Race and Gender Discrimination

This week's reading includes work by Thomas Jefferson, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Fanny Fern. All of these authors wrote about oppression--some about race and others about gender. I found these pieces to be very powerful and filled with emotion. It is incredible to me that they could present such strong feelings in the form of words on a page.

Jefferson wrote about the tension between Indians and white men in "Notes on the State of Virginia." A chief named Logan fed hungry whites and clothed naked ones until an Indian stole from them. The outraged whites slaughtered Logan's entire family. Logan says, "There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature," and "Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one." These two lines convey the pain wrought by one side punishing the innocent in order to get revenge for a trivial act that shoud have been negotiated.

Frederick Douglass criticized America for claiming to be the land of the free and argued that it is hypocritical. Slavery should not exist in such a place, yet he is reminded of its reality every Fourth of July as he watches people around him celebrate their freedom--a luxury he does not participate in. He claims that a black person is a man and that men are entitled to liberty. He also states that light is not strong enough to make his point, but rather he needs fire to reveal the injustice he faces on a daily basis. This burning passion is one of the things that makes him such a powerful voice of literature during this period.

Sojourner Truth spoke up for women's rights in a speech she delivered at a convention. She stated the following: "I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man." Her point is that her physical worth equals that of a man, therefore she should not be treted as an inferior. She further argues that Jesus comes from God who created Him and woman who bore him, giving women a divine importance.

Fanny Fern (an alias) responded to male criticism on ladies' books. A man once said that no topic other than courtship and marriage should be expected from a feminine novel. Fern retorts that this is a theme existant in men's novels also and that the speaker knows as much about reviewing a woman's book as she does about navigating a ship. With her bold exposure of the weaknesses of men, Fern is famous for breaking the stereotype that females are only capable of being soft-spoken and gentle writers.

The conflict between whites and black, men and women has improved dramatically over the last few decades in our country's history, but my struggle as a student lives on! The midterm for this class is tomorrow so I am off to study. Until next week!