Slave narratives like Truth’s served many purposes and many followed similar patterns. Consider the following statement:
From Frances Smith Foster, Witnessing Slavery: The Development of Ante-bellum Slave Narratives, [2d. ed., 1994]: “In the slave narrative, the mythological pattern is realized in four chronological phases. First comes the loss of innocence, which is objectified through the development of an awareness of what it means to be a slave. This can be compared to the descent from perfection or mortification. The mortification process includes purgation, for as the slave learns the meaning of slavery, he also tries to purge himself of those elements that would facilitate enslavement. Second is the realization of alternatives to bondage and the formulation of resolve to be free. This decision begins the ascent to the ideal, or invigoration. The resolution to quit slavery is, in effect, a climax to a conversion experience. The third phase is the escape. Whether it occurs between two sentences or forms the largest portion of the narrative, it is part of the struggle to overcome evil. The interest at this point is in the details, the pitfalls and obstacles, the sufferings and moments of bravery encountered in the process of achieving freedom. Although the first attempt sometimes ends in the capture, the outcome is never in doubt. The narrative, after all, was written by a freeman. The fourth phase is that of freedom obtained. It is the arrival at the City of God or the New Jerusalem and it corresponds to the jubilation period of ancient ritual” (85). (Quote found at- http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/slave.htm (Links to an external site.))
Your assignment is to decide whether Truth’s narrative fits the pattern prescribed in the quote above. Then answer the following analytical questions: Is Truth’s book more a work of imaginative literature or of history? In what ways is Truth’s Narrative a work of abolitionist propaganda? In what ways is it a historical source on the nature and arguments of the abolitionist movement in antebellum America?
To do well on this paper you MUST provide specific examples (quotations) from the book, making sure you cite them properly. Download READ-Truth Introduction.pdf
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