Blog #7: "He is not hers, although she bore him"

I chose to analyze Frances’s E. W. Harper’s The Slave Mother. I used the sound and sense element of poetry in my analysis. To me this poem does two things that made me think of it from a sound and sense standpoint. The first is that the language and word choice makes you feel like you can actually hear the cries of despair coming from the mother and child. Secondly, the poem’s use of end-rhymes creates a comparison between the second and fourth lines. This poem is not like Fredrick Douglass’s slave narrative as Harper is not describing the physical means of torture the slaves went through, but more of the psychosocial pain the mother and child went through in these separations. I believe Harper does this to fill in the gap between the reader and listener to make it more dramatic. I also think that Harper chose to give the mother moments of crying, “shrieking,” “shuddering,” and “pains” to show readers that slave women experienced the same emotions as white women. In a way I think that Harper was trying to put white and black women on the same playing field to emphasis that both have human emotions and are humans not property or un-human. The end-rhyming patterns such as “air and despair,” “pains and veins,” and “apart and heart” rhyme so that Harper could create a sense of unity between the reader and author. White women back then couldn’t relate to bearing a child that wasn’t actually theirs so Harper rhymes these words to create a connection. “He is not hers, for cruel hands/May rudely tear apart/The only wreath of household love/That binds her breaking heart” is a stanza that can be an example of this “gap” between the reader and narrator. Women could relate to having children and knew that they meant everything to their mothers and families. Harper explains that the taking and separation of children from their mothers was like taking away “the only wreath of household love.” The love of a child was the only thing most slave women cherished, but once they were taken their hearts, “[broke] in despair.” Again Harper is trying to humanize the slave mother and put on the same level as the reader to emphasis the pain and suffering she goes through in the separation her child. “he is not hers, although her blood/Is coursing through his veins.”

Blog #6 Gender Roles Take Hold

In Harriet Jacobs’s story, Incidents in the life of A Slave Girl, there is definite and clear characters that represent how the slavery system affected society. The characters I wish to explore are Dr. Flint, Aunt Martha, and Linda Brent. Dr. Flint is represented as the real life master of Linda Brent (aka Harriet Jacobs). He depicts the cruel, hypocritical, and conniving character who never feels guilt, self-doubt, or sympathy for his actions. He is given absolute power by the slave system and shows his lust for power, brutality, and moral corruption caused by the system. I feel as though Jacobs is displaying Dr. Flint in a way that makes men/masters seem like monsters and almost demons. She reflects on how slavery destroys mortality, and even the nicest of men can fall victim to this corruption. Mr. Sands, for example, has intention at the beginning to free Linda’s children, but once he becomes financially in trouble he betrays her and declines his promise. This once again reinforces the concept of feminism and how women are suppressed and depend on the patriarchal figure to support them. On the other hand, Aunt Martha represents the religious, domestic, and patient women Jacobs looked up to for support in her life. Aunt Martha represents the ideals of womanhood, femininity, and lives for her home and keeping the family together. She shows how women can be strong on their own and not resort to the male figure for guidance and support. However, I feel that Linda’s dream of creating a real home for her and her children are not possible because of this battle of the sexes. Women back then we considered to be housewives by nature, but black women couldn’t even live with their children. Not only do we see issues with gender, but also race and class. Another way that the male figure dominates over the female is that of stripping the woman of her humanity. Slaves were sometimes forced to sleep with their masters and were torn apart from their families. They were denied basic human rights and protection. Linda was stripped mostly psychologically as she was forced to live in an attic for years to be “free.” Even in this “safe” place she was falling victim to physical and mental issues. She was slowly losing her ability to walk, but she created this “freedom” in her head that was this attic. I feel like this shows how powerful the male/master was at this time. To make a woman hide out in an attic for so many years displays tons of influence and oppression.

Blog #5: Apess and Sigourney

“Now I ask if degradation has not been heaped long enough upon the Indians?”  During the 18th and 19^th century discrimination and prejudice was shown towards the Indians. The whites tried to take away their rights and most didn’t even recognize these rights. This caused authors like William Apess and Lydia Sigourney to speak and act out about the suppression of these Indians. In both of their stories and poems I recalled a central theme of sympathy on behalf of social injustice. Apress’s story An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man, discusses how Indians are treated unequally to the “white man.” He goes through and quotes bible verses that defend his argument as to how God tells us to “love one another.” He quotes 1 John 4:20 that says, “If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.” Throughout the whole story Apess constantly questions readers to examine how if God loves all his children why don’t his children love one another just as He does. He goes on to continue to say that Jesus Christ and the Apostles never gave any regard to skin, color, or nation in which people come from and that if they knew Jesus personally, who didn’t condemn men, then who are these white men to oppress the Indians. Apress concludes his story by stating that “man was created for society, and not for hissing-stocks and outcasts.” In other words God created man to live among each other in peace, harmony, and unity, but there is separation of whites and Indians. These ideas tie into Sigourney’s poem, Indian Names, through description of how the Indians founded the land and how these other men are driving them out. Sigourney says that although they have been removed from their lands, their presence, names, and influence still lives in the lands. The land hasn't forgotten who settled it originally. It is impossible to completely wipe the Indians away, no matter how hard some may try, and some have tried hard and brutally. Heaven will listen in the appeal for justice in their afterlife, and certain people will be sorry for taking their father's lands away from them. Their souls are tied to the land, and vice-versa, and they call out to each other. Their memory will always linger in our paths. “Their memory liveth on your hills.”

Blog #4: The Tenth of January

First of all I found this story very upsetting and depressing. The sad thing is I feel as though this story depicts life in a real more dramatic way as it deals with social injustice. I want to talk about the plot of the story, even though plot may seem boring, I found it interesting as it was a roller coaster of a story. It begins with almost a background of the main character, Asenath Martyn, and right off the bat I noticed foreshadowing in the fifth paragraph. It says, “The best thing about one’s grave is that it will be level” (Phelps 1). It foreshadows the way she dies at the end under the ruble in the fire, she is lying down, I imagine, and level with the earth. The story begins somber and dreary as the narrator explains the abuse of Asenath’s mother, but then picks up as Asenath and Richard’s love begins to form. Then right as you feel giddy and happy for Asenath you read that Richard and Asenath’s friend, Del Ivory, are in real love. Richard is merely marrying Asenath because he feels sorry for her, and thinks no one else with marry her so he should out of pity and kindness. Then Asenath sees Richard and Del in the park and over hears their conversation oh Richard is only marrying Del because he feels sorry for her, and that he truly loves Del. Asenath wishes and looks at the way Dick looks at Del and longs for him to look at her in the same way. Then time passes and instead of breaking up or leaving Dick, Asenath stay with him. Time passes and we are returned to a day in the factory where Asenath and Del work. Tragedy hits as a fire burns the building to the ground claiming the life of Asenath. I found this part very depressing and dreadful as I read this all I could was picture it as a movie as it was so dramatic and ironic. It also reminded me that beauty means many things, there are physically beautiful people and there are beautiful spirits and personalities. I found Asenath to have a beautiful personality and spirit and I wish she had lived in the end to prove a point that looks aren’t everything.