Post 8

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