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-Norton headnotes, bottom 1263-66 (the timeline on 1267-69 is also 看头)
-Lincoln biography, "Gettysburg Address," and "Second Inaugural" (732-36)
-Chesnutt, "The Wife of His Youth" (1638-48)
-Dunbar biography, "When Malindy Sings," "Antebellum Sermon," "Sympathy," "We Wear the Mask," "Frederick Douglass" (1817-24)
Questions:
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Natalie, Tady, Sherry, Rea, Peggy, Iris, Emma
Answers:
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Qian Yu 100. How does Lincoln's explanation of the Civil War evolve from the "Gettysburg Address" to the "Second Inaugural Address"? I mean not only the types of arguments he makes, but the kind of language he uses.
Joy 101. I cancelled the reading of Martin Delany's Political Destiny of the Colored Race because it's kind of boring but I can summarize it for you - Delany was a separatist who believed the best course for African-Americans was to emigrate from the U.S., either "back to Africa" or to the black-controlled island of Haiti. Despite his story about "The Heroic Slave" who leads an escape to the Caribbean, Frederick Douglass committed his career to improving the situation of blacks in the U.S. by trying to radicalize American politics in the spirit of the "Declaration of Independence." I want you to write a dialogue between Delany and Frederick Douglass, in other words between the separatist/emigrationist position and the assimiliationist/reform position.
Crystal 102. Should we group Dunbar and Chesnutt with the "local color" or "regional realism" genres discussed on Norton 1263-65. Why or why not?
Clara 103. Compare the scene of reunion with friends or family that you see in various African-American authors we've read (e.g. Equiano pg. 361) to the reunion between Mr. Ryder and "The Wife of His Youth." Why do you think this kind of scene is so common in African-American literature before 1875? How does Chesnutt modify it for new meaning in 1898?
Carol 104. A famous American author and literary critic named William Dean Howells wrote the editor's introduction to Lyrics of Lowly Life. Howells said that Dunbar's poems in"literary English" were "more than very good" but that "several [other] people might have written them," whereas the poems in African-American dialect were "distinctively his contribution to the body of American poetry" and that "[no] one else could quite have written [them]." Do you agree with Howells that the dialect poems are better? Why or why not?
Vincent 105. Analyze the poetic meter of "Malindy." I know we haven't practiced this much, so just try your best to count the stressed and unstressed sounds. Then discuss the contrast the poem makes between a technical approach to singing ("lines and dots" - 18) and a spiritual approach to singing ("real melojious music" - 21). Which of the two do you think "Malindy" itself is?
Zoe 106. Why does the preacher of Dunbar's "Antebellum Sermon" insist that he "ain't talkin' bout today," and that the type of freedom he refers to is only "Bibleistic"? Then suppose that it's Dunbar himself making those disclaimers - how would that change the meaning of the poem? How would it help better explain line 87?
Additional Note:
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I forgot to address question 93 in the last class. Apologies! Alyssa gave a very good answer in her blog post. She said that Douglass would consider slave spirituals like "Moses" and "Sweet Chariot" to be a form of political resistance, likening the condition of the biblical jews in Egypt to that of the blacks in the 1800's United States. Note however that Douglass never discussed this in his books or speeches... you may consider that he is preserving the secrecy of the 'code.' Alyssa also theorized that Jefferson might link Moses to U.S. independence... yes, this was often done in fact with General/President George Washington! However, I think Jefferson would never have considered that the 'stupid' slaves would be capable of forming such a political metaphor themselves. ~ Jane also posted a very difficult about American identity that I would prefer to
*New* - Pictures from the "Underground Railroad" Museum in Cincinnati:
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Because her wayward son is in Taiwan, 我媽媽 went to visit the family of 我堂姐 for the Thanksgiving holiday. She lives in Cincinnati, which is a city in the state of Ohio that borders across the Ohio River with the state of Kentucky. The relevance to our course is that this was the most common crossing for fugitive slaves from the 南 U.S. to the 北 U.S. This is where the fictional slaves in Uncle Tom's Cabin cross, for example. Nowadays there is a museum on this site to document the history of slavery, particularly the "Underground Railroad," which was the secret network of blacks and white anti-slavery collaborators that helped the fugitives escape. So I asked 媽媽 to take some photos for you. Click the numbers to view... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
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ReplyDeleteA little reflection on the "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" music links :D
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that my eyes watered when I heard the Kathleen Battle & Harlem Boys Choir version (and of course I voted for it HA). The half major half minor melody performed by the orchestra with a bit of Blues feel was just tremendously touching, especially when you consider the suffering, discrimination, and oppression of all those black slavery throughout the period of racial history. It's like they're singing the long-enduring suffer and pains of their people. I would say this version is as heart-felt as if the musical version of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech "I Have a Dream."
