Category: Literature

+ "The Only Man on Liberty Street", a different drummer, african american literature, alice walker, american literature, dancers on the shore, Eli Rosenblatt, ernest j gaines, frank yerby, Literature, southern literature, william melvin kelley

William Melvin Kelley’s “The Only Man on Liberty Street” and Children

by Unknown's avatar

I’ve read William Melvin Kelley’s Dem (1967) and A Different Drummer (1962). After reading Eli Rosenblatt’s piece on Kelley in May at Public Books, I decided to dig further into Kelley’s work, beginning with his short story collection Dancers on the Shore (1964). Immediately, two stories stuck out to me from the collection, “The Only Man on Liberty Street” and “The Servant Problem.” Over … Read More William Melvin Kelley’s “The Only Man on Liberty Street” and Children

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+ african american literature, american literature, early american literature, enslaved, frederick douglass, Literature, louisiana literature, slave narrative, slavery, solomon northup, southern literature, the slave's narrative, thomas jefferson, twelve years a slave, william cowper

The Transmission of Racist Thought in Solomon Northup’s “Twelve Years a Slave”

by Unknown's avatar

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post entitled “Why can’t we just move on? The past is the past.” In that post, I examine how Thomas Jefferson, David Walker, and Solomon Northup all argue that it is nurture, not nature, that produces within us thoughts of discrimination. I wrote about Northup’s descriptions of William Ford and Edwin Epps’ son in that post, … Read More The Transmission of Racist Thought in Solomon Northup’s “Twelve Years a Slave”

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+ african american literature, american literature, dark sousveillance, discipline and punish, early american literature, enslaved, Literature, louisiana literature, michel foucault, panopticon, simone browne, slave narrative, slavery, solomon northup, southern literature, the slave's narrative, twelve years a slave

Surveillance and “Dark Sousveillance” in Solomon Northup

by Unknown's avatar

In various posts, I ave written about surveillance in African American literature and music in the works of Ernest J. Gaines, Lecrae, and Arna Bontemps. Drawing upon Jeremy Bentham’s “Panopticon,” Michel Foucault argues that individuals, in various settings, experience surveillance whether they know it or not. As well, that surveillance creates within the subject a feeling of policing him or herself, thus becoming both … Read More Surveillance and “Dark Sousveillance” in Solomon Northup

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+ african american literature, american literature, early american literature, enslaved, Literature, louisiana literature, slave narrative, slavery, solomon northup, southern literature, the slave's narrative, twelve years a slave

The Juxtaposition of Beauty and Brutality in Solomon Northup’s Twelve Years a Slave

by Unknown's avatar

During an interview with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Steve McQueen commented on the juxtaposition between beauty and horror in his film adaptation of Twelve Years a Slave (2013). I have written about this before in regards to the scene where Tibeats attempts to lynch Nortup. Today, I want to expand upon that discussion some more, especially after recently rereading Northup’s narrative. This time around, … Read More The Juxtaposition of Beauty and Brutality in Solomon Northup’s Twelve Years a Slave

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+ african american literature, american literature, an appeal to the colored citizens of the world, andy mineo, david walker, early american literature, enslaved, Literature, louisiana literature, notes on the state of virginia, slave narrative, slavery, solomon northup, southern literature, thomas jefferson, twelve years a slave, william ford

“Why can’t we just move on? The past is the past.”

by Unknown's avatar

My own people owned people, but they don’t own that They say racism’s dead, man our President is black Two terms in the White House, that don’t mean jack If we still believe our present ain’t affected by our past–Andy Mineo “Uncomfortable” One question I hear over and over again when I speak or write about the history of racism, subjugation, and oppression in … Read More “Why can’t we just move on? The past is the past.”

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