Thursday 10:15-11:45 = Vincent, Ken, Ted, Sharon, Winnie, Carol, Sydney, Rea, Iris, Peggy, Emma
Friday 10:15-11:45 = Tady, Natalie, Meg, Clara, Jane, Jenny, Crystal, Letitia, Esther, Qian Yu, Teresa, Tracy, Viola, Caleigh, Lucille, Alyssa
Friday 3:00-4:00 (office) = Zoe, Sherry, Ting Ju
Reading:
-Equiano's biography from bottom of 355 to bottom of 356
-Equiano's "Interesting Narrative" from top of 357 to middle of 370 ("and a slave!")
-Equiano's "Interesting Narrative" from bottom of 378 ("In the preceding chapter") to bottom of 383 ("until I had left them.")
-Equiano's "Interesting Narrative" from top of 387 to bottom of 390.
-Wheatley's biography on 419-20
-"To the University of Cambridge, in New England" on 421
-"On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield" on 422-23
-"To S.M., a Young African Painter, on Seeing His Works" on 426-27
-"To His Excellency General Washington" on 427-28
-Walker's biography on 752-53
-Walker's "Appeal in Four Articles" on 753-56
Answers... Due at 9:00 a.m. on 11/19 regardless of which session you are attending.
86. (Vincent) If Equiano is not really from Africa (356), why does he claim so in his autobiography? Paraphrase the Norton editors' answer to this question and give at least one alternate answer of your own.
87. (Teresa) If Equiano is not really from Africa, would you call his autobiography "fiction" or "non-fiction"? Then choose a few details from chapters I and II, and explain why he chose to create/embellish/select them.
88. (Tracy) What is the significance of calling Equiano an "Atlantic Rim" author (356) instead of an American, African-American, British, Afro-British, or African author? Why might this designation suit the African-American literary tradition more generally?
89. (Ting Ju) Many critics have likened Equiano's autobiography to Franklin's. Why? And do you agree with them?
90. (Winnie) Compare Wheatley's characterization of Whitefield to Equiano's. You can skip the obvious fact that one is prose and the other is poetry. Also, compare their relative attitude about the United States versus Britain.
91. (Viola) Consider Wheatley's attitude toward Christianity as a "purer language" ("African Painter," line 32). You learn on 420 that she spoke with Occam about this subject, who held a similar view. What would Wheatley say to a black religious separatist who believed, as Pontiac, Tecumseh, Red Jacket, etc. might have, that Christianity was only a language of cultural enslavement to strengthen blacks' physical enslavement?
92. (Zoe) Why does Walker say that white refutations of Jefferson are inadequate (754)? Describe the particular approach or technique of his refutation. Could Wheatley be considered a refuter of Jefferson? Why or why not?
Questions:
This will be an in-class exercise, no need to prepare any before class!
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This is Teresa's answer to question 87.
ReplyDeleteI would call his autobiography “non-fiction.” If Equiano is not really from Africa, it does not mean that what he has experienced is not true. I believe that he does not fabricate all his autobiography, but perhaps he just embellishes or exaggerates some parts of his story to convince the readers. For the second question, I choose a part of first paragraph of chapter I,” I believe it is difficult for those who publish their own memoirs to escape the imputation of vanity….. People generally think those memoirs only worthy to be read or remembered which abound in great striking events, those, in short, which in a high degree excite either admiration or pity; all others they consign to contempt or oblivion. It is therefore, I confess, not a little hazardous in a private and obscure individual, and a stranger too, thus to solicit the indulgent attention of the public, especially when I own I offer here the history of neither a saint, a hero, nor a tyrant. I believe there are few events in my life which have not happened to many; it is true the incidents of it are numerous, and, did I consider myself an European, I might say my sufferings were great; but when I compare my lot with that of most of my countrymen, I regard myself as a particular favorite of heaven, and acknowledge the mercies of Providence in every occurrence of my life. If, then, the following narrative does not appear sufficiently interesting to engage general attention, let my motive be some excuse for its publication." Equiano wants to make his plans entirely clear at the very beginning of his narrative: he intends his narrative to open the world’s eyes to the degradation and inhumanity of slavery.
This is Winnie, and I’m answering question 90.
ReplyDeleteYet since I haven’t quite finished the assigned reading, I’m afraid that I can only answer the first part of the question, which is the comparison of Wheatley’s and Equiano’s characterization of Whitefield. I’m so SORRY about that.