But if we take the background of that period into account, I think the original version would be more similar to the Grateful Dead version (Country music ROCKS!!). Also, the version sung by the British football fans was strickening! To see more than 10 thousand people in the huge stadium singing the same encouraging melody to pump up the morale, it musta been AWESOME at the scene.
Ted's commentary reminds me to tell you... I know almost nothing about music. So if anyone wants to make further analysis here on a musical basis (like "half major, half minor"), I encourage you to do so!
ReplyDeleteThis is Carol answering question 104:
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with the idea of dialect pieces better than poems written in “literary English”; nor do I think William Dean Howells was comparing the two forms of writings. First of all, the two different forms of writings, in my opinion, are simply a diversity of the poet’s production, without a comparative better or worse. Moreover, to compare the dialect pieces and standard English seems to again, drawn back to the debate of “racial problem.” Can African-American also write well? Can dialect possibly compose great masterpiece? And how much can this “negro’s limitation” extend? However, we must admit writings of standard English are more common and easily understood so that it might fall into a plain one. As for dialect pieces, Dunbar was the pioneer—“what I mean is that several people might have written [literary English] I but I do not know any one else at present who could quite have written the dialect pieces (Howell).” And it was because of Dunbar’s ability to “[study] the moods and traits of his race in its own accent of our English (Howell)” that Howell paid so much respect to this “distinguished him” and his “dialect pieces”.
This is Peggy’s question. I wonder what regional-dialect story is that the Norton editor mentioned in Chesnutt’s biography. Did he write a story with African-American’s dialect? As a writer who always presented the problem about “race,” did this style of writing cause any effect in his works? Even though Norton editor indicated that “The Wife of His Youth” is a collection of non-dialect stories, I noticed that there was some grammar and spelling which I am not familiar with in the conversation. Is that also a dialect?
ReplyDeleteThis is Natalie's questions. First, in Chesnutt's "The Wife of His Youth", does the color 'blue ' in "Blue Veins" have any special meaning/metaphor? (e.g. maybe the color 'blue' refers to the music style of the black?) Second, in Chesnutt's "The Wife of His Youth", why does Chesnutt keep portraying that Mr.Ryder is not a racist? Can't the author leave some 'space'for readers to find out whether Mr.ryder is a racist or not? (I ask this question is because I think the more you proclaim you are not 'something', the more you ARE 'something'.@@)
ReplyDeleteSorry for my poor ability and sensibility toward the poetic meter. I just try to give my best answer to question 105. While I don't think this poem follow the traditional poetic meter in English poems, I feel that it create his own stylized manner of meter. The length of each lines and the fixed numbers of lines in each stanza make the poem in steady order and develope fluently. Although I consider the poem doesn't promote the technical approach to singing, I don't think the author claims to fully get rid of it. The narrator of the poem devotes his ardor and strives to persuade people of Malindy's adorable nature of spiritual approach to singing throughout the poem, but his exertion fails, the fiction character of Malindy's exploded, and the harmony falls into discord at last. So I think Dunbar embraces the possibility and creativity of innovation and reformation, not the radical subversion of traditional frame of writing.
ReplyDeleteIt’s Rea to give my question.
ReplyDeleteI would like to know something more about the “realism.” Dose it mean the intention to discuss and urging people pay attention to the practical and “real” problems in society? Or the “realism” here (in the headnotes) is a concept that features the literature of that age? Perhaps I should rephrase my question to make it clearer: in the headnotes, dose the word “realism” refer to nothing more than “being practical”, or it is also a feature containing some deeper meaning in the literature during that time?
Reading Dunbar’s poems, we find he can write in standard English while sometimes he renders the authentic voice of black speaker. I’m wondering if his use of dialect more popular at his time due to its ‘newness’?
ReplyDeleteMoreover, how do the white readers regard this kind of writings? Is it viewed as a slave dialect since African is nearly equal to slave at that time? And how may his own people look upon his works?
Last, I noticed the biography mentions that Dunbar was criticized in the 1920s by Harlem Renaissance leaders who saw him as catering to a white audience with “colorful” black folk elements and dialect. I’d like to ask if it had something to do with the difference of social classes between Dunbar, who appeared to be the new black middle class, and the general black people of the lower class?
