African-American Literature
'On Being Brought From Africa to America'
"Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
"Their colour is a diabolic die."
Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,
May be refin'd and join th'angelic train."
- by Phillis Wheatley.
African-American writers were African in origin but contributed their literary works to America. These African-American writers' literary work is known as African-American Literature, which basically focuses on the theme of slavery and struggle for freedom. Although there is a difference between African-American literature and Post-colonial literature, both tend to subjugate to colonial countries. History recalls the rash impacts of colonization and slavery from the literary composition of African-American writers. Over the years, African-Americans were successful to promote their literature in the land of the United States after American civil war.
How did the Concept African-American Literature Originate?
African-American Literature is a literature that emphasizes mainly on the black people, their culture and history. This literature is written by African born people who settled in America during 18th and 19th century. These writers were sensitive realists who wrote on societal issues like culture, slavery, struggle for freedom and pleaded for equality in the world history. Some of the popular African-American writers are Phillis Wheatley, Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass, James Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Detrick Hughes, Charles R. Johnson, Fran Ross, Ntozake Shange and Toni Morrison. Today African-American literature has become an integral part of American literature that reflects all genres of human evaluation.
Characteristics of African-American Literature
Oral Poetry
Oral poetry is the most popular form of cultural literature. This poetry has been safely secured for years, which is gifted by their African ancestors. Africans' oral poetry is easy to recall due to its simplicity. This type of poetry has a spiritual aspect that's quite heart-touching due to the use of repetition, counterpoint and syncopation.
Prose
Prose is basically a slave narrative that mentioned the literature written by the slaves. It is estimated that six thousands slaves brought to America, attempted to write about 150 books in the late 18th century. 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass' by Frederick Douglass is the most revolting story about his own life written in 1845.
Harlem Renaissance
It was also called New Negro Movement bloomed during 1920s to 1930s in Harlem near to New York City. Harlem Renaissance was the cultural movement that helped to promote African-American dance, drama and visual art in America. Moreover, it was a social integration of Africans all over the world that came together to revolt against the issues like equality, racial discrimination and human rights.
Gospel Music
African-American music has a blend of different styles of music, that include work song, call and response, harmony and field hollers. The Temptations and The O'Jays are the popular soul music for male vocal group. Other Characteristics of African-American Literature include rap, Christian music, hip hop dance and blues.
Famous African-American Writers and their Work
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was a slave who ran away from his owner in 1838 to Maryland at the age of 20. He was an orator, editor, statesman and author. Throughout his lifetime, he fought for freedom, equality and against gender discrimination. No one believed that a black African could write a good book, when Frederick published his autobiography, 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass'. He was also associated with President Abraham Lincoln for African emancipation and succeeded to provide 14th and 15th Amendment that allowed equal authority to all US citizens without being discriminated on the basis on race.
Phillis Wheatley
The well-known poetess Phillis Wheatley, was always praised by the American revolutionists like George Washington. She was sold as a slave at the age of 7 to John Wheatley of Boston in 1760. Due to her inborn talent, Wheatley family allowed her to pursue education. She was the first black woman whose book was published in London as 'Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral' in 1773. Her poems (one is mentioned above in the introduction) were the illusion of injustice, which revealed how the African-Americans were badly treated for being the black.
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison stood among the most top popular novelists in the United States. She got the Nobel Prize in literature in 1993. She has carved a niche for himself in the African history being the first winner of the most prestigious prize. Her original name was Chloe Anthony Wofford. She got extreme popularity for her novel 'The Bluest Eye', which presents a sympathetic story of a little girl Pecola. Pecola was raped by her father under the influence of alcohol. The victim, Pecola was hated by the white society as an ugly and black girl. In the whole story, we found Pecola kept on asking her father if she would have white skin with blue eyes. The writer, Toni Morrison arose many sensitive questions in the novel about race, child molestation and human rights in the society.
Walter Mosley
The mystery writer, Walter Mosley was born in 1952. He represents African-Americans through PEN (Poets, Essayists, and Novelists), an American Center for writers. Some of his best-selling books are A Little Yellow Dog, White Butterfly, Devil in a Blue Dress, Black Betty, A Red Death and Six Easy Pieces.
The African-American literature incarnates African-American's sense of belongingness to the American society. This literature put forth the necessity of equal opportunities and rights for every African-American. Fortunately, all these wishes were fulfilled by Americans who believed in individual freedom. President Barack Obama is also an African-American writer. Today, his autobiography about race and inheritance is the best-selling book, translated into many languages. This book is a token of a true voice of equality in America. Thus, the Americans not only accepted African-American openly but also helped to explore their identity all across the world through literature.
