In the fiction piece of sailors and the ocean, Billy Budd, Melville writes in a way that has two sides of everything throughout the reading. Billy Budd himself, can be one side where he is completely oblivious to everything that the other seamen are thinking and doing. Billy Budd is also seen as innocent in everything he does because of the fact that he does not know what is going on. In Joyce Sparer Alder’s writing about Billy Budd, Billy Budd And Melville’s Philosophy Of War, Alder writes about a world of the civilized and the Christian that exist within the world where war and evil is one. Billy Budd fits in this world as the good side or the civilized Christian side (267).
In Billy Budd, the story takes place on a ship. Everyone knows that there are different ranking and different authority levels on a ship. Being the captain, you have the highest authority and can say anything you want. Being Billy, you are not the captain and you cannot. Quickly, we are already given the two sides on the boat, authority and the common. Billy, like many other crewmembers, will do anything and everything that the authority says to do. Being the more civilized, Billy doesn’t backlash or fight against what he is told. Billy never does wrong, and is reminded more not to do wrong when a crewmate gets flogged. Billy thereafter vows not to bring that upon himself.
Another complete contrast Melville writes about is between Billy and the King. Alder analyzes it on page 269, “…to Billy, who cannot say “no” to any authority, a fondling child who wants to be liked by everybody…. To the King… whose war they will serve without question.” Billy would serve the King in a war that Billy himself most likely would not want to fight. Just in nature, Billy Budd cannot say no.
Billy Budd and Melville's Philosophy of War
Joyce Sparer Adler PMLA, Vol. 91, No. 2 (Mar., 1976), pp. 266-278 Published by: Modern Language Association
Melville, Herman. Billy Budd and Other Tales. New York: Signet Classics, 2009.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Billy Budd: Two Concepts of Society and Nature
Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1, 1819, as the third child of Allan and Maria Gansevoort Melville. Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist and poet who are often classified as part of dark romanticism. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and Billy Budd, which were published posthumously.
Melville travelled to New York and secured his place as cabin boy on a ship bound for Liverpool, England. Upon return to New York he held various unsatisfying jobs until he next set sail on the whaling ship Acushnet in 1841. In search of adventures, Melville shipped out in 1839 as a cabin boy on the whaler Acushnet. He joined later the US Navy, and started to have long voyages on ships, sailing both the Atlantic and the South Seas. As a result of his remarkable experience in many ships, most of Melville’s books and works are all related to his journey in the sea. For Melville, there are two types of society and nature.
In a sense, the various ships in the novel represent different types of societies. The first society is the Rights-of-Man which symbolizes a place where individuals maintain their individuality. For example, in choosing to obey law over conscience, Captain Vere commits himself to society at the expense of own individuality. The second type of society is the Bellipotent which represents a military world in which, under the threat of violence. Furthermore, in the article, “Bringing out the beast Melville’s Billy Budd: The Dialogue of Darwinian and “Holy” Lexicons on board the Bellipotent” Eric Goldman argues that nearly every person in the Bellipotent “is likened to a specific animal” (Goldman). In fact, he implies the characteristics of most of these animals are wild, violence and will do anything just to survive. He interpreted that Billy is like an animal that accepts his impressments into military service as an unchangeable fact of his environment while Claggart is like an animal that lives in an irresistible environment (Goldman). Therefore, in the presence of evil and violence, the rules of society impinge upon the individual rights of men.
In his essay, John Noone argues that in Billy Budd’s world there are two concepts of nature. The two types of nature are the good and bad nature. Most importantly, he states that in good nature, people are noble savage, while in bad nature, people are evil. He also says that men are “naturally good” and they are surrounded by peace and happiness (249). In addition, he says that one of the quantities of good nature is when people are working together, which “each character radically sharing the rarer qualities of one nature” (260). In the other hand, bad nature is the place where people are only thinking about themselves and have the mind of war (252). Moreover, Claggart is one the characters who lives in bad nature (state of war) because he was corrupted with a lot of lies, keep his secrets from other people and wants to be better than Billy. As a result of his jealousy from Billy, he has the mind of “war of all against all”. Lastly, all humans are living in a good and bad nature which both controls and justifies what they do.
We can conclude that in our world there are two types of society and nature. Nevertheless, in the book Billy Budd by Melville, Right of Man is the place where people maintain their own identity while Bellipotent is a ship and type of society where people are in military mode and like animals that will do violence in order to survive. Moreover, by allowing ourselves to live in a good nature, it will give us the sense of happiness because of unity. However, if we live in a bad nature, our mind will be corrupted with lies and jealousy, which force us to commit a crime.
Work Cited
Goldman, Eric "BRINGING OUT THE BEAST IN MELVILLE'S BILLY BUDD: THE DIALOGUE OF DARWINIAN AND "HOLY" LEXICONS ON BOARD THE BELLIPOTENT." Studies in the Novel 37.4 (2005): 430-442. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 29 Nov. 2009.
"Herman Melville." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
30 Nov. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/374228/Herman-Melville>.
Noone Jr., John B. "BILLY BUDD: Two Concepts of Nature." American Literature 29.3 (1957): 249. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 29 Nov. 2009
Melville travelled to New York and secured his place as cabin boy on a ship bound for Liverpool, England. Upon return to New York he held various unsatisfying jobs until he next set sail on the whaling ship Acushnet in 1841. In search of adventures, Melville shipped out in 1839 as a cabin boy on the whaler Acushnet. He joined later the US Navy, and started to have long voyages on ships, sailing both the Atlantic and the South Seas. As a result of his remarkable experience in many ships, most of Melville’s books and works are all related to his journey in the sea. For Melville, there are two types of society and nature.
In a sense, the various ships in the novel represent different types of societies. The first society is the Rights-of-Man which symbolizes a place where individuals maintain their individuality. For example, in choosing to obey law over conscience, Captain Vere commits himself to society at the expense of own individuality. The second type of society is the Bellipotent which represents a military world in which, under the threat of violence. Furthermore, in the article, “Bringing out the beast Melville’s Billy Budd: The Dialogue of Darwinian and “Holy” Lexicons on board the Bellipotent” Eric Goldman argues that nearly every person in the Bellipotent “is likened to a specific animal” (Goldman). In fact, he implies the characteristics of most of these animals are wild, violence and will do anything just to survive. He interpreted that Billy is like an animal that accepts his impressments into military service as an unchangeable fact of his environment while Claggart is like an animal that lives in an irresistible environment (Goldman). Therefore, in the presence of evil and violence, the rules of society impinge upon the individual rights of men.
