Authorial Agency in Slave Narratives: Thematic Approaches to Rhetoric
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Date
2016-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Slave narratives can serve as important reminders of the legal oppression African Americans once faced, but they can also offer us an example of how former slaves were able to make their voices heard against an institution that once deprived them of liberty. Still, authors of slave narratives often had their texts subjected to the influence of white publishers and editors—and this often led to texts that highlighted those parts of the slave’s experience that would sell more copies or censorship of some of the author’s most traumatic experiences. In order to retain agency over these narratives, former slaves might employ several rhetorical strategies. One recurring focus is for the author to establish him- or herself as part of a kinship created through Christianity, thus arguing that white Christians should not enslave African American Christians. Specific word choices routinely appear as well, such as describing the oppressed slave as “poor” or “pitiable”. These words are important because they are meant to generate a particular pathos from readers. Finally, ideas of self-mastery are an important component to slave narratives—and by demonstrating their knowledge, the authors within this genre are able to strengthen the argument for their equality. Examining the slave narrative as a means for generating social change remains important in our contemporary context; there are still the examples of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and Mike Brown that prove more work must be done to combat racism and provide more agency to racial minorities in our country.
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slave narratives, Harriet Jacobs, Mary Prince, agency, William Wells Brown, labor