Tiye Aton

Post Notes

Post Notes 1

The passage I am referring to discusses how the rulers of Suriname will set an example by punishing Oroonoko: "But calling these special rulers of the nation together, and requiring their counsel in this weighty affair, they all concluded that (damn them) it might be their own cases; and that Caesar ought to be made an example to all the Negroes to fright them from daring to threaten their betters, their lords and masters, and at this rate, no man was safe from how own slaves, and concluded nemine contradicente, that Caesar should be hanged." (Behn, 70) This passage led me to wonder about his journey to America, and how these rulers obtained their power and classified themselves as inherently superior or "better." While reading this text, I was reminded of the gaps in the history surrounding the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Furthermore, Aphra Behn’s perspective offered in the text present the importance of narrative while recounting history. In searching for a secondary source, my internet results produced a website concerning slave voyages. I realized the material I stumbled upon was a digital database that serves as an archive of slave ship voyages over the course of history. It stated on the website that this project is a resource of collaborative research from scholars across the world. This project is a culmination of data from the 1960s, that is constantly being re-evaluated and expanded upon in contemporary society. From 2015-2018, the website was recoded and modernized with new interfaces.

On the website, I wanted to see if I could locate a ship that was similar to the journey Behn discussed in her text. Once I narrowed the parameters according to the year, I found a ship that departed from the Bight of Biafra (which is on the West Coast of Africa) that arrived in Suriname. I concluded that this ship is most likely the one the author was depicting in the story of Oroonoko’s capture and translocation to the New World. The log accounted for information like the name of the vessel, the captain’s name, and the number of people that boarded in West Africa and arrived in Suriname. I liked the specificity because it accounts for the lives lost on the journey there and African Americans’ fragmented history in America. This archival information enhances my understanding of Oroonoko because it contextualizes the story in a very real way. Although it was Behn’s travel narrative, and it is lauded as the first anti-slavery text in circulation; this is based on real events and real people. This resource expands my understanding of the passage and supports my thesis statement. Despite this groundbreaking work in this field, there are many names, faces, and stories that are lost in the Atlantic ocean due to the enslavement of Africans. We should read these archives with a dual perspective, recognizing and reconciling with the history of America.

Post Notes 2

Poetry as a Mode of Religiosity in India

This poet should be included in our anthology because it is an example of poetry in an international context. In the frame of history and literature, we tend to look towards the West and rarely focus on Eastern influences. Kamalakanta grapples with race and religion in a similar way that many American authors adopted. As we understand poetry to be a vehicle of self-expression and redefine the genre, it was a powerful tool of speech. However, religion and spirituality were at the center of life in the eighteenth century, so it makes sense that many of Kamalakanta’s poems revolve around Kali, his higher power. Kamalakanta Bhattacharya was a Bengali Shakta and popular yogi in the late eighteenth century. Although he grew up poor, his mother managed to send him to higher education. As he became proficient in the Sanskrit language, he developed an affinity for poetry and music. Later in life, he was mentored by a Tantric yogi named Kenaram Bhattacharya. Throughout his lifetime, he was a great devotee of Kali and wrote many impassioned and devotional love songs. The spirit of Kali is depicted as a destroyer of ignorance and hostile forces. So, Kamalakanta’s poetry embodies heroism and religiosity in the faith of Kali. Although Kali is a black and terrifying form, he doesn’t depict it as such. In the poem entitled: “Is My Mother Really Black”, he states “If She’s black/how can She light up the world?/Sometimes my Mother is white/sometimes yellow, blue, and red/I cannot fathom Her.” This line characterizes blackness as the antithesis of light which is synonymous with faith and purity. In the twenty-first century, this may be perceived as problematic as it contributes to our concept of racism and colorism. Yet, the spirit of Kali was viewed as a liberator of bondage and exceeding beyond limitations. The poems were recorded as songs in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna alongside Ramprasad. The songs were revered as direct visions from God that displayed fidelity to the Divine Mother. He lived from 1769 to 1821.

Annotated Bibliography

“Is My Mother Really Black.” Poet Seers, www.poetseers.org/spiritual-and-devotional-poets/india/kamalakanta/kamalakanta-poems/is-my-mother-really-black/.

This poem is about Kamalakanta refuting the association of Kali to blackness. Blackness was viewed as terrifying and probably tied to the social construct of race. This exudes in the poem as he envisions his Mother as white, yellow, red, or blue rather than black. He personifies Kali and slowly reduces her from "a "Matter" to a complete void. This poem works well in discussing race relations in the Eastern regions of the world because it clearly presents blackness as being aligned with evil and terrifying.

