Tales of harrowing journeys from the enslavement of the South to the freedom of the North Detailed records of physical and mental oppression They serve as historical documents that provide eyewitness accounts of slavery ID: 649677
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Slide1
Slave NarrativesSlide2
Firsthand accounts written or recounted by slaves.
Tales of harrowing journeys from the enslavement of the South to the freedom of the North
Detailed records of physical and mental oppressionThey serve as historical documents that provide eyewitness accounts of slaveryThey give a voice to the disenfranchisedThey constitute the beginning of the African-American contribution to literature
Characteristics & ImportanceSlide3
Began in the Abolitionist movement:
Speeches to educate people of conditions
Anti-slavery publications such as journals and newspapersAdvocacy of public policiesWPA: The Works Progress Administration of the 1930s (this is way after the period we are currently studying)The Federal Writer’s Project employed writers to interview former slaves and their descendants. These are documented in a large collection:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/
OriginsSlide4
God knows Missus, glad to
yeddy
dat! Picture in Washington! You mean bout my
fadder
? Been in duh -
lemme
see now kin I remember - 'casionally he would drink a little 'sumpting. Gone to town. Come back. Drink. Bring Jug from town. Drop 'em. Broke 'em. To disencourage him from doing that again - (boss man lowing nobody to whip my fadder thout he do it!) - overseer, them men give my fadder a piece of the broke Jug (every time he share out rations) to disencourage him bout drink. Thought that a great way to broke him off. And he do so. Fadder have the three brudder - Daniel, Summer and Define
Ben HorrySlide5
African-American writers and politicians continue(d) to influence artists today:
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Invisible ManBelovedThe Confessions of Nat TurnerLegacySlide6
Recounts a critical episode in his life as a slave
Asks the universal question
What makes a man free: his mind or body?Depicts the brutality of slavery and those who ruled as well as his reactions to these conditionsfrom The Narrative of the Life of Frederick DouglassSlide7
Writer’s Choice of Words
Diction (Style)
monosyllabic
one syllable in length
polysyllabic
more than one syllable in length (the higher ratio of polysyllabic words, the more difficult the content
colloquialslanginformalconversationalformal
literary
old-fashioned
words dated according to time period
denotative
containing an exact meaning (dress)
connotative
containing a suggested meaning (gown)
concrete
specific
abstract
general or conceptual
euphonious
pleasant sounding (languid, murmur)
cacophonous
harsh sounding (raucous, croak)Slide8
Word choice helps to convey tone, theme, and purpose.
The assiduous plebian perspired under the sweltering orb.
The busy worker sweated under the hot sun. DictionSlide9
Often writers use a variety of methods to convey purpose:
Narration
DescriptionExpositionPersuasionDouglas uses each of these techniques to convey theme or purpose
Author’s PurposeSlide10
Go to the following website and access one narrative:
http
://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/wpa/wpahome.htmlWrite a one-page response (hand-written) as to why it is important. Be sure to specifically reference the narrative. Homework