In his essay, John Noone argues that in Billy Budd’s world there are two concepts of nature. The two types of nature are the good and bad nature. Most importantly, he states that in good nature, people are noble savage, while in bad nature, people are evil. He also says that men are “naturally good” and they are surrounded by peace and happiness (249). In addition, he says that one of the quantities of good nature is when people are working together, which “each character radically sharing the rarer qualities of one nature” (260). In the other hand, bad nature is the place where people are only thinking about themselves and have the mind of war (252). Moreover, Claggart is one the characters who lives in bad nature (state of war) because he was corrupted with a lot of lies, keep his secrets from other people and wants to be better than Billy. As a result of his jealousy from Billy, he has the mind of “war of all against all”. Lastly, all humans are living in a good and bad nature which both controls and justifies what they do.
We can conclude that in our world there are two types of society and nature. Nevertheless, in the book Billy Budd by Melville, Right of Man is the place where people maintain their own identity while Bellipotent is a ship and type of society where people are in military mode and like animals that will do violence in order to survive. Moreover, by allowing ourselves to live in a good nature, it will give us the sense of happiness because of unity. However, if we live in a bad nature, our mind will be corrupted with lies and jealousy, which force us to commit a crime.
Work Cited
Goldman, Eric "BRINGING OUT THE BEAST IN MELVILLE'S BILLY BUDD: THE DIALOGUE OF DARWINIAN AND "HOLY" LEXICONS ON BOARD THE BELLIPOTENT." Studies in the Novel 37.4 (2005): 430-442. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 29 Nov. 2009.
"Herman Melville." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
30 Nov. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/374228/Herman-Melville>.
Noone Jr., John B. "BILLY BUDD: Two Concepts of Nature." American Literature 29.3 (1957): 249. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 29 Nov. 2009
Law: The Anti-Nature
Herman Melville was born in New York, 1819. His family went bankrupt and his father died when he was 12 years old. Then, after leaving school, Melville went to work many jobs including one in Liverpool as a cabin boy. Melville also spent 18 months on a whaling ship, but was jailed for mutiny, then was able to escaped to the Marquesas Islands; he spent time with cannibals until his rescue. He lived in Tahiti and returned home to his mother in 1844. Melville's stories are influenced greatly by his adventures at sea; his most famous was Moby Dick. In 1855, Melville stopped writing for 20 years. In Melville’s last novel Billy Budd, Billy represents good in a case against the evil Claggart, but the judgment lies in Captain Vere to carry out justice. “Necessarily crude and imperfect, the law cannot adequately assess a pure nature such as Billy's--or a purely evil one, such as Claggart's. Hence the tragic dilemma of Billy Budd: the law, though indispensable, may in the rare case destroy a representative of the very "Spirit" it was instituted to protect” (Shaw). The law cannot fully bring justice to everyone and in fact violates nature itself.
The character Captain Vere must rely on the law to bring justice to the case of Billy Budd and Claggart. “How can we adjudge to summary and shameful death a fellow creature innocent before God, and whom we feel to be so?—Does that state it aright?” (Melville 79). Vere put Billy to death by the Articles of War despite his feelings. In law, there is no justice for everyone because law is not natural. For Melville and transcendentalism, Billy is the essence of nature itself, but in the end, Vere must confine in the law and sentence Billy to death. By application of the law, humans are going against nature.
In the end the law controls and justifies what humans do. “…in receiving our commissions, we in the most important regards ceased to be natural free agents” (Melville 79). Vere as a human and sailor is a part of nature but at the same time must confine in something so unnatural as the law. Law takes away free will to make our own decisions. This can also criticize the act of war according to Melville because in war the law says humans fight then they fight regardless of the violent outcome. They fight regardless of their own feelings on the matter. In sum, when law is involved, human free will is of no effect.
While law claims to bring justice, it actually always brings violence to those it initially intended to protect. The laws of nature no longer hold when law is applied.
"Herman Melville." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 30 Nov. 2009.
Melville, Herman. Billy Budd and Other Tales. New York: Signet Classics, 2009.
Shaw, Peter "The fate of a story." American Scholar 62.4 (1993): 591. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 29 Nov. 2009.
The character Captain Vere must rely on the law to bring justice to the case of Billy Budd and Claggart. “How can we adjudge to summary and shameful death a fellow creature innocent before God, and whom we feel to be so?—Does that state it aright?” (Melville 79). Vere put Billy to death by the Articles of War despite his feelings. In law, there is no justice for everyone because law is not natural. For Melville and transcendentalism, Billy is the essence of nature itself, but in the end, Vere must confine in the law and sentence Billy to death. By application of the law, humans are going against nature.
In the end the law controls and justifies what humans do. “…in receiving our commissions, we in the most important regards ceased to be natural free agents” (Melville 79). Vere as a human and sailor is a part of nature but at the same time must confine in something so unnatural as the law. Law takes away free will to make our own decisions. This can also criticize the act of war according to Melville because in war the law says humans fight then they fight regardless of the violent outcome. They fight regardless of their own feelings on the matter. In sum, when law is involved, human free will is of no effect.
While law claims to bring justice, it actually always brings violence to those it initially intended to protect. The laws of nature no longer hold when law is applied.
"Herman Melville." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 30 Nov. 2009
Melville, Herman. Billy Budd and Other Tales. New York: Signet Classics, 2009.
Shaw, Peter "The fate of a story." American Scholar 62.4 (1993): 591. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 29 Nov. 2009.
The Evils of Mutiny
Mutiny is found throughout the novel Billy Budd; from the explanation of the Mutiny at Nore, to the fear of mutiny within Vere. Eugene Goodheart makes a claim that Melville disapproves of Revolution, which is evident within Captain Vere. Vere has a split between his head and his heart—his admiration toward Billy Budd made him want to acquit him of his actions, yet he knows rules must be followed to maintain order. Keeping a mutiny from arising was his utmost concern.
“Melville's mistrust of the Revolution, inspired by the Enlightenment belief that the world can and should banish evil from the world, shows in his conception of Claggart, a creature of evil according to nature” (86). An obviously evil person and an evil mutiny that may have ensued were both disposed of in the end. Claggart, an untrustworthy person and one who was naturally evil, died due to controversy within the ship. Billy Budd’s death was a way for Melville to express that good people are willing to die to maintain peace and order. If Billy had not been executed a mutiny may have occurred, thus his death was a necessary incidence.
Revolution is what founded the United States. Knowing that the people can rebel if the government is oppressive is something close to Americans. The fact that Melville creates a sense that rebellion is the actions of corrupt and untrustworthy people seems contradictory to American culture. Goodheart’s idea of banishing evil from the world is a theme that Americans would like to achieve. From abolitionists fighting to end the evil institution of slavery, to feminists fighting to end the evils of unequal gender rights; Americans have always been attempting to put a stop to the evils in society.
