Throughout the history of America, those who have been oppressed have been contributing to the literature of this country. Like every other minority group in the United States, some of the literature is good and some is not. Thankfully there is a plethora of good literature which teaches us more about African American culture. The most influential African American literature has been brought to the masses since the mid 1800s. In 1845, Fredrick Douglass published his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave which opened the public’s eyes the dealings of slavery. He gave an inside look at the tool that slavery takes on the body and the mind. In the 1920s, a new movement began which reinvented African American Literature. The Harlem Renaissance was a movement encouraging and “celebrating black voices in the arts” according to enotes.com. Out of this movement came Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen whose “strongest poems question the benevolence of a Creator who has bestowed a race with such mixed blessings.” (poets.org) Throughout the rest of the century, African American Literature blossomed and contributed to the performing arts and even mainstream television. Alice Walker’s The Color Purple was transformed into an award winning Broadway musical while Oprah Winfrey was taking over day time television with her talk show and soon developed a book club.
Sources:
http://www.enotes.com/topics/african-american-literature
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5657
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5657
Discussion Questions:
1. What were you taught about African American Lit. in high school?
2. Did you read any? If so, what did you read?
3. Have you taken any African American Lit. classes outside of high school?
We did study African American literature when I was in high school. It was interesting though. Teachers usually only taught it during Black History Month. I remember reading Their Eyes Were Watching God in English IV and the teacher’s preface about how this book would represent the black community’s contribution to literature. She talked for about five minutes about the importance of multiculturalism to eighteen white kids. Maybe, if at least one of us had not been white, she would have taught it in more depth, and she might have acted like she believed what she was saying. I think high school level literature is often a collection of dead white guys that teachers praise. The occasional black author is stuck in during the “right time” for variety. I think this goes back to the first week of discussion where we talked about the difference in being an American author and being a Jewish American author. When we read Faulkner and Shakespeare and Twain in high school, we spent very little time learning about their lives and when we did research the author it was to find out things like the number of awards they had won or how amazing it was that they overcame poverty or some other obstacle. When we read about black authors, the text was always prefaced with, “Now, we are moving into a unit on African American Literature” in the most monotone and annoyed voice possible. This statement was usually followed by some comment about slavery and/or dialect differences. The teachers seemed just as bored with the unit as the students did. Multicultural literature was a “must” in the curriculum, and most teachers taught one book by a black, Indian, or “other” author.
ReplyDeleteI think African American literature has come a long way since Frederick Douglas. I think it is time that we recognize the importance of cultural variety in our literature and our day-to-day lives. Schools are becoming more and more diverse; literature is becoming more and more diverse. I plan to use the wide range of texts that we have studying in this class plus some in my classroom. Students need to be exposed to multiculturalism far before their junior and senior years in college. It’s all around us, and it’s time we acknowledge it.
What a horrible experience, Jessica? (can't remember who "ewfrogs" is--oh, wait, must be Elizabeth...maybe sign your posts?). You say, When we read about black authors, the text was always prefaced with, “Now, we are moving into a unit on African American Literature” in the most monotone and annoyed voice possible.
ReplyDeleteThat's the problem (to take us back to a topic from the beginning of the semester) with organizing by identity group. Themes allow inter-penetration.....
So well said Elizabeth. This nation is becoming so diverse that if you don't teach multicultural literature we cripple our students. I read very little African American literature in grade school. I remember reading slave narratives for about a week, but that's about it. We did one project in the 10th grade. I chose Phillis Wheatley from a hat. Other students chose different authors and we did about a fifteen minute presentation and read a selection from our chosen author. That took about two weeks and that was the extent of our African American literature education. Like you, I think she would have gone more in depth if she had had a more diverse group of students. But I feel stifled. When I moved to Bowling Green to attend WKU, suddenly my pond was an ocean and I was adrift. In my literature classes as an English major I have read a very diverse mix of literature. While others thought it was old hat stuff, it was new to me. We introduce almost every author and learn background, so it's not the, “now let's learn about African American authors” spiel. I had the great opportunity to take African American Literature as an elective several semesters ago. I liked that, not only did we read literature from classic authors, but more modern authors as well. I think it is a great idea to expose students to both, before they are out of high school.
ReplyDeleteI read some African American literature during highschool, but most of it was limited to biographies or historical accounts of famous African Americans. I vaguely remember reading some poetry by Maya Angelou, Nat Turner’s “diary,” and some of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speeches, but anything else escapes my memory. I have tried (in vain) to enroll in African American Literature during my time at WKU but unfortunately for me, it seems to be a very popular elective and I was not able to fit it into my schedule. If I ever go back and pursue another degree, I would love to enroll in such a course. Until then, I will continue my own journey of multicultural literature… any suggestions regarding excellent African American lit selections would be greatly appreciated!
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