African American Literature
I know why the caged bird writes long, spirited appeals to an indifferent government.
- Course Length: 18 weeks
- Course Type: Elective
- Category:
- English
- Literature
- High School
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In the 17th century, Black slaves weren't allowed to read, write, or educate themselves. And yet they found ways—through song, through spoken storytelling, and finally, through clandestine learning (gasp)—to record the experiences and stories that white landowners were more than happy to sweep under the rug.
And by "rug" we mean "assorted moral justifications for human bondage."
Over time—past the end of slavery, past the failures of Reconstruction, and through the Civil Rights Era—the work and artistry of Black writers grew, calling for accountability on the part of a government that thought "Separate but Equal" was a good enough compromise. It drew attention to the realities of racialized violence that mainstream media felt content to ignore, probably in favor of ads for new toasters or whatever else was in vogue at the turn of the 20th century.
This isn't to say that African American Literature has been all activism, all the time. Take the Harlem Renaissance, for instance, which was one part activism, three parts Black Pride, four parts artistic innovation, and alllll jazz. The HR changed the face of American music and culture through the blues and jazz, and through literature imbued with the spirit of the blues and jazz (Langston Hughes, anyone?).
In this semester-long survey of African American literature, we'll
- examine the historical context of African American poetry and prose from the 17th century to the present day.
- explore the ways in which Black writers differed in approach and even ideology, while still being dedicated to a common goal (i.e. improving conditions for Black people in America…obviously).
- analyze particular works of literature for their use of figurative language and rhetorical strategies, and their development of recurring themes and an authorial voice.
Feeling jazzed for some great literature? Why, that's exactly the right attitude—for more reasons than one.
Unit Breakdown
1 The Oral Tradition: Something to Talk About
The oral tradition: nine out of ten dentists recommend it. Wait, let's try that again. The oral tradition: when storytellers use speech and song to preserve their community's history and culture, and pass these down from generation to generation. The oral tradition is the root (lol) of all great literature—and it's where we're kicking off this course. Ten out of ten Shmoops recommend.
2 The Bid, the Bad, and the Ugly
Everyone has a working notion of why slavery is one of the ultimate nopes. Heck, it's a nope that contains a multitude of other nopes—like murder. And rape. And bonkers economic logic. But we can't fully appreciate how truly heinous American slavery was without reading and exploring the words of slaves and former slaves themselves—from Frederick Douglass to Harriet Jacobs to Olaudah Equiano. They won't be easy reads, but we can't think of a better way to stick it to the slaveholders of old.
3 Under (Re)construction
Shockingly, the end of slavery didn't fix racism. Sure, the Reconstruction Era was an improvement, but being able to vote (if you were a Black man, anyway) didn't feel like a huge win when mass lynchings are still a thing. Some Black writers were doubtful if Black people would ever find equality in a mainstream, white-dominated America, and advocated for either separatism or keeping one's head down and just trucking along. Others weren't about that noise—they wanted accountability from their country. And until their country would advocate for them, they would keep advocating for themselves through every literary genre imaginable.
4 If You Can't Beat Em, Harlem
Much of this course has been a literary foray into the ugliest side of American history—from mass violence to institutionalized racism to assorted cries of "Slavery is over. Why are can't y'all just move on?" (ugh). And the Harlem Renaissance Era saw the end of…exactly none of these things. It did, however, see an unprecedented revolution of Black pride, artistry, and innovation. Just because American society-at-large couldn't appreciate the joys of jazz didn't mean Black people couldn't get their blues on.
Nevermind. Turns out many white people loved jazz. It's just that most didn't want to hang with the Black people who made jazz, or give them credit for their artistry. Double ugh.
5 The Fight for Rights
It's the moment (well, era) we've all been waiting for—the most significant series of civil rights breakthroughs America had seen in its 200+ years as a nation. It's the Civil Rights Era, obvs, and in addition to being a VIP (very important period) in terms of activism, it was always a prolific period for Black literature—activist and otherwise. We don't know how so many Black leaders managed to be activist greats and literary giants at the same time, but it probably explains why they're in this course and we're just writing it.
6 The Here and Now
Like true love and lifetime supplies of Oreos, literature courses never really end—because people keep writing. They're writing right now, as you're reading this sentence, making the 2080 reboot of this course even longer and more illustrious than it already is. Alas, we of the present decade have to end our course somewhere, so we're ending it with contemporary Black literature. Our contemporary, not 2080-contemporary.