Goodheart, Eugene "BILLY BUDD AND THE WORLD'S IMPERFECTION." Sewanee Review 114.1 (2006): 81-92. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 29 Nov. 2009.
“Melville's mistrust of the Revolution, inspired by the Enlightenment belief that the world can and should banish evil from the world, shows in his conception of Claggart, a creature of evil according to nature” (86). An obviously evil person and an evil mutiny that may have ensued were both disposed of in the end. Claggart, an untrustworthy person and one who was naturally evil, died due to controversy within the ship. Billy Budd’s death was a way for Melville to express that good people are willing to die to maintain peace and order. If Billy had not been executed a mutiny may have occurred, thus his death was a necessary incidence.
Revolution is what founded the United States. Knowing that the people can rebel if the government is oppressive is something close to Americans. The fact that Melville creates a sense that rebellion is the actions of corrupt and untrustworthy people seems contradictory to American culture. Goodheart’s idea of banishing evil from the world is a theme that Americans would like to achieve. From abolitionists fighting to end the evil institution of slavery, to feminists fighting to end the evils of unequal gender rights; Americans have always been attempting to put a stop to the evils in society.
Goodheart, Eugene "BILLY BUDD AND THE WORLD'S IMPERFECTION." Sewanee Review 114.1 (2006): 81-92. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 29 Nov. 2009.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thorough(Thoreau) Controversy?
Thomas Paine once stated in order to prove something as “flawed” or “controversial,” one must meet his contenders on “their own ground, and oppose them with their own weapon” (Paine 93). Thought Paine used this principle to disprove the bible, the same strategy can be used in arguing against the theories that Henry David Thoreau presents his reader with in Walden; or, Life in the Woods. Though Thoreau acts as if his theoretically enhancing lifestyle is the ideal way to live, Leo Stoller opposes him by examining the actual way in which Thoreau approached his life.
Thoreau obviously opposes the idea of living an industrialized lifestyle in which a person sustains a style of living that is supported by working means. Thoreau states that he witnesses his fellow townsmen “whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle and farming tools…men labor under a mistake. The better part of the man is soon ploughed into the compost” (Thoreau 2). Though Thoreau opposes the idea of being “industrial,” Stoller points out that Thoreau himself had to resort to a business in raising beans in order to sustain his living conditions.
Another flaw that may be analyzed in Thoreau’s legitimacy in preaching an ideal lifestyle involving a strong community base, can be assessed using another one of Stoller’s claims. Stoller states that though Thoreau wanted to observe nature, a means by which Thoreau believes someone can find themselves, Thoreau wanted to “combine an opportunity for observing nature with a means of earning money” (Stoller). Though Thoreau has a supposedly strong belief in nature playing an influential part in the construction of one’s character, his own claims contradict each other. Thoreau claims that he “thought that Walden Pond would be a great place for business” (Thoreau 13). Through examining Thoreau’s claims on business and Stoller’s ideas regarding Thoreau, one can easily say that Thoreau was not as community oriented as he seems.
Thoreau’s contradiction of himself can make anyone doubt their own perceptions and beliefs in Thoreau. A person might even go to the extent of asking if his Thoreau wrote his ideas in order to enhance a person’s way of thinking, or basically to make people buy a book that they would believe would help their lifestyle.
Paine, Thomas. The Age of Reason. Mineola: Dover, 2004. Print.
Stoller, Leo. "After Walden." Academic Search Premiere. Stanford University Press. Web. 24 Nov. 2009..
Thoreau, Henry. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. New York: Dover, 1995. Print.
Thoreau obviously opposes the idea of living an industrialized lifestyle in which a person sustains a style of living that is supported by working means. Thoreau states that he witnesses his fellow townsmen “whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle and farming tools…men labor under a mistake. The better part of the man is soon ploughed into the compost” (Thoreau 2). Though Thoreau opposes the idea of being “industrial,” Stoller points out that Thoreau himself had to resort to a business in raising beans in order to sustain his living conditions.
Another flaw that may be analyzed in Thoreau’s legitimacy in preaching an ideal lifestyle involving a strong community base, can be assessed using another one of Stoller’s claims. Stoller states that though Thoreau wanted to observe nature, a means by which Thoreau believes someone can find themselves, Thoreau wanted to “combine an opportunity for observing nature with a means of earning money” (Stoller). Though Thoreau has a supposedly strong belief in nature playing an influential part in the construction of one’s character, his own claims contradict each other. Thoreau claims that he “thought that Walden Pond would be a great place for business” (Thoreau 13). Through examining Thoreau’s claims on business and Stoller’s ideas regarding Thoreau, one can easily say that Thoreau was not as community oriented as he seems.
Thoreau’s contradiction of himself can make anyone doubt their own perceptions and beliefs in Thoreau. A person might even go to the extent of asking if his Thoreau wrote his ideas in order to enhance a person’s way of thinking, or basically to make people buy a book that they would believe would help their lifestyle.
Paine, Thomas. The Age of Reason. Mineola: Dover, 2004. Print.
Stoller, Leo. "After Walden." Academic Search Premiere. Stanford University Press. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.
Thoreau, Henry. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. New York: Dover, 1995. Print.
Monday, November 23, 2009
"Buying" into Thoreau's ideas
In his novel, Walden, Henry David Thoreau details his expedition and life at Walden Pond. Ira Booker, in her essay entitled “Giving the Game Away: Thoreau’s Intellectual Imperialism and the Marketing of Walden Pond”, interprets Thoreau’s life in the woods as a conquest of nature, and that Thoreau has turned it into a philosophy of how to live that persists in today’s modern day marketing scheme “get away from it all.” Booker provides a description of a car advertisement to show her argument in her article, but we can view this similar commercial to understand what she is saying.
The American idea of “untouched paradise”, persistent to this day is what Booker would equate to the very act building of a cabin on a remote lake. The author argues that Americans today equate Walden Pond to “untouched paradise”, and therefore we will go out of their way to buy things that lead us to this elusive place.
Thoreau’s excursion into the woods has created the modern American mindset of getting away and blazing your own trail. He says, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” (209) Thoreau does not want us to follow the “beaten path”, but rather take control and strive for our dreams, which are ironically spoon fed to us by our consumer culture.
Works Cited:
Brooker, Ira. “Giving the Game Away: Thoreau’s Intellectual Imperialism and the Marketing of Walden Pond.” Midwest Quarterly, Vol 45 issue 2. Academic Search Premier. Accessed: November 23, 2009.
Thoreau, Henry. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. New York: Dover Publications, 1995.
The American idea of “untouched paradise”, persistent to this day is what Booker would equate to the very act building of a cabin on a remote lake. The author argues that Americans today equate Walden Pond to “untouched paradise”, and therefore we will go out of their way to buy things that lead us to this elusive place.
