Regarding: The Importance of Slave Narratives and “A Mercy” in Your Schools
Sherman Independent School District Board Members:
Slave narratives as a genre should hold a particularly strong value in American society. As a country that was founded on the success of slavery, it is important that as the cultivators of new minds, the school district should implement several slave narratives, including Toni Morrison’s “A Mercy” into the curriculum.
The narratives will serve not only as an account of history, but as moving and inspiring pieces of literature. Slave narratives can be used in the context of an American history class and it can set the framework for American literature. Learning the slave narrative genre can intensify an understanding of purposeful rhetoric, the advancement of humanity through writing, and the use subtle persuasion through a text.
I highly suggest “A Mercy” a novel by Toni Morrison based on the truths of America during the 1680’s, before slavery had truly began and when America was just in its infancy. “A Mercy” shows the reader a time history tends to neglect, and it shows it in great detail. Through “A Mercy,” our students can see a broad range of people’s responses to slavery in the context of a contemporary novel. Through this literature, students can truly understand the history of slavery in their country.
It is important that students are educated thoroughly in the history of our nation, and this can only be rightfully done so by revealing the truths of slavery. The history of slavery is not enough; we must implement the literature that slavery has produced as well. Without the literature of slave narratives like “A Mercy,” the student cannot have a full understanding of their country or the people who live in it.
Sincerely,
Blythe Ann, Jessica, and Samantha Johnson
Sunday, December 6, 2009
POST 7
When NPR interviewed Toni Morrison about A Mercy, she discussed numerous themes and inspiration that helped her create the novel. Morrison ties the stories of Florens, Sorrow, Rebekka, and Lina together through their Jacob in order to show just how small a world we live in. The main theme (other than mercy, obviously) that Morrison is trying to get across in her novel is the idea that slavery is neither black, nor white. It exists all over the world and effects every race. She does this through the voices of these four women, who represent numerous races: Black, White, Native American... Showing that slavery can (and does) happen to anyone/everyone. Morrison discussed her reasoning behind this narrative strategy in the aforementioned interview with NPR, saying "Every civilization in the world relied on [slavery]," says Morrison. "The notion was that there was a difference between black slaves and white slaves, but there wasn't."
She didn't ever mention this outright in the novel, but it clearly resonates throughout the text. We get to see how taxing slavery can be on a marriage through Rebekka, who realizes even though she is white there are only three options available to her: prostitution, marriage and slavery. Through Florens we get to see the selfless love of a mother (her own, who gave her to Jacob in order to avoid an abusive master), and those are just two of the four women whose stories Morrison tells in A Mercy. Aside from trying to show that slavery is not blind to race, more than anything Morrison is showing that female slaves are always at the 'mercy' of men's decisions; whether it be a white women like Rebekka, or slaves like Lina, Sorrow and Florens, their lives aren't their own.
Sources:
Ulaby, NEDA. "Toni Morrison: A Mother, A Stranger, 'A Mercy'." NPR.ORG. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95961382
She didn't ever mention this outright in the novel, but it clearly resonates throughout the text. We get to see how taxing slavery can be on a marriage through Rebekka, who realizes even though she is white there are only three options available to her: prostitution, marriage and slavery. Through Florens we get to see the selfless love of a mother (her own, who gave her to Jacob in order to avoid an abusive master), and those are just two of the four women whose stories Morrison tells in A Mercy. Aside from trying to show that slavery is not blind to race, more than anything Morrison is showing that female slaves are always at the 'mercy' of men's decisions; whether it be a white women like Rebekka, or slaves like Lina, Sorrow and Florens, their lives aren't their own.
Sources:
Ulaby, NEDA. "Toni Morrison: A Mother, A Stranger, 'A Mercy'." NPR.ORG. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95961382
Monday, November 30, 2009
Post # 5
Slave narratives are personal accounts depicting what it was like to live as a slave. They served as both anti-slavery documents and testimony's for human rights, giving their northern audience pivotal information to fight the pro-slavery arguments of the south. After Emancipation, the purpose of the slave narratives changed to promote social equality instead of freedom. The tradition first appeared from written accounts of African's in Britain (and it's colonies) including, but not limited to, the United States and the Caribbean islands. Slave narratives are part of a larger genre of literature called "Captivity narratives," many of which were published before the American Revolution and written by colonists and settlers in North America who were held captive by Native Americans.
