Essay Sample on Universal Ideas and Emotions Through Specific Contexts

Introduction

It is easy to make judgments on resources before first exploring the said resources. That has always been the case when it came to African American writers. Most people assume that all African Americans wrote about was the slavery and racial inequality that the black people have experienced at the hands of the white people. Many never stop to question if there is more to their writing than a mere lamentation of the past and if the writers are capable of using their personal experience in the form of literature to express more about themselves as well as the various ideas and concepts that they may have in regards to different aspects of life. This paper, therefore, analyzes the different ideas that African American writers have expressed in their literature.

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The book "Between The World" and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates explores the feeling of fear in the African American community. The fear, according to Coates was first initiated by slavery then continued through the constant state of violence in America. Since then African Americans have been accompanied by fear ever since they were brought to America. From slavery to modern day life, Coates explores how fear has dominated the African American existence. Ta-Nehisi Coates uses imagery, analogies and constant questioning to illustrate the fearful lives of some African Americans. For instance, Coates expresses the reason for his opinion on why African Americans are in a constant state of fear by saying that "The host wanted to know why I felt that the progress of White America is founded on looting and violence. Hearing this, I felt an old and distinct sadness well up in me" (Coates 8).

Religion can be identified as one of the primary contexts in the book "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" as well as in the film "12 years a slave". In both the film and the narrative, religion plays a crucial role in identifying the difference between good and evil. In the book, Douglas uses his version of religion to express the difference between himself and the 'hypocritical' version of the slaveholders. His Christianity is built on the teachings of Christ and is genuine, unlike the slaveholders who use their pretentions to devotions to conceal their evilness and corrupt nature. This thesis is confirmed when he claims that, "I, therefore, hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land." (Douglass 100). Douglass also identifies the traditions of Africans and aligns them with Christianity as legitimate. In the film "12 Years a Slave", Ford portrays himself as a religious person and does not use the name of God in vain, unlike Epp and Tibeats who swear profusely and use the name of God in vain. The character of Epp and Tibeats towards religion identifies them as bad people while Ford is seen as a good person. The film also gives the notion that religion was identified as a source of comfort, solace, and calm among the slaves. The different scenes in the movie recognize that religion weaves the context of an afterlife that is free of bondage to the slaves through a myriad of lines.

Slavery has been identified in many contexts as the key theme among many African American kinds of literature. Slavery has been used in a different meaning in the books "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave," "Between The World" and Me and in the film "12 Years a Slave." According to Douglass, slavery has been depicted as a perverse condition that oppresses as well as bruises its captives both physically and mentally. The slaves were oppressed entirely to the extent that they were unaware of even their birthdays and separated from their families and friends. As if that was not enough, Douglass identifies instances where slaves were brutally beaten, raped and deprived of sufficient food. The slaves were also denied education, not allowed to marry whomever they choose. Similarly, slavery ruined people who were kind and fair and turned them into slaveholders who abused power. Coates, on the other hand, uses the context of slavery to explain how America destroyed and pillaged black bodies. He further identifies the number of people that were enslaved while at the same time reminding his readers that every slave was a living being that had hopes, dreams and the ability to hurt emotionally. In the film, McQueen displays the corruptive nature of slavery. Similar to Douglass' narrative the film depicts instances where kind white people turned into tyrants. Furthermore, the film identifies the violence, cruelty as well as sexual abuse which were considered okay by the slaveholders and showed how slavery was bad for slaves, for free labor, and also bad for the white people who took part in it.

The themes of African pride, solidarity, individualism, and even disappointments are continuous all through the poems written during the Harlem Renaissance. The tension that was present during the Harlem Renaissance between the Americans and African Americans was substantially due to the constant challenging of the moral, social and racial beliefs. Renaissance poetry offers a distinctive perspective, which demonstrates their writing. Famous Renaissance writers such as Hughes, McKay, and Cullen used their talents to communicate political messages. These messages further reinforced the solidarity, individualism as well as pride among African Americans. Furthermore, the poems also had a personal note to them. For instance, the majority of the poems written by Cullen appear more personal as they attempt to correct the contrast between the past and present of the narrator in terms of his Christian upbringing and African heritage. The personal note of these writings made the work more appealing to the audience since the writer expressed what many people were experiencing during the time and were able to relate to their condition. This quality further made their work more famous and widespread.

Conclusion

In conclusion, African American writers were very talented and used their talents to reveal universal ideas that were very relatable to the African American community. The authors were able to put their personal experiences into stories that captivated the audience and made them aware of a particular situation. Furthermore, the personal experiences of the authors provide a realistic analysis that indicates the importance of the given context. The personal experiences also provide the audience with a reason on why the topic is important and the effects on the audience. For instance, the film "12 Years a Slave" echoes the terrible effects of slavery on everyone who took part. The notion is not new as it was indicated in the various books such as "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" and "Between Me and the World". The only difference is how the authors express themselves and the characters involved. Everyone has different perspectives despite the context being similar. As a result, that is the reason why different styles of writing exist in the world.

Works Cited

12 Years a Slave. Directed by Steve McQueen, Perf. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard. 2013. 2013. Film.

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. Spiegel & Grau, 2015.

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. The Anti-Slavery Office, No. 25 Cornhill, Boston, 1845.