Thoreau’s excursion into the woods has created the modern American mindset of getting away and blazing your own trail. He says, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” (209) Thoreau does not want us to follow the “beaten path”, but rather take control and strive for our dreams, which are ironically spoon fed to us by our consumer culture.
Works Cited:
Brooker, Ira. “Giving the Game Away: Thoreau’s Intellectual Imperialism and the Marketing of Walden Pond.” Midwest Quarterly, Vol 45 issue 2. Academic Search Premier. Accessed: November 23, 2009.
Thoreau, Henry. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. New York: Dover Publications, 1995.
Billy Budd's Tragic Flaw
Herman Melville’s final work before his death, Billy Budd, is the tale of a young sailor who gets picked up for mandatory military service on a Navy vessel called the Indomitable. Billy is generally well liked among the crew, but police captain John Claggart is less than taken with him. This comes as a shock to Billy, whose youthful, innocent view of his surroundings is shattered when Dansker, another member of the crew, reveals to him that Claggart has it out for him. He is particularly confused because Claggart treats him well, and has been known to refer to him as “the sweet and pleasant young fellow” (36).
This contradiction with Claggart’s external and internal motives sets the stage for Billy’s main dilemma, which looks extremely mild in comparison to the world issues that are taking place in the time period in which the novel takes place in. In a world where war is rampant and crews are on the verge of mutinying all throughout the Navy, Billy’s issues with the mysterious judgment of his superior seem to pale in comparison, yet that is what troubles him most so far in the novel. This goes to further illustrate Billy’s naiveté when it comes to the unfortunate realities of the world, especially during times of conflict. This, coupled with his occasional, crippling stutter, seems to be the only major character flaw that Billy has, making him fit the profile of a tragic character whose flaw will be his undoing in the end.
VARGISH, THOMAS "The Authority of Crises." War, Literature & the Arts: An International Journal of the Humanities 20.1/2 (2008): 121-137. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 23 Nov. 2009
Fear and Morality
Herman Melville, born in New York City in 1819, left his family’s failing business in an attempt to revive the family fortune. After much relocation and many failed attempts, Melville’s only chance to gain financial success was taking part in a whaling voyage in 1941. After Melville’s many travels he decided to write books about his adventures. Melville is famous for many of his works but his most recently published novel, appearing in 1924 thirty years after his death, was Billy Budd. Billy Budd’s accurate accounts of sea travel and slave culture gained the attention of many scholars. They’ve used his narrative to better understand our countries history.
In chapter 9 of Melville’s final novel, Billy Budd witnesses a life changing event. Billy is placed in the foretop, a platform at the top of the ships foremast, where he has a full view of all the activity taking place on the deck. While sitting at his post on his second day aboard the Bellipotent he witnesses slave violence for the first time. A novice forgets to show up on time to his assigned post and is whipped until he bleeds. This incident makes a significant impression on Billy and he states “never through remissness would he make himself liable to such a visitation or do or omit aught that might merit even verbal reproof.” Billy Budd decides to make sure that he will always perform his duties efficiently and on time so that he will never be the subject of the master’s beatings.
This passage exemplifies the fear that masters evoked on their slaves to keep them under control. They made examples out of misbehaving slaves, many times punishing them more severely than they normally would, to scare the other slaves into always following orders. This same kind of fearful relationship between mater and slave is shown in Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglass and in Kristen McKenzie’s article about slavery and transportation. She talks about the strict rules and schedules placed upon the slaves by the master of the ship in order for the voyage to run without any chance of disobedience or sabotage by the abused slaves. Her article also discusses the morality of the “whites” and “blacks” during the time period and the duties of each party. The whites feel as though they need to prove superiority to their slaves in order to keep them under control so that they will do their job without any complaints. The blacks see this to be cruel and inhumane.
In addition, it provides support for the limited amount of slave revolts. Even though we know the slaves were miserable with their oppressed lifestyle and inhumane living arrangements, we don’t have much evidence of organized revolt. This could be due to the fear the slaves had of their masters. Being the subject of such violence and cruelty and seeing the lack of compassion the “white man” had, gave slaves the impression that there was no hope and that any attempt to better their situation would end in greater hardship.
McKenzie, Kirsten, 1970-. "Discourses of Scandal: Bourgeois Respectability and the End of Slavery and Transportation at the Cape and New South Wales." Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History 4.3 (2003) Project MUSE.
In chapter 9 of Melville’s final novel, Billy Budd witnesses a life changing event. Billy is placed in the foretop, a platform at the top of the ships foremast, where he has a full view of all the activity taking place on the deck. While sitting at his post on his second day aboard the Bellipotent he witnesses slave violence for the first time. A novice forgets to show up on time to his assigned post and is whipped until he bleeds. This incident makes a significant impression on Billy and he states “never through remissness would he make himself liable to such a visitation or do or omit aught that might merit even verbal reproof.” Billy Budd decides to make sure that he will always perform his duties efficiently and on time so that he will never be the subject of the master’s beatings.
This passage exemplifies the fear that masters evoked on their slaves to keep them under control. They made examples out of misbehaving slaves, many times punishing them more severely than they normally would, to scare the other slaves into always following orders. This same kind of fearful relationship between mater and slave is shown in Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglass and in Kristen McKenzie’s article about slavery and transportation. She talks about the strict rules and schedules placed upon the slaves by the master of the ship in order for the voyage to run without any chance of disobedience or sabotage by the abused slaves. Her article also discusses the morality of the “whites” and “blacks” during the time period and the duties of each party. The whites feel as though they need to prove superiority to their slaves in order to keep them under control so that they will do their job without any complaints. The blacks see this to be cruel and inhumane.
In addition, it provides support for the limited amount of slave revolts. Even though we know the slaves were miserable with their oppressed lifestyle and inhumane living arrangements, we don’t have much evidence of organized revolt. This could be due to the fear the slaves had of their masters. Being the subject of such violence and cruelty and seeing the lack of compassion the “white man” had, gave slaves the impression that there was no hope and that any attempt to better their situation would end in greater hardship.
McKenzie, Kirsten, 1970-. "Discourses of Scandal: Bourgeois Respectability and the End of Slavery and Transportation at the Cape and New South Wales." Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History 4.3 (2003) Project MUSE.
Mythology of Thoreau
Henry D. Thoreau, born in 1817, grew up close to his older brother, John, who taught school to help pay Henry’s school tuition at Harvard. While at Harvard, Henry reads a book by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature, never in a sense, finished exploring its idea but exploring everything. In 1842, John died in Henry’s arm from lockjaw when he cut himself while shaving. At the age of 28, wanting to write his first book, he went to Walden Pond and built his cabin on land owned by Emerson. While there, he spent an incredible time reading and writing, yet he spent much of his time “sauntering” in nature (Woodlief Ann). After spending two years, he returned to Concord, completing his experiment with nature. Thoreau (44) died of tuberculosis in 1862, with his last word of “Moose” and “Indian” (Woodlief Ann).