Toni Morrison's A Mercy is not dissimilar to a slave narrative given the period in which it was set, and the fact that some of the characters are in fact slaves. However since it is fiction, it does not receive the same classification as other narratives. A Mercy, and similar novels, are referred to as being "neo-slave narratives," which are defined as being accounts of slavery written in contemporary times. These Neo-Slave Narratives are also defined by the fact that the author relies on both fact and fiction during the creative process, exploring their imaginations, as well as using oral histories and existing slave narratives to tell a new story.
In class we have read both neo-slave narratives and traditional slave narratives, and many similarities can be found with those texts and A Mercy.
In the narrative Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (published in 1861), Harriett Jacobs talks a lot about the importance of motherhood, as well as how detrimental slavery is to the institution of motherhood and a woman's sexual virtues. Most of the narrative focuses on her undying devotion to her children and her yearning for a better life for them, going so far as hiding in a small cramped space to keep her children safe with only a small hole in the roof to watch them from. Morrison's A Mercy primarily focuses on the lives of four women brought together by Jacob as slaves on his farm. Jacob's narrative depicts the lengths a mother will go to in order to keep her children safe, and in Morrison's novel we also get a taste of the selflessness of a slave mother. Much like Jacobs', Florens' mother does not want her child to be exposed to the sexual and physical abuse that often falls upon a female slave from a cruel owner. In Jacob's narrative she discusses the fact that her Master would follow her around, stare at her, and whisper inappropriate things in her ears at a young age. This is what Florens' mother was beginning to noticed with the way her master would make eyes at her daughter, so she gave her away to a stranger to ensure that her daughter would not face the same abuse we are told she experienced. The stranger was Jacob (who shares some similarities with Sawyer, from Jacobs' narrative), whom she offered her daughter to because he valued her "as a human child, not pieces of eight."
Toni Morrison's novel, Beloved and A Mercy (published 11 years after the former novel) paint a similar picture, but go about doing so in very different ways. Both novels are considered neo-slave narratives, and depict how psychologically damaging slavery is on both men and, in particular, women. All four women in A Mercy and particularly Sethe in Beloved suffered tremendously from the institution of slavery. Both novels involve the loss of a child at the will of the mother, whether it be through trade (A Mercy) or death (Beloved).
"The Slave Narrative." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. Web. 30 Nov. 2009..
"Slave Narratives: An Introduction to the Slave Narrative." Documenting the American South homepage. Web. 30 Nov. 2009..
"Slave narratives." PBS. Web. 30 Nov. 2009..
Toni Morrison's A Mercy is not dissimilar to a slave narrative given the period in which it was set, and the fact that some of the characters are in fact slaves. However since it is fiction, it does not receive the same classification as other narratives. A Mercy, and similar novels, are referred to as being "neo-slave narratives," which are defined as being accounts of slavery written in contemporary times. These Neo-Slave Narratives are also defined by the fact that the author relies on both fact and fiction during the creative process, exploring their imaginations, as well as using oral histories and existing slave narratives to tell a new story.
In class we have read both neo-slave narratives and traditional slave narratives, and many similarities can be found with those texts and A Mercy.
In the narrative Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (published in 1861), Harriett Jacobs talks a lot about the importance of motherhood, as well as how detrimental slavery is to the institution of motherhood and a woman's sexual virtues. Most of the narrative focuses on her undying devotion to her children and her yearning for a better life for them, going so far as hiding in a small cramped space to keep her children safe with only a small hole in the roof to watch them from. Morrison's A Mercy primarily focuses on the lives of four women brought together by Jacob as slaves on his farm. Jacob's narrative depicts the lengths a mother will go to in order to keep her children safe, and in Morrison's novel we also get a taste of the selflessness of a slave mother. Much like Jacobs', Florens' mother does not want her child to be exposed to the sexual and physical abuse that often falls upon a female slave from a cruel owner. In Jacob's narrative she discusses the fact that her Master would follow her around, stare at her, and whisper inappropriate things in her ears at a young age. This is what Florens' mother was beginning to noticed with the way her master would make eyes at her daughter, so she gave her away to a stranger to ensure that her daughter would not face the same abuse we are told she experienced. The stranger was Jacob (who shares some similarities with Sawyer, from Jacobs' narrative), whom she offered her daughter to because he valued her "as a human child, not pieces of eight."