Sample Lesson - Introduction
Lesson 2.02: You, Me, and Frederick Douglass
(Source)
Here are some sordid details about the sordid history of American slavery, straight from our history books:
- Rape and sexual abuse of slave women was rampant, and the mixed-race children who were born out of this abuse were often especially abused, since miscegenation was supposed to be a no-no.
- Just because an enslaved woman was pregnant didn't mean she couldn't still be whipped, branded, or beaten.
- Sometimes slaves were subject to brutality just because—it was a show of power, and a way for slavemasters to make an example out of someone. Even if that someone hadn't done anything to incite punishment.
Here's the thing—our history books wouldn't have all these details if Black writers, activists, and abolitionists weren't around to record these truths. Our history pages would be incomplete without the pages of literature.
One of the first writers to pen his recollection of slavery's cruelties was Frederick Douglass, a prominent slave-turned-abolitionist who "stole" his freedom by running away from his slave master.
Huzzah for a legitimate reason to steal!
His first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, quickly became a bestseller and yet another catalyst for the abolitionist movement to outlaw slavery. His book presented the realities of an American slave's life, challenged society's complacency with human enslavement, and questioned the morality of both participants and silent bystanders (we're looking at you. Northerners…)
What else is there to say than, huzzah for Frederick Douglass: author, activist, and righteous pain in every slave owner's behind!
Sample Lesson - Reading
Reading 2.2.02: Right Said Fred
Frederick Douglass' Narrative tells the story of his life the time he was born a slave to the time of his escape to freedom in the North. But aside from being a way better autobiography than Miley Cyrus's Miles to Go (sorry, Miley), it's also powerful piece of political and philosophical writing. When Douglass wrote this book in 1845, slavery was still legal in much of the United States.
Sure, Douglass tries to keep the language simple and clear (at least by the standards of his day), so it might not seem like as flashy a piece of art as some of the poems and novels and plays we'll read, but the power and impact of this book is undeniable. Douglass manages to do so much more than just write a description of slavery. Instead of just arguing against slavery, Douglass asks some hard philosophical questions about what freedom really is.
The excerpt we'll be reading, Chapter 4, offers a grisly description of the violence perpetrated against slaves in America. In particular, Douglass introduces us to a notoriously violent overseer named Mr. Gore (talk about an apt name). As you read this account, consider the following questions:
- What might it have been like to witness these beatings and murders without being able to intervene?
- What kept so many slaves from revolting against their overseers and masters?
- Why do you think so many slaves chose instant death over continued enslavement? What does this tell us about their experiences?
When you finish reading the chapter, check out our summary of it, to make sure you didn't miss a thing.
Sample Lesson - Activity
Activity 2.02: What's in an Excerpt?
One of the great things about analyzing a short poem is that you can spend a lot of time focusing on every. single. line. Sure, poems tend to pack a lot of punch into a single word (pictures may say a thousand words, but figurative language says even more), but a line-by-line analysis is still possible.
Line-by-line analyses don't work so great for novels, though. So in the interest of not being here for the rest of the semester, we're going to have you select a single paragraph-long quote from today's reading, and analyze it.
Ask yourself:
- What does this excerpt tell you about the speaker? About the enslaved experience?
- What does it suggest about Mr. Gore, and the ideologies held by slave owners?
- How does Douglass use imagery to communicate his message?
- How does he use diction? Are there any words that repeat, and what is their significance?
- What themes pop up in this excerpt?
For instance, let's say we selected this quote to analyze:
Mr. Gore acted fully up to the maxim laid down by slaveholders,—"It is better that a dozen slaves should suffer under the lash, than that the overseer should be convicted, in the presence of the slaves, of having been at fault." No matter how innocent a slave might be—it availed him nothing, when accused by Mr. Gore of any misdemeanor. To be accused was to be convicted, and to be convicted was to be punished; the one always following the other with immutable certainty. (4.2)
We might begin:
As Mr. Gore's conduct demonstrates, the rule for slaves is simple: the slave is always wrong and the master is always right. Douglass is showing us that slavery doesn't operate according to any principles of justice or fairness but is, instead, simply about power…
In those two three lines alone, we're talking about representation (of Mr. Gore, and other slaveholders' ideologies) and theme (the theme of power versus justice).
So imagine what you can do in 250 to 300 words? That's, er, how long you want your analysis to be.
When you're ready, upload your response (along with your chosen quote) below.
Expository Writing Rubric - 25 Points
- Course Length: 18 weeks
- Course Type: Elective
- Category:
- English
- Literature
- High School
Schools and Districts: We offer customized programs that won't break the bank. Get a quote.