In the “Sound” chapter, Thoreau talks about the pond and about the railroad, or the iron horse. He feels like mankind is using Nature for their own good, “when I hear the iron horse make the hills echo with his snort like thunder… and man made the elements their servants fro noble ends!” (Thoreau, pg 76). Gustafsson Henrik focuses on Thoreau talking about the new Mythology; he sees it as “homonym, with tangible as well as abstract connotation” (pg180). Thoreau sees the iron horse as a dangerously flawed philosophy. People where moving with mechanical time, not by nature, and because they are on the train, they do not see nature, there for not experiencing the fullness of finding yourself.
Work cited:
Gustafsson, Henrik "Thoreau's WALDEN." Explicator 59.4 (2001): 180. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
Thoreau, Henry. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. New York: Dover Publications, inc, 1995.
Woodlief, Ann “Henry David Thoreau.” American Transcendentalism Web. Web. 20 Nov. 2009.
In the “Sound” chapter, Thoreau talks about the pond and about the railroad, or the iron horse. He feels like mankind is using Nature for their own good, “when I hear the iron horse make the hills echo with his snort like thunder… and man made the elements their servants fro noble ends!” (Thoreau, pg 76). Gustafsson Henrik focuses on Thoreau talking about the new Mythology; he sees it as “homonym, with tangible as well as abstract connotation” (pg180). Thoreau sees the iron horse as a dangerously flawed philosophy. People where moving with mechanical time, not by nature, and because they are on the train, they do not see nature, there for not experiencing the fullness of finding yourself.
Work cited:
Gustafsson, Henrik "Thoreau's WALDEN." Explicator 59.4 (2001): 180. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
Thoreau, Henry. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. New York: Dover Publications, inc, 1995.
Woodlief, Ann “Henry David Thoreau.” American Transcendentalism Web. Web. 20 Nov. 2009.
A Violent Experience
Herman Melville, the author of Billy Budd, had a roving disposition and a desire to support himself idependently as a young man. Much like the main character in his novella, he often took jobs on ships and wrote most of his great works from his experiences on these voyages. He eventually settled down with his wife, Elizabeth Shaw, on a farm in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Later in life, however, his books did not do so well with scathing reviews and proclamations by reviewers that Melville had become insane. He soon went into debt and managed to get a job as a customs inspector. His final novella, Billy Budd, was unfinished at the time of his death on September 28, 1981. It was finally published in 1924.
In Melville's final novella, Billy Budd, the main character, is what the handsome sailor should be: young, good looking, and very good at what he does. Later, he is impressed from the Rights-of-Man on to the navy ship the H.M.S Bellipotent. He is an innocent young man, incapable of violence and is about to be thrust into a world of war. Joyce Addler refers to Billy Budd as "White Jacket's sailor," and that he is "from the first the symbol of the good and beauty out of keeping and doomed in the world of war. (Addler, 266)" When he meets Claggart and sees the whipping of a fellow sailor, he does his best to avoid making mistakes that might give him the same fate. However, Claggart is at the same time looking for Billy to make a mistake so that he can show how imperfect Billy actually is. Addler notes that Billy stands for the light and Claggart for evil and that, "for what is evil for man is war's good; what is good for mankind is what war has no place for. (Addler, 267)" Billy Budd has a sort of innocence that makes him vunerable to the war-like qualities of Claggart. Claggart is envious of Billy's innocence, something he can never regain, so he plans on taking away his innocence. Being so unused to this world of violence and constantly watching out for himself and his mistakes.
Billy Budd is taken from his freedom on the Rights-of-Man, a ship where he could maintain his right to freedom, and forced into the violent bowels of the Bellipotent, a ship where he is constantly in danger of becoming a victim of violence. Joyce Addler calls this "Melville's Philosophy of War," where the innocence of a young handsome man is taken away from him by others who wish to do him harm.
Works Cited:
Addler, Joyce Sparer. "Billy Budd and Melville's Philosophy of War." Modern Language Association 91.2 (1976): 266-76. Web. JSTOR. 22 Nov 2009.
In Melville's final novella, Billy Budd, the main character, is what the handsome sailor should be: young, good looking, and very good at what he does. Later, he is impressed from the Rights-of-Man on to the navy ship the H.M.S Bellipotent. He is an innocent young man, incapable of violence and is about to be thrust into a world of war. Joyce Addler refers to Billy Budd as "White Jacket's sailor," and that he is "from the first the symbol of the good and beauty out of keeping and doomed in the world of war. (Addler, 266)" When he meets Claggart and sees the whipping of a fellow sailor, he does his best to avoid making mistakes that might give him the same fate. However, Claggart is at the same time looking for Billy to make a mistake so that he can show how imperfect Billy actually is. Addler notes that Billy stands for the light and Claggart for evil and that, "for what is evil for man is war's good; what is good for mankind is what war has no place for. (Addler, 267)" Billy Budd has a sort of innocence that makes him vunerable to the war-like qualities of Claggart. Claggart is envious of Billy's innocence, something he can never regain, so he plans on taking away his innocence. Being so unused to this world of violence and constantly watching out for himself and his mistakes.
Billy Budd is taken from his freedom on the Rights-of-Man, a ship where he could maintain his right to freedom, and forced into the violent bowels of the Bellipotent, a ship where he is constantly in danger of becoming a victim of violence. Joyce Addler calls this "Melville's Philosophy of War," where the innocence of a young handsome man is taken away from him by others who wish to do him harm.
Works Cited:
Addler, Joyce Sparer. "Billy Budd and Melville's Philosophy of War." Modern Language Association 91.2 (1976): 266-76. Web. JSTOR. 22 Nov 2009.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Similarities of Eastern and Western Philosophies
In Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau, Thoreau expresses that life was a costly matter and that one should live life “deliberately (Thoreau 59).” To live life deliberately is to live life with a purpose and not have materials run one’s life but have the one run his or her life without the materials that control society. In Alan Fox’s article “Guarding what is Essential: Critiques of Material Culture in Thoreau and Yang Zhu,” Fox compares Thoreau’s philosophy with Yang Zhu’s philosophy in the East which is comparably similar to that of Thoreau’s philosophy.