Toni Morrison's novel, Beloved and A Mercy (published 11 years after the former novel) paint a similar picture, but go about doing so in very different ways. Both novels are considered neo-slave narratives, and depict how psychologically damaging slavery is on both men and, in particular, women. All four women in A Mercy and particularly Sethe in Beloved suffered tremendously from the institution of slavery. Both novels involve the loss of a child at the will of the mother, whether it be through trade (A Mercy) or death (Beloved).
Works Cited:
"The Slave Narrative." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.
"Slave Narratives: An Introduction to the Slave Narrative." Documenting the American South homepage. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.
"Slave narratives." PBS. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.
Post #6
A Mercy was published in 2008, the year of a historical presidential election.
The year opened with Hillary Clinton running against Barack Obama for the Democratic ticket. Hillary Clinton is the wife of former President Bill Clinton, and they have a daughter together. She was a Senator from New York, and received her B.A. from Wellesley College and graduated law school from Yale. Barack Obama was a Senator from Illinois. He had received his B.A. from Columbia and his law degree from Harvard. He is married with two daughters. Barack Obama won the Democratic ticket, saying in his speech "America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for this country that we love" (CNN). Barack choose Joe Biden, a Democratic Senator from Delaware, as his running mate. They ran against Republican presidential nominee John McCain, a Senator from Arizona, and his running mate, Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska. Barack Obama eventually won the election, becoming the 44th President of the United States and the first African-American President. He had 365 electoral votes, taking the states Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
This election not only featured race but gender. This was the first year that an African-American had a chance at becoming president while the other party would have a female vice-president. Over 14 million more people registered to vote than were previously registered for the 2004 election. Having read both slave narratives and ne0-slave narratives, witnessing the horrors of slavery through the stories (both fiction and historical accounts) it is truly magnificent that after 200 years of prejudice and racism in this nation, the people voted for an African American man to join the ranks of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington as their president, when not too long ago, he wouldn't have been allowed to vote, let alone run.
Works Cited
Biographical directory of the United States Congress. 2003. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.
"EAC releases data from 2008 presidential election U.S. Election Assistance Commission."
Welcome to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.
"Election Center 2008: Candidates - Election & Politics News from CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.
"OBAMA, Barack - Biographical Information." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Post #4
Andrews, William L., Frances Smith Foster, and Trudier Harris, eds. "Toni Morrison." The Concise Oxford Campanion to African American Literature. Oxford African American Studies Center. Web. 19 Nov. 2009.
This article presents the life of Toni Morrison. It begins with her childhood in Lorain, Ohio, and continues through transformative events in her adult life, including marriage and children. The article also briefly describes some of her better-known novels, lectures, and critical writings.
Caesar, Terry Paul. "Slavery and Motherhood in Toni Morrison's 'Beloved'" UNESP. JSTOR. Web. 19 Nov. 2009.
In his examination of motherhood in the novel “Beloved,” Caesar argues that motherhood is a form of slavery and that it is a term that cannot be defined by child or mother when occurring in a slave family. Caesar uses the relationship between Beloved and Sethe, highlighting Sethe’s enslavement to the memories of her daughter and later to Beloved herself. Caesar hoped to show that motherhood had a hard time rising above slavery, especially in consideration of the mother-daughter bond.
Koolish, Linda " 'To Be Loved and Cry Shame': A Psychological Reading of Toni Morrison's Beloved
." MELUS, Vol. 26, No. 4, African American Literature pp. 169-195. Winter, 2001.This article explores the various psychological aspects of Toni Morrison's novel, Beloved. Koolish discusses the impact of the characters inability to hide from their past's any longer, referring to them as "dream-walkers in a state of dissociation and denial..." Furthermore, the article discusses the power of maternal love, the effects of infanticide, as well as the prevalence of what looks most like Multiple Personality Disorder and also Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Wyatt, Jean. "Giving Body to the World: The Maternal Symbolic in Toni Morrison's Beloved" PMLA, Vol. 108, No. 3 pp. 474-488. May 1993.