※ Here is a website that offers MP3 Reading of the poem When Malindy Sings in both dialect and near-standard English.
http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net/whenmalindysings.html
This is Clara answering the question 103.
ReplyDeleteBefore Civil War, a lot of Africans were commonly traded to America as slaves. They were forced to apart from their family and friends, but the reunion was in the distant future since human right was also derived in America. Even though the reunion did happen, the most of results was being separated again. This scene can project how slavery violated the humanity and highly motivate people’s sympathy. For instance, Equiano, who expected to write for the voiceless and suffered Africans describing his heartbreaking reunion with his sister in one night but forced to part in the morning.
In the end year of Civil War,1865,the Thirteenth Amendment officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude. In 1875, the United Stated Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in public accommodation and jury duty. The position of African slave slightly got better. In Chesnutt’s “The Wife of his Youth”, an escaping slave can acknowledge his past when he has gain the position in a society. Chesnutt seems to proclaim the new, bright situation of slaves that the reunion is possible and the upward free slave shouldn’t forget their past but honor and cherish it.
Here is my question:
ReplyDeleteNative American writers and African American writers’ works reveal the racial problems and try to make white men aware their condemnation. However, I would like to know what kind of influence caused by their writing in Native and African American society? Did they hasten or enhance the conflict between colored and white people? In other words, what role did they play in their own community and the society at that time?
In “Gettysburg Address”, Lincoln emphasizes human equality. Also he says that Civil War is for “a new birth of freedom” and to protect the “government of the people, by the people, for the people” from perish from the earth. In “Gettysburg Address”, Lincoln repeats the word “we” again and again to remind the audience that you and I are in the same boat. The goal of us is the triumph of the Civil War and realizing human equality. This address is brief, but the tone is passionate and strong.
ReplyDeleteIn “Second Inaugural Address”, unlike in “Gettysburg Address” encouraging and praising the Civil War as the essential which can save slaves from inequality, Lincoln tries to remind the audience that both North and South should take the responsibility for the Civil War. Though he says that all know the interest of colored slavery is the cause of the war, he still insists that those careerists who “would make war rather than make the nation survive” are the main reasons cause the war. Though the North wins the war, Lincoln does not blame the South harshly. He tries to make both sides introspect the evil of war and slavery. Unlike “Gettysburg Address”, the tone of “Second Inaugural” is less passionate but full of introspection.
This is Sherry asking question after reading “The Wife of His Youth” by Chesnutt.
ReplyDeleteFrom Mr. Ryder’s words “…The [black] would welcome us, but it would be for us a backward step” on page 1642, readers could see that he does not view the connection with black people as very pleasant or beneficial. Such attitude would make his later acknowledging his slave wife more dramatic and touching. However, I am curious about the writer’s plot arrangements. Why should he makes Mr. Ryder reveal the story (in third person narrative!) to all guests and ask for their opinions before acknowledging the woman rather than allowing the man to make the decision and take action on independently?
This is Crystal, answering the question no.102.
ReplyDeleteI think that the answer is “yes”, because both Dunbar and Chesnutt interpret and reveal the authentic voice of their own people. Just like the delegates or presenter of their race, the stand out and speak for black people. For instance, Chesnutt depicted his stance in his “The Wife of His Youth,” implying the importance of remembering the collective past while chasing after high-ranked social status. As for Dunbar, he preserves and demonstrates the original and authentic voice of his language in his poems while he conveying the genuine affection of his people. By means of reading their works, the readers could not only immerse themselves in the authors’ nostalgic emotions, but gain a deeper understanding about their inner world.
This is Zoe to answer question 106.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I have to admit I had many difficulties reading Dunbar’s “An Ante-Bellum Sermon”. The language is quite difficult to understand and it’s hard to find a translation to it. And I am unfamiliar with the story of Moses and the Bible.
The only possible answer I can give is that the preacher says in the poem, “Dat I’m talkin’ ‘bout ouah freedom In a Bibleistc way”. I think it is suggesting that they have the right to freedom as it is in the story of Moses. In referring to the Bible, the trustworthy beliefs of the whites, make readers come to the feeling that the slavery sufferings are somewhat reoccurring the heroic history of Moses. The preacher is telling his audience that “de Moses is a-comin’,” it is a metaphor that someone will soon lead the slavery toward freedom.
However, if Duncan addresses himself as the speaker and interpreter of this Sermon, it makes me feel that he is thinking he is metaphorically “Moses” himself. If so, Duncan is making aware that he shall free slavery and lead them to see the city and become a citizen of freedom. In this way, line 87 would become a shouting declare to the audience.