In Fox’s article he compares Thoreau’s “goodness” with that of Yang Zhu. Both believe that it is better to be good rather than act good. Their philosophies on goodness is such that people do not simply give to charity because it is what everyone else is doing but to do it because he or she feels that it is good. Thoreau states that “[p]hilanthropy is almost the only virtue which is sufficiently appreciated by mankind. Nay, it is greatly overrated, and it is our selfishness which overrates it (quoted in Fox 368).” Thoreau’s statement expresses that people give to philanthropy because it is good and what is expected of society, but it is not good because everyone else is giving to it. People who give merely because others are doing it are not doing good but are doing because others believe it is good. It does not show that s/he, him/herself is good. (368-9)
The argument of Fox was such that Thoreau’s and Yang Zhu’s philosophies were the same in that the moral goodness of people was that one was to be good rather than act good because it is due to societal actions that one believes it is a good deed and their philosophies on how to life live were similar in which they only needed to live life with what was needed and to have purpose in their life.
Works Cited:
Fox, Alan. "Guarding what is Essential: Critiques of Material Culture in Thoreau and Yang Zhu." Philosophy East & West 58.3 (2008): 358-371. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. New York: Dover, 1995.
In Fox’s article he compares Thoreau’s “goodness” with that of Yang Zhu. Both believe that it is better to be good rather than act good. Their philosophies on goodness is such that people do not simply give to charity because it is what everyone else is doing but to do it because he or she feels that it is good. Thoreau states that “[p]hilanthropy is almost the only virtue which is sufficiently appreciated by mankind. Nay, it is greatly overrated, and it is our selfishness which overrates it (quoted in Fox 368).” Thoreau’s statement expresses that people give to philanthropy because it is good and what is expected of society, but it is not good because everyone else is giving to it. People who give merely because others are doing it are not doing good but are doing because others believe it is good. It does not show that s/he, him/herself is good. (368-9)
The argument of Fox was such that Thoreau’s and Yang Zhu’s philosophies were the same in that the moral goodness of people was that one was to be good rather than act good because it is due to societal actions that one believes it is a good deed and their philosophies on how to life live were similar in which they only needed to live life with what was needed and to have purpose in their life.
Works Cited:
Fox, Alan. "Guarding what is Essential: Critiques of Material Culture in Thoreau and Yang Zhu." Philosophy East & West 58.3 (2008): 358-371. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2009.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. New York: Dover, 1995.
The Loss of Innocence
The New England puritans firmly believed that all human beings are born condemned sinners and through hard work and devotion people may redeem their soul to enter the gates of heaven. Contrary to this Christian belief, the concept of tabula rasa by John Locke states that the mind is born as a blank slate and knowledge comes from experience and awareness. Since the mind is initially innate, life experiences then stain the blank slate with colours. The choices people make are influenced by these colours of virtue or vice, and can lead to a path of sin. One would have to preserve the innocence and be aware of the corrupt to avoid this path. This is demonstrated in Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, where Billy’s character succumbs to his own downfall because his innocence clouds his awareness of the forces conspiring against him.
Melville’s last and unfinished novella, Billy Budd, tells the story of a young and handsome sailor Billy Budd who is appointed to be in service of British Naval forces during the French Revolution. Billy is the epitome of natural beauty and purity, described to be loved by all and shown to have very little experience and knowledge about life. However, his innocence is at risk when the master-at-arms of the ship, John Claggart, enters as an antagonist in his life. Claggart despises Billy for unapparent reasons. Scholar James E. Miller suggests that “Billy’s ignorance of evil [and] Billy’s innocence is compounded of his lack of knowledge of good and evil…and not of a profound insight into the nature of the world and man” (Miller, 1958). Billy’s naivety prevents him from understanding Claggart’s hostility even when Dansker warns him about Claggart’s malicious intentions. His gullibility is evident again when Claggart remarks “Handsome is as handsome did it too” (Melville, 37) because Billy does not recognize the sarcasm and malice in Claggart’s voice. This enmity that Claggart feels for Billy would have been evident to anyone, but Billy is only aware of the goodness in others and never comes to doubt their dislikes or distrust in him. This ignorance shuts down his protective instincts and eventually leads to his downfall.
Works Cited:
Miller, James E. "Billy Budd: The Catastrophe of Innocence." Modern Language Notes 73 (1958): 168-76.
The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 22 Nov. 2009..
Melville’s last and unfinished novella, Billy Budd, tells the story of a young and handsome sailor Billy Budd who is appointed to be in service of British Naval forces during the French Revolution. Billy is the epitome of natural beauty and purity, described to be loved by all and shown to have very little experience and knowledge about life. However, his innocence is at risk when the master-at-arms of the ship, John Claggart, enters as an antagonist in his life. Claggart despises Billy for unapparent reasons. Scholar James E. Miller suggests that “Billy’s ignorance of evil [and] Billy’s innocence is compounded of his lack of knowledge of good and evil…and not of a profound insight into the nature of the world and man” (Miller, 1958). Billy’s naivety prevents him from understanding Claggart’s hostility even when Dansker warns him about Claggart’s malicious intentions. His gullibility is evident again when Claggart remarks “Handsome is as handsome did it too” (Melville, 37) because Billy does not recognize the sarcasm and malice in Claggart’s voice. This enmity that Claggart feels for Billy would have been evident to anyone, but Billy is only aware of the goodness in others and never comes to doubt their dislikes or distrust in him. This ignorance shuts down his protective instincts and eventually leads to his downfall.
Works Cited:
Miller, James E. "Billy Budd: The Catastrophe of Innocence." Modern Language Notes 73 (1958): 168-76.
The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 22 Nov. 2009.
A Step Down of a Hero
Billy Budd, Sailor; (An Inside Narrative) has a very unique publication history. Unfinished at the death of the author Herman Melville, the book had once fallen victim to misinterpretation and wasn’t until much later that the book was “corrected” to the proper names and storyline. In our current version of Billy Budd, Melville is notorious for his use of great character description which is used to portray ambiguities between people (Watson 219). In reading the book and being introduced to so many different characters, it is easy to stray from looking over Melville’s attempt to illustrate the polar opposites of human nature.
One main comparison of human nature is illustrated in the actions and descriptions of Vere and Nelson. Williet describes in his article that it is one popular view to see Vere as almost an inferior version of Nelson (370). Melville, himself born into a family of war heroes, can be seen glorifying the image of a perfect Nelson who not only defeats the French but is able to instill patriotism into the hearts of those planning mutiny (Merriman). While Nelson is therefore portrayed in an Uncle Sam reference, Vere falls short of this description. Zoning out into thought and very indulgent in knowledge, Williet argues that this training actually creates Vere’s ignorance for human nature (371). Later in the article, it is also discussed that Melville had actually came back to edit the novel and change Vere’s descriptions to be a little less harder to be evaluated superficially, but through the boosting of Nelson’s heroic stature, Melville seemed to continue the feeling of superiority of Nelson’s character.