“O Kali.” Poetry Seers, www.poetseers.org/spiritual-and-devotional-poets/india/kamalakanta/kamalakanta-poems/o-kali/.

This poem is a prayer worshipping the width of the spirit Kali’s strength. He personifies her ability with descriptive imagery. She is described as clapping, singing, and dancing which symbolizes life and happiness. He displays her as omnipotent and powerful multiple stanzas: “we are but instruments in Your hands.” Kamalakanta inserts himself in the poem and discusses attaining Shivahood which is abstaining from all sorts of pleasure and indulgence. This poem proves his undying love and devotion to Kali.

“O Kali, Mother Full of Bliss.” Poet Seers, www.poetseers.org/spiritual-and-devotional-poets/india/kamalakanta/kamalakanta-poems/o-kali-mother-full-of-bliss/.

Kamalakanta reiterates similar themes in this shorter poem regarding his devotion to Kali. He utilizes imagery and casts her as “the Mover of all moves” and humans as “her helpless toys.” This renders her omnipotent as a powerful deterrent in him making ungodly choices. At the conclusion of the poem, he states that she has killed his virtue and sin with a flashing sword which is an example of how religion has filled his spirit.

Post 3

The Characterization of Gulliver

Jonathan Swift constructs Gulliver’s character as a traveler venturing into strange new worlds. The settlements in each book of Gulliver’s travels are utilized as a backdrop for Swift’s satirical references to the social and political climate of England. In each of the books, Gulliver arrives at the island in a mysterious and inexplicable nature. In each book, Gulliver makes a concerted effort to communicate with the settlement, without passing judgment or asserting his moral or physical superiority. Yet, as the book progresses, Gulliver does begin to evaluate the ethics of the society he enters and English society in comparison. In Book Four, Gulliver is placed on an island where horses (or Houyhnhnms) are the governing bodies that corral and domesticate humans (or Yahoos). In Chapter 2, a quote that showcases the parallels between the subservience of Yahoos and horses in English society: “About noon, I saw coming towards the house a kind of vehicle drawn like a sledge by four Yahoos.” As Gulliver begins to learn the language and understand how humans are perceived as animalistic and savages an explains the taming of horses in English society. Consequently, Gulliver is framed as an authority on the behavior of Yahoos because he is regarded as a civilized and respectable version of a Yahoo. Yet, Gulliver refuses to be categorized as such and asks the Houyhnhnms to stop referring to him as a Yahoo. Gulliver states: “I expressed my uneasiness at his giving me so often the appellation of Yahoo, an odious animal, for which I had so utter a hatred and contempt: I begged he would forbear applying that word to me, and make the same order in his family and among his friends whom he suffered to see me” This positions Gulliver as superior and a figure of authority because his teachability, reasoning, and cleanliness differentiated him from the Yahoos. Gulliver becomes a reference for the Houyhnhnms because they cannot fathom the idea of Yahoos as civilized creatures. As he continues to inform them of European society and the domestication of horses, he becomes an authority on English society and the nature of Yahoos (humanity). This impacts my reading of Gulliver’s Travels because his narration of each journey further causes me to question his level of reliability. Following my reading of Book Four, I am wondering about the intentionality of Jonathan Swift in the inversion of the human-horse relationship. By establishing the Houyhnhnms as the governing body of society, the reader is interrogating the breadth of human intellect and the reasoning for domesticating animals.

Works Cited

Swift, Jonathan, and David Womersley. Gullivers Travels. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2012.

Post 5

Is Equiano's Narrative Interesting?

Olaudah Equiano’s sociopolitical critique of the slave trade is integral to a reading of the novel. This text is a physical archive of the harsh realities of enslavement from the moment Equiano was kidnapped, at age eleven, until he bought his freedom. Yet, the chronology, names, and dates included within the narrative are not verifiable. The historicization of Equiano’s account is important because it is not as much a travel narrative, nor an autobiography, but a petition. The narration forces the reader to remember that his travels were a compulsory migration to another continent, which impacts his perception of America and white Europeans. In an effort to write this narrative and establish himself as credible, he invoked other sources about the African continent which were written by Europeans. S.E Ogude expounds in his article entitled “Facts into Fiction: Equiano’s Narrative Reconsidered” by stating: “The only obvious conclusion is that in his narrative, Equiano relied less on the memory of the experience and more on other sources” (Ogude, 32)

Therefore, the modern-day reader must consider the author’s intent in writing this autobiography. Olaudah Equiano’s account causes us to think of how America was shaped by the colonialization, subjugation, and enslavement of African people. But, it is also causes the reader to consider how the abolitionist’s movement in England was fueled by Equiano’s narrative. Consequently, we begin to see Equiano’s project as instrumental rather than foundational in the abolitionist’s movement. It is fair to assume that it is Equiano’s namesake that holds greater value in English society, than the content of his narrative.