In her article, Wyatt discusses the power of the maternal bond, and in the case of Morrison's Novel, the power of Sethe's yearning for the maternal closeness she lost when killing her child. Wyatt believes that the character Beloved is not only said to represent Sethe's lost child, but she is also meant to represent the entire history of slavery's effects on women (and mother) in particular. She cites numerous other publications, including Harriet Jacob's narrative in order to solidify her argument concisely.
Post #3
Gates, David. "Original Sins". The New York Times: Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 18 Nov. 2009
In this analysis of “A Mercy,” called “Original Sins,” the writer, David Gates suggests that the mercies of this novel occur when characters have power to harm another being but decide not to for whatever reason. Gates develops his argument by stressing the dominance of some characters over others, how they may abuse this power, or have mercy and spare them. Gates’ purpose in writing this article is to summarize Morrison’s story while accenting the tragedy of having power over another human being.
Gioia, Ted. "Book Review: A Mercy by Toni Morrison". Blog Critics: News Reviews and Opinions. Web. 18 Nov. 2009
Ted Giola wrote his “Book Review: A Mercy by Toni Morrison,” theorizing that if such a family as that in “A Mercy” can survive peacefully together, then there is hope for the rest of the world. Giola supports this theory by observing that each character in this novel is bound by normal human problems and sins, where even the heroes or heroines are prone to evil deeds. Giola wrote this review in order to show a hope for our humanity and compare it to the family of “A Mercy.”
Norris, Michele. "Toni Morrison Finds 'A Mercy' In Servitude". NPR: National Public Radio: News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts: NPR. Web. 18 Nov. 2009
In her article, “Toni Morrison Finds ‘A Mercy,” Michele Norris shows that Morrison wanted to separate race from slavery in her story “A Mercy”. Norris does this by explaining that a black slave’s life was much like an indentured servant’s life and emphasizing the fact that a Native American was slave just like the African American woman. Michele Norris’ purpose in writing her article is to show Morrison’s readers that slavery is not dependant on solely on race.
Simon Smart takes an interesting yet negative stance in regards to Morrison's novel, going so far as to describe the opening lines as being "untrustworthy." He does however shed light on one of the main points Morrison makes in her novel, the fact that anyone and anybody can find themeselves being a slave to people or things. He spends a great deal of time talking about the underlying theological themes in the novel, and in Morrison's works as a whole. Simon gives a somewhat biased, but well thought review that was quite enjoyable.
Updike, John. "Dreamy Wilderness". The New Yorker. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. <http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2008/11/03/081103crob_books_updike>
In John Updike’s analysis “Dreamy Wilderness” subtitled Unmastered women in Colonial Virginia, Updike contends that “A Mercy” is largely the concerning femininity, motherhood, and women mastering themselves and their lives. He supports this claim by emphasizing each women ascent from a bad situation to their generally better life by the end of the book. Hispurpose of writing this article is to underline for the reader the importance of the hardship of womanhood depicted in Morrison’s “A Mercy.”
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Inside the Author: Toni Morrison
Chloe Anthony Wofford, better known as Toni Morrison, was born February 18th in Lorain Ohio in 1931. Her parents relocated to Ohio hoping to escape racism of the South in order to better provide for their children. She was the second of four children in a working-class family, and when she started school she was the only black girl in the class room, and also the only child who knew how to read. Lorain was an interesting town for its time, Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics would all live in the same neighborhoods, in fact Chloe didn't run into any racism until she entered high school and started dating. She graduated from Lorain High School in 1949 and continued her education at Howard University where she received her bachelor’s degree in English and Classics in 1953. She later received her master’s degree from Cornell University in 1955. She then started her career as a teacher in 1955 at Texas Southern University and later leaves to go teach at Howard. Soon, she marries Harold Morrison, a Jamaican architect, and they later have two sons, Harold Ford and Slade Kevin. In 1963 Toni becomes the senior editor at Random House’s New York City. In 1970 her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published and it was then that she started to receive critical acclaim and the reputation as being a powerful and poetic writer of Black America. She went on to publish more than 15 novels, including Beloved and A Mercy. She wrote the lyrics to numerous songs and a play that was never published. Toni has received over 30 awards and nominations in the United States alone, and many overseas the most notable of these awards are the Pullitzer Prize (1988) and The Nobel Prize in Literature (1993).
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