Although only given a glance at Vere’s actions in the beginning of the book for this part of the blog, it is his actions throughout the rest of the novel that really define his character (Williet 371). The reader is then able to see the shaping of Melville’s thoughts by the increase in harshness and praise to two different characters.
Merriman, C. D. "Herman Melville." The Literature Network. Jalic Inc., 2007. Web.
Watson, E. L. Grant. "Melville's Testament of Acceptance ." New England Quarterly 6.2 (1933): 319-25. Web. JSTOR. 21 Nov 2009.
Willet, Ralph W. "Nelson and Vere: Hero and Victim in Billy Budd, Sailor." Modern Language Association 82.5 (1967): 370-75. Web. JSTOR. 21 Nov 2009.
One main comparison of human nature is illustrated in the actions and descriptions of Vere and Nelson. Williet describes in his article that it is one popular view to see Vere as almost an inferior version of Nelson (370). Melville, himself born into a family of war heroes, can be seen glorifying the image of a perfect Nelson who not only defeats the French but is able to instill patriotism into the hearts of those planning mutiny (Merriman). While Nelson is therefore portrayed in an Uncle Sam reference, Vere falls short of this description. Zoning out into thought and very indulgent in knowledge, Williet argues that this training actually creates Vere’s ignorance for human nature (371). Later in the article, it is also discussed that Melville had actually came back to edit the novel and change Vere’s descriptions to be a little less harder to be evaluated superficially, but through the boosting of Nelson’s heroic stature, Melville seemed to continue the feeling of superiority of Nelson’s character.
Although only given a glance at Vere’s actions in the beginning of the book for this part of the blog, it is his actions throughout the rest of the novel that really define his character (Williet 371). The reader is then able to see the shaping of Melville’s thoughts by the increase in harshness and praise to two different characters.
Merriman, C. D. "Herman Melville." The Literature Network. Jalic Inc., 2007. Web.
Watson, E. L. Grant. "Melville's Testament of Acceptance ." New England Quarterly 6.2 (1933): 319-25. Web. JSTOR. 21 Nov 2009.
Willet, Ralph W. "Nelson and Vere: Hero and Victim in Billy Budd, Sailor." Modern Language Association 82.5 (1967): 370-75. Web. JSTOR. 21 Nov 2009.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Small House of Uncle Thomas
There have been many different adaptations of Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This version is a mostly true to the original story. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the origin of one of the stereotypes of black people, Uncle Tom, though other stereotypes exist in the book and script.
This character was based on a real person who appeared harmless and religious. The reality that Stowe did not know when writing her story was that he was a conductor on the Underground Railroad. The Uncle Tom character in literature has come to represent an older slave who can do no harm, is trustworthy and is Christian. This is the counterpart to the Mamie character who loves her master, does all the cooking, and is typically a large unattractive woman. The Mamie character is in the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin as Chloe.
Another classic stereotype of slave and later African Americans is Pickannie. This is the slave child who is always misbehaving. Topsy is this character in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Pickannie can be a boy or a girl but in this case she Topsy is a girl.
Other than these three characters the stereotypes that existed in misteral shows and in literature do not exist in this book or script. These characters do continue to be part of American culture in books, theatre, and movies. Some of the most well known examples are: Mamie in Gone With the Wind, Uncle Remus in Song of the South, and the named characters in Show Boat.
Lecture by Ethel Walker in TA 127.
This character was based on a real person who appeared harmless and religious. The reality that Stowe did not know when writing her story was that he was a conductor on the Underground Railroad. The Uncle Tom character in literature has come to represent an older slave who can do no harm, is trustworthy and is Christian. This is the counterpart to the Mamie character who loves her master, does all the cooking, and is typically a large unattractive woman. The Mamie character is in the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin as Chloe.
Another classic stereotype of slave and later African Americans is Pickannie. This is the slave child who is always misbehaving. Topsy is this character in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Pickannie can be a boy or a girl but in this case she Topsy is a girl.
Other than these three characters the stereotypes that existed in misteral shows and in literature do not exist in this book or script. These characters do continue to be part of American culture in books, theatre, and movies. Some of the most well known examples are: Mamie in Gone With the Wind, Uncle Remus in Song of the South, and the named characters in Show Boat.
Lecture by Ethel Walker in TA 127.
Monday, November 2, 2009
A Women’s Passage
The middle passage refers to the slave ships in the nineteenth century. Servants during the middle passage endured many different emotions such as pain, suffering and confusion. Many did not know what was going on, why they were there, and what was going to happen to them? Through out time many have questioned slave women, since they have not endured the same complications as slave man, many discredit their work towards abolishment. In Robin Miskolcze article, “The Middle Passages of Nancy Flint
Jacobs now has a life changing decision to make. To every passage there is a realization to a given dilemma. Jacobs had to choose from either running away or staying forbidden as a slave. She chooses to stay but not as a slave. She is determined to be free, but she is not in favor of leaving her children. She stays in an attic, stuck for years in till Dr. Flint sells her children. When he does Jacobs finally gets the courage to let lose into the north even though she knowsFlint
work cited:
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl. Dover Publications, 2001.
Miskolcze, Robin "The Middle Passages of Nancy Prince and Harriet Jacobs." Nineteenth-Century Contexts 29.2/3 (2007): 283-293. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Nov. 2009.
Jacobs now has a life changing decision to make. To every passage there is a realization to a given dilemma. Jacobs had to choose from either running away or staying forbidden as a slave. She chooses to stay but not as a slave. She is determined to be free, but she is not in favor of leaving her children. She stays in an attic, stuck for years in till Dr. Flint sells her children. When he does Jacobs finally gets the courage to let lose into the north even though she knows
work cited:
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl. Dover Publications, 2001.
Miskolcze, Robin "The Middle Passages of Nancy Prince and Harriet Jacobs." Nineteenth-Century Contexts 29.2/3 (2007): 283-293. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Nov. 2009.
Harriet Jacobs quest for citizenship
In “Incidents in the life of a slave girl,” Harriet Jacobs presents many social issues to the reader. One of the main issues was that of equal rights and citizenship for African Americans. Throughout Jacobs’ story we follow her many trials to gain freedom from her master Mr. Flint. Her parents died at a young age and she was given to Mr. Flint’s daughter.
During this time slaves were not given rights to education, citizenship, property, or marriage unless they received their master’s consent. Rifkin states in his article that the argument for citizenship in Jacobs story is not one of the widely recognized pieces of her story. According to the article Jacobs is constantly hunting for rights and citizenship by attempting to gain a domestic home life. Throughout her story we see the constant struggle for a way to avoid her masters oppressive and obsessive rule, and one of the ways she attempts to gain her freedom is by having children with another man.
