range ages between 10-12 years⁶.

Indian Authorities’ approach to Sex Slavery

The Indian government acknowledges the existence of human trafficking in the country and forced sexual exploitation as a rampant problem. Many government officials also admit that compliance by to the government to the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking have been below par.

According to the US State Department, government response to sex trafficking in India has not demonstrated sufficient progress and there are concerns with law enforcement, protection and prevention efforts that have been put in place.

Notably, the government admits that there have been few convictions of the real people behind human sex trafficking and most of the raids on brothels and other trafficking hot spots are mainly masterminded by concerned nongovernmental organizations.

Additionally, there are fewer shelters for rescued sex slave victims and those that have been set up are of poor quality. Some officials acknowledge that corruption is a major hindrance in the fight against sex slavery in the country. It is an open secret that some officials are complicit to the prostitution cartels as they receive payouts to allow their illegal operations.

On the other hand however, there has been some progress in the fight against sex slavery in India especially through the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA) with a string of raids, arrest and convictions masterminds of sex slaves. It is important to note that most of these raids are however initiated by NGO and assisted by police.

There is consensus that sex slavery is rampant in the country and perceived laxity by authorities is exacerbating the situation. It is therefore necessary that the government puts in place comprehensive measures to curb the vice which infringes on basic human rights and mainly disadvantages women and children.

Bibliography

Kara, Siddharth. Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery. New Delhi: McMillan Publishers, 2010.

Kirkham, George, and Territo, Leornard. International Sex Trafficking of Women & Children: Understanding the Global Epidemic. London: Sage Publications, 2009.

Kunjakkan, KA. Feminism and Indian realities. New Delhi: Thomson Learning, 2002.

Manian, Sabita, and McCabe, Kimberly. Sex trafficking: a global perspective. New York: Cengage Learning, 2010.

Footnotes

¹ Siddharth Kara, Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery, New Delhi: McMillan Publishers, 2010, pp. 90-104.

² Sabita Manian and Kimberly McCabe, Sex trafficking: a global perspective, New York: Cengage Learning, 2010, P. 99.

³ Sabita Manian and Kimberly McCabe, Sex trafficking: a global perspective, New York: Cengage Learning, 2010, P. 99.

⁴ KA Kunjakkan, Feminism and Indian realities, New Delhi: Thomson Learning, 2002, P. 53.

⁵ Sabita Manian and Kimberly McCabe, Sex trafficking: a global perspective, New York: Cengage Learning, 2010, P. 101.

⁶ George Kirkham and Leornard Territo, International Sex Trafficking of Women & Children: Understanding the Global Epidemic. London: Sage Publiocations, 2009, p. 264.