Literary Works

Louis D. Mitchell's literary works shed light on his experiences as a black man in an academic and artistic community in the 20th century.

Purpose Behind His Writing

Amongst Louis D. Mitchell's many literary works is a memoir. In this, he details his upbringing, with a family and community from which he learned the power of storytelling. He was told stories of his black ancestors. These were not always straightforward or entirely factually accurate, but they conveyed greater truths about how their experiences were felt not only by themselves but generationally.

Mitchell would embody this philosophy in his writing:

"one common element of a good story, however, was ever present in their sharing of both myths and legends; it was delight of our imagination. They knew there was truth in their myths..." (Mitchell, n.d.).

Link to his memoir:

https://digitalprojects.scranton.edu/s/rememberingblackness/item/2733

(“Introduction” by Louis D. Mitchell · Re-Membering Blackness at the University of Scranton · WML Omeka S, 2023)

Sharing His Passion

Throughout Mitchell's career at the University of Scranton, he worked as an English professor. In this position, he educated students from a predominantly white school on the black experience through channels of literature.

(Black Literature Course Listing in 1971-1972 Undergraduate Catalog · Re-Membering Blackness at the University of Scranton · WML Omeka S, 2022)

(Transcription Pleases Professor · Re-Membering Blackness at the University of Scranton · WML Omeka S, 2022)

Use of Braille

As a blind PhD whose area of expertise was literature, braille was an important tool to Mitchell. In a student newspaper article from the University of Scranton, they highlighted Mitchell's connection to "the Braille Group." The woman pictured next to Mitchell, Mrs. Samuel Dinner, had transcribed 59 volumes of text to braille for Dr. Mitchell. Additionally, in the background of the photo is a braille transcription of Homer's Illiad, which at the time was believed to be the only copy in the world. This article came out in 1962, predating strong legal regulations pertaining to disabilities. This speaks to his ambition as well as the value the community saw in him at the early stages of his carear in Scranton.

(611 Monroe Ave, Scranton, P.A., Google Earth, 2023)

These copies were put in Dr. Mitchell's library, 611 Monroe Ave, Scranton, P.A., where he presumably gave greater access to his collection.

Link to article:

https://digitalprojects.scranton.edu/s/rememberingblackness/item/2568

Writings

Shakespeare's Miranda

In Mitchell's memoir, he compared his family to Miranda, from Shakespeare's The Tempest. This was at a point where they were leaving Columbus County, North Carolina, home to their family for generations. It was everything they knew, both their loving community and history riddled with racism, yet they were optimally looking towards a better future. Shapkespear's character is a girl who can be described as "innocent, artless and sweet." (Sturgiss - Shakespere's Miranda, 1935). This comparison highlights not only the pure light in which he viewed the progression of his family but also the many black people he'd write about in similar circumstances. At the beginning of their embarkment, however, as part of this same comparison, he referred to them as "slightly disillusioned ones." Although The Tempest is a comedy and Miranda is married by the end, her innocence is revealed to be more of naivety, as she endures hardships such as being nearly sexually assaulted. Mitchell's reference to this foreshadows the hardships his own family would suffer, while also illuminating the extent of the pain black people with dreams of a decent and fair future would encounter when these were shattered.

(“[Costume Sketches for Various Characters From: Merchant of Venice, Merry Wives of Windsor, the Tempest, and Twelfth Night] [Graphic] / Gabriel.: [ART Box G118] [Costume Sketches for Various Characters From: Merchant of Venice, Merry Wives of Windsor, the Tempest, and Twelfth Night] [Graphic] / Gabriel.,” n.d.)

A Letter About a Former Master is a short story of Dr. Mitchell's from an unknown date. It tells the story of a former slave, Curtis, raised by another former slave, Uncle Ben Spaulding, who was the son of his former master. It takes place in the late 18th century in Columbus Country, NC, Dr. Mitchell's home state.

Mitchell explored the attitude former slaves held about their experiences:

"Like Ben before him, Curtis also resisted being owned; he hated the cruel commands, the condescending attitudes, the abominable food, the disrespectful references to the color of his skin, the punishments arbitrarily given, and, above all, his master's continual invasion of what little privacy Curtis could snatch in the woods, in the quiet of his bed, in the peace of the fields, and in the tranquility he discovered behind an old abandoned barn on the farthest outpost of the plantation." ("A Letter About a Former Master", 3).

It has not been discovered as to whether Louis D. Mitchell was directly a descendant of slaves; however, it is evident that his southern black family was subjected to segregation. This text speaks to the overbearing weight racism holds on those forced to endure it, and the grip it maintains on those who feel they may have escaped.

(Gomez - North Carolina Plantation Founded by the Philips Family, 2020).

Dr. Mitchell further explored the impact inhumane abuse plays on the soul:

"It was better for Ben to feel no love for his father, but he saw his father's disrespect for the nature of man and disregard for the nature of God as being close to unforgivable." ("A Letter About a Fromer Master", 7).

"...my hatred for him has poisoned my soul irrecoverably, for hating another human being is to love oneself less." ("A Letter About a Former Master", 10).

This illuminates a paradox those subject to racism face. Dr. Mitchell, a religious man, believed hatred is poison to the soul. It is a burden to carry hate for someone, elevated to those who suffer abuses like being enslaved by one's parent. Yet, as he explains, it is better to feel no love for those who try stripping people of their human dignity, and who commit "unforgivable" acts. This puts subjects of racism into painful contradictions straining to the soul.

(St. Paul A.M.E. Church, n.d.)

Louis D. Mitchell grew up in a religous family and community. (“Introduction” by Louis D. Mitchell · Re-Membering Blackness at the University of Scranton · WML Omeka S, 2023). His writings included religous themses that strengthened other messages about opression and opressors:

"His God for Sunday is the Almighty, he claims, and for the rest of the week I say that it is either cruelty or money..." ("A Letter About a Fromer Master," 10).

To the right is a photo of St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, which was built in 1910. (St. Paul A.M.E Church, n.d.). This serves as an example of a community simular to that which Mitchell likly grew up in.

By the end of the short story, CurtIs wrote a letter about his former slave master to his adoptive parents, in which he would detail his retaliation:

"... I dared serve him a seemingly delicious ragout of delicate and fine beef, inon, and potato. I mixed in a felightul ingrediant of my own choosing. Yes, Papa and Mama, I subtly added in the deep scarlet flesh of the lethal nightshade." ("A Letter About a Fromer Slave Master", 11).

To the left is a picture of the posoin he describes, also known as "devil's cherries." (Solamaceae: Belladonna, n.d.). This is a suprising ending based on Dr. Mitchell's religious and kind nature. This was used to create a sense of empathy for those who might lash out. Curtus thorghout the story was characterized as caring and harworking. This was not in his nature, so it speaks to what drove him to his actions.

This message is furthered when Curtus writes in his letter:

"I thought I was a free man, and yet, what is the power that compelled me to kill this man, who, thought the lowest of scoundrels, was still a human bring." ("A Letter Abouto a Fromer Slave Master," 11).

Although Dr. Mitchell certaintly did not kill anyone, this is him speaking through his characters. He is descrubing the enduring plauging effect that slavery, or racism at large, can continue to hold on those who have endured or are decendants of those who have endured it.

(Solanaceae: Belladonna, n.d.)

Link to Letter To a Fromer Master:

https://digitalprojects.scranton.edu/s/rememberingblackness/item/2747

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