Rifkin also argues that the life Jacobs and other female slaves were forced to live manipulated their own sense of belonging. Their views were changed because the tasks expected from slaves varied with their gender, and caused a daily interruption of their natural desires and wills. When Jacobs was sent to be a house slave with her baby son she was forced to continue her work while her child cried for her outside the house. This shows that being a slave requires complete submission to your masters will, and to always put the tasks assigned to you first.
In his article Rifkin points out an important argument that is often overlooked. The slaves of the south are the natural born citizens of America, that they “replenish the country by their sweat and blood.” Their contribution to the land and the way of lives that many southern families had inevitably led to Jacobs desiring a right to be able to keep the earnings of her work, and be able to raise her family herself. Freedom was not only viewed as freedom from her master, but freedom to work and provide for, and raise her family in her own way, and get away from slaves “complex and uneven position in society.”
Works Cited
Rifkin, Mark "A Home Made Sacred by Protecting Laws": Black Activist Homemaking and Geographies of Citizenship in 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies 18.2 (2007): 72-102. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. Web. 30 Oct. 2009.
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Dover Publications, 2001.
During this time slaves were not given rights to education, citizenship, property, or marriage unless they received their master’s consent. Rifkin states in his article that the argument for citizenship in Jacobs story is not one of the widely recognized pieces of her story. According to the article Jacobs is constantly hunting for rights and citizenship by attempting to gain a domestic home life. Throughout her story we see the constant struggle for a way to avoid her masters oppressive and obsessive rule, and one of the ways she attempts to gain her freedom is by having children with another man.
Rifkin also argues that the life Jacobs and other female slaves were forced to live manipulated their own sense of belonging. Their views were changed because the tasks expected from slaves varied with their gender, and caused a daily interruption of their natural desires and wills. When Jacobs was sent to be a house slave with her baby son she was forced to continue her work while her child cried for her outside the house. This shows that being a slave requires complete submission to your masters will, and to always put the tasks assigned to you first.
In his article Rifkin points out an important argument that is often overlooked. The slaves of the south are the natural born citizens of America, that they “replenish the country by their sweat and blood.” Their contribution to the land and the way of lives that many southern families had inevitably led to Jacobs desiring a right to be able to keep the earnings of her work, and be able to raise her family herself. Freedom was not only viewed as freedom from her master, but freedom to work and provide for, and raise her family in her own way, and get away from slaves “complex and uneven position in society.”
Works Cited
Rifkin, Mark "A Home Made Sacred by Protecting Laws": Black Activist Homemaking and Geographies of Citizenship in 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies 18.2 (2007): 72-102. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. Web. 30 Oct. 2009.
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Dover Publications, 2001.
Harriet’s Intellectual Advantage
Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery in North Carolina. Her parents died at a young age resulting in her forming a strong bond with her grandmother, who had been freed from slavery. Harriet was owned by a young girl, whose father continually sexually harassed her. Jacobs escaped and was in hiding for many years, eventually ending up in New York (Encyclopædia Britannica). Because she was literate, she published a book on her life; Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Harriet learned how to read at a young age and was one of few slaves that knew how to write. Being able to write as a slave was extremely rare. “As a slave, she owns—because of her ability to write—a weapon used by the slave culture to maintain oppression” (Wardrop, 210). Keeping slaves intellectually inferior was a form of social control slave owners used to keep their dominance over slaves. Slave owners dehumanized their slaves, viewing them as nothing more than chattel. Having a slave that was literate is intimidating to a slave owner because it makes the slave more human.
The fact that Harriet obtains this “weapon” aids to her success. Wardrop adds that “Linda makes use of writing as an instrument of agency and power toward liberation.” She was able to write letters to Dr. Flint, throwing him off as to where she was hiding. Someone who cannot read or write is isolated in the fact that the only way to communicate to others is through talking.
Reading and writing also keeps Harriet in touch with her family. She is able to hear from her brother, William, who advises her not to come to see him in prison (Jacobs, 86). Without this letter, she could have impulsively come out of hiding to see her family, and been caught. Being able to read saved her life.
Throughout the story of her life, Harriet shares of her resistance towards Dr. Flint’s abuse, hiding for years, and becoming free. Harriet’s ability to write was rare for a female slave; and she gives the U.S. an account on slavery from a female perspective. The incidents of Harriet’s life are still beneficial today, as a reminder of the United States cruel and abusive past. If she had not learned to write, her story would be silenced and unknown today.
"Harriet A. Jacobs." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 01 Nov. 2009.
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Dover Publications, 2001.
Wardrop, Daneen. “ ‘I Stuck the Gimlet in and Waited for Evening’: Writing and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.” Texas Studies in Literature & Language; Fall2007, Vol. 49 Issue 3, p209-229, 21 Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, San Jose, CA. 1 Nov. 2009 < http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=5&hid=3&sid=ad2f3edb-db32-4c59-9ba3-154cd2b11f03%40sessionmgr11>
Harriet learned how to read at a young age and was one of few slaves that knew how to write. Being able to write as a slave was extremely rare. “As a slave, she owns—because of her ability to write—a weapon used by the slave culture to maintain oppression” (Wardrop, 210). Keeping slaves intellectually inferior was a form of social control slave owners used to keep their dominance over slaves. Slave owners dehumanized their slaves, viewing them as nothing more than chattel. Having a slave that was literate is intimidating to a slave owner because it makes the slave more human.
The fact that Harriet obtains this “weapon” aids to her success. Wardrop adds that “Linda makes use of writing as an instrument of agency and power toward liberation.” She was able to write letters to Dr. Flint, throwing him off as to where she was hiding. Someone who cannot read or write is isolated in the fact that the only way to communicate to others is through talking.
Reading and writing also keeps Harriet in touch with her family. She is able to hear from her brother, William, who advises her not to come to see him in prison (Jacobs, 86). Without this letter, she could have impulsively come out of hiding to see her family, and been caught. Being able to read saved her life.
Throughout the story of her life, Harriet shares of her resistance towards Dr. Flint’s abuse, hiding for years, and becoming free. Harriet’s ability to write was rare for a female slave; and she gives the U.S. an account on slavery from a female perspective. The incidents of Harriet’s life are still beneficial today, as a reminder of the United States cruel and abusive past. If she had not learned to write, her story would be silenced and unknown today.
"Harriet A. Jacobs." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 01 Nov. 2009
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Dover Publications, 2001.
Wardrop, Daneen. “ ‘I Stuck the Gimlet in and Waited for Evening’: Writing and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.” Texas Studies in Literature & Language; Fall2007, Vol. 49 Issue 3, p209-229, 21 Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, San Jose, CA. 1 Nov. 2009 < http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=5&hid=3&sid=ad2f3edb-db32-4c59-9ba3-154cd2b11f03%40sessionmgr11>
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