Blog 7

Frances Harper wrote many poems to help the abolitionist movement and end slavery. One of the techniques she uses throughout all of her poems are imagery about the truth of slavery and the cruelty that went along with slavery. Along with the use of incredible imagery in her poems, she also uses emotion to connect with the reader and add to the picture she is painting in your mind. One reason why emotion could be a key element in her poetry at this time is many women/slaves at this time could relate to the thought of their child being taken away from them. By her using emotion she allows the readers at this time to go back and remember what it felt like to lose their child and would feel more sympathetic for her. Also, the imagery she creates could draw in the readers and make them want to help her abolitionist movement. This could particularly work with the Northern women because they were against slavery and by Harper painting pictures and using emotion many women would begin to feel very sympathetic and would want to get the abolitionist movement going and really help the slaves in the South. "The bowed and feeble head, The shuddering of the fragile form, The look of grief and dread?" This line could really effect women or even abolitionist men in the North because the imagery of praying is presented. At this time many people were Christian and were very religious so praying could be relatable no matter where or who you were. "He is not hers, although she bore him" targets the women mother readers of this poem because at this time women stayed at home and took care of the children and by her bringing up the emotion of losing their child could hit a woman in the heart and this could trigger their response to feel sympathy for her and to understand why she wants the abolitionist movement to succeed and to be free. Slaves at this time were not treated like humans and as we discussed in class, children of slaves were immediately taken away from their mothers so that the emotional bond they might have is never there and they had no knowledge. 

Bonus Blog- Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl

Throughout the reading Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl, she constantly uses you or reader to try and relate to you personally and let the reader know that she is trying to speak to you directly. This is clearly shown when she says “ And now reader, I come to a period in my unhappy life, which I would gladly forget if I could.” The way she also speaks to the reader she is trying to make you feel sympathy for her. “It pains me to tell you of it…” or when she says “Pity me and pardon me, O virtuous reader.” She tells you what she is thinking and tells worrisome stories about her thoughts and what is going on in her life so you sympathize for her. I believe her audience was white women particularly from the North because women or just people in general in the South would not sympathize as easily with her because they are slave owners and that is how they are raised. The point where I really realized she was trying to reach out to people so that they would feel bad for her was when she bluntly says “you never knew what it is to be a slave; to be entirely unprotected by law or custom…” She is obviously speaking directly to you at this point almost like you are having a conversation with her in person and she is telling you her story. The way the writing is she could have women feel bad for her because she also talks about having children and how he sends them away so they aren’t near him or his wife. That point of children really targets women because we are most attached to our children so this point also makes the reader feel more bad for her life. There are many different incidents when she says “you” to let you know she is speaking to you directly and telling you her personal story. 

The Quadroons

The beginning appears to be a romantic relationship with Rosalie and Edward and you immediately see that they have an interracial relationship. Edward and Rosalie seemed to be so in love regardless of their race. “The tenderness of Rosalie's conscience required an outward form of marriage; though she well knew that a union with her proscribed race was unrecognized by law, and therefore the ceremony gave her no legal hold of Edward's constancy.”  It continues to say that they spent 10 happy years together making the reader think that he was commited to Rosalie and their daughter Xarifa. At this time African American people both male and female were frowned upon and whether your father was white or not, if you looked African American you were treated like one. Edward is torn between a white woman and an African American woman but after a while his love for Rosalie diminished and he chose the white woman. Throughout the story you see Edward’s love for both women mentally distress him. “Once or twice she heard him murmur, "dear Rosalie," in his sleep” Edward at one point also told Rosalie that their marriage couldn’t be real and I believe that he did marry the white woman because of class. “At that moment he would have given worlds to have disengaged himself from Charlotte; but he had gone so far” The reader can see his distress between the two races when he sees Rosalie with his daughter after his wife made a comment about how beautiful Xarifa was. I feel as if it almost took Rosalie’s death for him to finally realize his love for Xarifa and the family he once had, it’s like she was the only part of Rosalie left that he wanted to hold on to but he never did because of her race. Another person who definitely suffers to find herself between the two races is Xarifa. She has a white father and a slave mother. It didn’t matter to anyone in society that she was half white to everyone she was still looked down upon because she was of African American decent. When she first began growing up in her home she didn’t see the discrimination because she was raised in a loving home by her white father and African American mother. “Xarifa learned no lessons of humility or shame, within her own happy home; for she grew up in the warm atmosphere of father's and mother's love” Unfortunately in the end though she is treated poorly and put up for auction and bought. She never really saw herself like the rest of society did but when her only family was all gone she got treated poorly and the harsh reality of the real world fell upon her. Even Rosalie can be portrayed as being caught between cultures because she loves a white man even though she knows its not acceptable in her society and then he leaves her for a white woman. It almost makes her feel degraded and betrayed. Each character is definitely caught between the culture because of their love for each other regardless of their race. It is sad to see both Rosalie and Xarifa suffer. Especially Xarifa instead of going from a bad life to good she goes from a good life with lots of love to a bad life without her family and sold at a public auction. 

The Tenth of January- Blog 4

In The Tenth of January thanks to the POV the reader is able to get inside of Sene's head and understand her emotions throughout the story. In the beginning the words/emotions used to describe her life show her depression and insecurity with herself and her appearance. “of brutal scowls where smiles should be; of days when she wandered dinnerless and supperless in the streets through loathing of her home; of nights when she sat out in the snow-drifts through terror of her home;” By the harsh words used in this quote it depicts a hard life. She is consistently made fun of through the story also by people who do not know her and judge her just by seeing her. This can relate to things that still go on today because everyone is judged whether they like it or not. Also, as hard as you may try everyone judges other people based on stereotypes that they have created or developed over their lifetime. In the beginning/middle of the story I enjoyed the part where she finds real love with Aseneth. "“What should I have if I did n’t have you?” she said, and caught her breath.The young man paced to the window and back again. The firelight touched her shoulders, and the sad, white scar.

“You shall have me always, Asenath,” he made answer. He took her face within his hands and kissed it; and so they shelled the corn together, and nothing more was said about it." This can relate to the class because we have recently discussed relationships and marriage ethics. It shows that he didn't judge her for what she looked like but tried to find the true beauty that lies within her, which is how a person should truly be judged. It made their relationship seem like it was true love and that they had a partnership instead of him owning her like a possesion. American ethics in marriage is about love, where in other countries it is most likely about hierarchy and the class system. I believe many people should learn that judging people before knowing them does hurt that person and it shows through the thoughts of Sene and how she was effected by all the name calling. She was truly a great girl who was willing to help others. Everyone has been judged in their life, but that doesn't mean they should continue the trend.

"Forget what hurt you in the past, but never forget what it taught you."