Unlike Oroonoko and Gulliver’s Travels which were loosely based on historical events, Olaudah Equiano survived and had the opportunity to tell his story through the travel genre. In travel narratives, there is an emphasis on nature and descriptive language. But in the text, it is Equiano’s intention to debunk legends and myths about the African continent rather than conjure beautiful images for his readers. S.E Ogude also states: “It is also natural that these legends should romanticize Africa, and for his immediate purposes, Equiano definitely had cause to paint a brighter picture of what was to be called the Dark Continent.”(Ogude, 31) Throughout the novel, Equiano proves that African society is organized and civilized while establishing that the people are capable, intelligent, and skilled which is why he goes into great detail explaining his community: “Our land is uncommonly rich and fruitful, and produces all sorts of vegetables in great abundance….We have also spices of different kinds, particularly pepper; and a variety of delicious fruits which I have never seen in Europe…”(Equiano, 43) He continuously compares and contrasts Africa, America, and Europe to signify the difference in spices to the varying treatment of those enslaved. Overall, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa was useful for English society and politics. However, in the interest of historians and those affected by the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, Equiano’s text does not do it justice.

Works Cited

Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of The Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself. Publisher Unlisted, 2019.

Ogude, S. E. “Facts into Fiction: Equiano's Narrative Reconsidered.” Research in African Literatures, vol. 13, no. 1, 1982, pp. 31–43. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4618069. Accessed 2 Apr. 2020.

Post 6

The Controversial Depiction of Olaudah's Narrative

Olaudah Equiano’s sociopolitical critique of the slave trade is integral to a reading of the novel. This text is a physical archive of the harsh realities of enslavement from the moment Equiano was kidnapped, at age eleven, until he bought his freedom. Yet, the chronology, names, and dates included within the narrative are not verifiable. The historicization of Equiano’s account is important because it is not as much a travel narrative, nor an autobiography, but a petition. The narration forces the reader to remember that his travels were a compulsory migration to another continent, which impacts his perception of America and white Europeans. In an effort to write this narrative and establish himself as credible, he invoked other sources about the African continent which were written by Europeans. S.E Ogude expounds in his article entitled “Facts into Fiction: Equiano’s Narrative Reconsidered” by stating: “The only obvious conclusion is that in his narrative, Equiano relied less on the memory of the experience and more on other sources” (Ogude, 32)

Therefore, the modern-day reader must consider the author’s intent in writing this autobiography. Olaudah Equiano’s account causes us to think of how America was shaped by the colonialization, subjugation, and enslavement of African people. But, it is also causes the reader to consider how the abolitionist’s movement in England was fueled by Equiano’s narrative. Consequently, we begin to see Equiano’s project as instrumental rather than foundational in the abolitionist’s movement. It is fair to assume that it is Equiano’s namesake that holds greater value in English society, than the content of his narrative.

Unlike Oroonoko and Gulliver’s Travels which were loosely based on historical events, Olaudah Equiano survived and had the opportunity to tell his story through the travel genre. In travel narratives, there is an emphasis on nature and descriptive language. But in the text, it is Equiano’s intention to debunk legends and myths about the African continent rather than conjure beautiful images for his readers. S.E Ogude also states: “It is also natural that these legends should romanticize Africa, and for his immediate purposes, Equiano definitely had cause to paint a brighter picture of what was to be called the Dark Continent.”(Ogude, 31) Throughout the novel, Equiano proves that African society is organized and civilized while establishing that the people are capable, intelligent, and skilled which is why he goes into great detail explaining his community: “Our land is uncommonly rich and fruitful, and produces all sorts of vegetables in great abundance….We have also spices of different kinds, particularly pepper; and a variety of delicious fruits which I have never seen in Europe…”(Equiano, 43) He continuously compares and contrasts Africa, America, and Europe to signify the difference in spices to the varying treatment of those enslaved. Overall, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa was useful for English society and politics. However, in the interest of historians and those affected by the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, Equiano’s text does not do it justice.

Works Cited

Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of The Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself. Publisher Unlisted, 2019.

Ogude, S. E. “Facts into Fiction: Equiano's Narrative Reconsidered.” Research in African Literatures, vol. 13, no. 1, 1982, pp. 31–43. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4618069. Accessed 2 Apr. 2020.