AADS/ENGL 3328.01
Hannah Craft uses knowledge of the Bible as a marker of a dangerous education for slaves, not connected to their ability to read or write, but due to the content of the material. The knowledge gained by slaves through the reading of the Bibles allows for slaves to find themselves within the narratives and put…
Hannah Craft’s The Bondswoman Narrative touches on the stories of the dead through the connections the deceased have with the mortal world. The ominous effect of describing the dead acts as a way to emphasize the presence of death on southern slaves and the oppressive feeling that existed beyond the lifetimes of slaveholders. Craft writes…
Shange utilizes dancing as another form of ritual for communing and remembering the ancestors. The expression of “love,” “adoration, ” and the “union of spirits” are attributed to dancing. There is no form or requirements, but the act of dancing is its own ritual for remembering the past, for embracing the present, and creating a…