Unit 4 - Themes of African American Literature PDF

Preview

Summary

Examines major themes that followed African American literature throughout its history. "With slavery comes the concepts of the
mulatto and marriage, crime and violence, gender, and education. The themes hardly change
over time, and are still issues alive today."...

Description

Themes of African American Literature

Though African American Literature has developed greatly over time, there are themes and motifs that are inescapable. Modern artists cannot forget or ignore the past, nor the origins of the art they are creating. After having touched every corner of art, creating in all genres and styles, the African American artists began to experiment with modern portrayals of traditional themes. The “new negro” had new issues to deal with, but they all came back to the single most important part of black history: slavery. With slavery comes the concepts of the mulatto and marriage, crime and violence, gender, and education. The themes hardly change over time, and are still issues alive today. The mulatto has been a consistent archetype in black literature and film. The idea of miscegenation is one that many struggle with -- a state between two cultures. One of the first depictions of this is seen in Victor Sejour’s 1837 fiction tale  entitled The Mulatto. This story details the struggle of the an illegitimate son of his slave mother’s owner. All goes awry when the son, Georges, goes to kill his slave owner, not realizing it is his own father. At the last moment, as he is swinging the axe for the kill, he discovers the truth. It is an ironic tragedy, and one that will be mimicked for years to come. In the film Within Our Gates , directed by Oscar Micheaux, another tragic mulatto tale is told. The protagonist, Sylvia, escapes an attempted rape once a scar on her chest is revealed. Her true white father, whom she had never known, recognized her by the scar and proceeded to let her go. Two similar stories, told nearly a century apart from each other, show how the mulatto’s story is an important one. They show violence and hatred between two races that have mixed together for decades, and

the race of people that are stuck in limbo between the two. While both are powerful fiction stories, the ability for filmmaker Micheaux to actually show the violence rather than just describe it has incredible potential. Viewers may feel more sympathy for the modern tale when they can watch it come to life. The tragic mulatto character is one of the many controversial topics discussed in black art, also including the role of gender within the races. Black women have been discriminated against for both race and gender for centuries. Black female artists maintain a unique view of the world and how they are treated. The literature brings many of those issue to light, in writing and in film. Early writings were often censored as to not include sex and sexual assault; the idea is either implied or ignored entirely. For example, Harriet Jacob’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl discusses women enslaved 



being treated as object, without actually mentioning sex or rape, “When  he told me that I was made for his use, made to obey his command in every thing; 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.” Conversely, the film Within our Gates as well as Scar of Shame written by David Starkman directly portray violence against women. With silent films, it is hard to imply or gloss over things; you must show concretely what is going on. It is also clear that director Micheaux did not what to omit the true struggles of womanhood. He shows woman being beaten, as does Starkman, and nearly raped. As time progressed, women’s roles evolved. Although they were still largely regarded as inferior, one cannot deny the progress. The fight for women’s suffrage brought feminism more attention and acceptance during the same time that Within Our Gates and Scar of Shame were filmed and release, which might have had an impact on both how the movies were made and how they were reacted to. Sex and gender

have both come a long way within literature and in reality. A similar instance of this kind of progress can be seen between different classes. Most writings from early African American Literature were in the form of slave narratives. These stories detailed the lives of the poorest and most unfortunate slaves in many respects. Being in forced labor meant no room for social movement, and certainly no ways for blacks to be seen in different classes. However, more modern black art depicted blacks in wealthy positions and blacks serving blacks. For example, Scar of Shame shows black maids working for other black people. In Within Our Gates, we see black people living as doctors as well as teachers, unemployed and making their money illegally. Blacks in different social groups was a new concept during this time, as was black on black crime. In most stories, there is a protagonist and an antagonist. The white villain has been a common archetype throughout black history. Novels such as Twelve Years a Slave written by Solomon Northup tells the tale of evil white tricksters that force him into slavery and treat him terribly. This story is truthful and is brutally honest. The white villain can also be seen in the poetry of Claude McKay. To the White Friends harshly calls out the violence seen between the races. There is a clear divide made, reiterated once again in his two poems Africa and America. But, as African Americans rose the social ladder and began living together among themselves, experiencing equality and liberation, they also began to take advantage of each other. In the riveting story A City of Refuge , set in the heart of Harlem, readers get a vivid look into the life of black-on-black crime. This is one of the first times we see this kind of humor and honesty in Harlem writings, depicting it as not a perfect utopia, but a lively place full of both culture and crime. The same goes for the film Scar of Shame , where we see

black on black violence. The difference in the solidarity of the race and how they discuss crime is an important shift in tradition. Communicating all of these themes could not be possible without the advancement of education. Education has been a desire among African Americans the moment that right was taken away from them. Education as an entity did not change, but the way people talk about education did not. Booker  T. Washington, a leading activist in the Reconstruction era, wrote his autobiography Up From Slavery. He writes, “From the time that I can remember having any thoughts about anything, I recall that I had an intense longing to learn to read.” Decades later, the film Within Our Gates show the exact same thirst for education that Washington discussed. We see a poor father going to Piney Woods to beg for his children’s acceptance into his school. Sylvia establishes the cycle of poverty and education, a radical idea for her time. She notes that the black children who will not receive a solid education, will also not acquire a solid job, and will continue a life in poverty. This cycle was established, continued for generations, and is still alive today. Themes and motifs within African American literature has remained reflective of slavery and the original struggles of the black race. From slave narratives to modern films, the elements of creations evolved but did not disappear....