A common theme that most discussions seemed to allude to was the idea of being trapped and the reality of extreme limitations within the realm of slavery. Professor Hong drew out the difference between the "outsider" and "stranger" discussed in Spillers piece, explaining that being an outsider could mean being native to a land but yet not fitting into the new social structure that defines it. Being a stranger, however, is not originating from the place you are currently in. As slaves neither fit into the social ideals of what constituted a human nor were from the land that were taken to, their options were limited by the social marking that Spillers mentions. Being a marked person meant having your own identity not only constructed by the culture norms completely different from your own, but having no input in your future or control over the means in which ones life can be remembered. The inability to read and write contribute to the concept of being trapped inside these inherent limitations.
Professor Hong also mentioned another powerful point as she explained "flesh is a finite text--it dies with the person". The inability to become literate for blacks during slavery is another example of their limitations. Not only can they not write, read the news or perform many daily activities that we take for granted, they are also unable to relay history from their point of view. Their only means of passing down their story was through verbal interactions which were only received by their voiceless peers--fellow slaves. This is a huge infraction of our modern-day understanding of their history and puts into question how our understanding could have been enhanced if a voice was given to the voiceless so that their story could extend beyond the constraints of their finite condition as human to the timelessness of a text.
No comments:
Post a Comment