Both Wheatley and Equiano admire Whitefield a lot, and yet the way they portray him is not quite the same. In Wheatley’s On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield, she presents him as a divine figure. This can be seen from the expressions and words she used in the poem. For example, she uses words like “immortal,” “glory,” “eternal,” “sacred,” “divine,” etc., and also she writes lines like “Behold the prophet in his towering flight!” These all build up a sense of greatness—“divine greatness.” Nevertheless, in Equiano’s Interesting Narrative, he chooses to describe a “saint” in everyday life, who sweats a lot and looks just like everyone else; he then expresses his surprise of seeing him like this. But by forming this kind of contrast, Equiano’s made an even stronger impression, I think.
Good morning, this is Ting Ju here to answer Question 89.
ReplyDeleteEquiano and Franklin both sell "dreams" in their autobiographies. They show pretty optimistic and passionate attitudes towards their life. They both have strong desire to improve the presence, and they practice their ideals by themselves. Equiano is an African American that he has to earn his freedom with great effort. Franklin is a person who pursues higher and better cultural quality that he develops many new ideas of his own. Therefore, both Equiano's and Franklin's autobiographies become testimonies of the proverb "God helps those who help themselves."
Still, I find the two autobiographies somewhat different. Since Equiano's is more like stories than real experience. He seems to add some fictional elements into his autobiography, and thus his autobiography is more dramatic and eye-catching than Franklin's. (I'm not saying he didn't experience the events himself, but he may use his old experience to create new one. Maybe it is the way he states his thinking and ideals in such an unfriendly society.) On the other hand, Franklin doesn't need to prove to the public anything, or at least it is not urgent. Therefore, his tone is more a matter of fact, though upbeat still. In his autobiography we get to know what he used to be like, what his idea is, and how he finally achieved it, etc. in many respects - personally, socially, and politically. I think Franklin's autobiography means more "autobiography" than Equiano's.
This is Viola answering question 91.
ReplyDeleteIn my point of view, Wheatley tried to write from the third person aspect as an object viewer to concentrate both Christians and black religious separatists, but with such neutral motivation she lost her neutral identity in choosing side on one of the religion to believe in.
Her points are indeed more powerful with her educated background comparing with Pontiac, Tecumseh and Red Jacket. She had well realization of Christian world and thus understood better the whys and musts of the moves of the superiority, but also was easier to fall into a frame of persuading blacks to forgive and accept. She knew the power of knowledge and take advantage of it, however also had become used by the whites through knowledge’s power, exemplified in p.419 bottom of first paragraph “Wheatley had been examined and thought qualified to write them.” It is prominent she was a soft weapon of Christian society!!
I actually don’t understand Wheatley’s words with Occum, but I get the central idea of hers and Occum’s is “learning.” She might say to the black religious separatists that only by knowing both cultures deeply can one speak for both positions while being objective. By saying so a tricky point reveals: how will one not be affected and stay neutral after learning the relatively formidable Christianity?
Saying that Christianity has a purer language is simply unfair because the other religion compared here has no strong writing and recording system but oracles only, that doesn’t make black religion a comparative language. But it’s true she got her way to preach by raising the blacks’ attention. She stirred up their must to learn Christianity to further debate and defeat on the “purer language” issue.
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ReplyDeleteThis is Tracy to answer the Question 88.
ReplyDeleteI think the significance of Equiano as an “Atlantic Rim” is that according to his biography in the Norton Anthology, apparently most of his life struggled between the American Continent and European Continent since he left his homeland in African Continent. The fact that these three continents all surround the Atlantic Ocean shows that he never had the chance to really identified a land which he can really settle down until he finally did in London. Furthermore, because of his complicated background that he had stayed in several places between American Continent and European Continent for not a very long time, no matter in what position, we cannot easily define him as an American, African American, British, Afro-British, or African author.
And as for this designation of “Atlantic Rim,” I think the designation suits many African American’s diasporas experiences under the arrangement of Old-Imperialism, just like Equiano. Their homeland is actually in Africa, yet by force or some other reason they cannot help but give up their homeland and sailed to America. They all share the similar diasporas in a way, and Euiano’s work vividly depicts such painful experiences so that most African American can identified with him. As a result, I think this designation suits the African-American literary tradition more generally.