Date: December 6, 2009
To: Dallas ISD School Board
Re: High School English Curriculum
I am writing to suggest an addition in the curriculum for the district’s high school level English classes. I am currently a student at Austin College, a small liberal arts institution located in Sherman, TX. During the past semester I have been enrolled in an English class entitled “Slave Narratives.” For those of you who are not familiar with the genre, slave narratives are autobiographical works written by freed or escaped slaves. The autobiographical works that I’ve read while enrolled in the class have been authored by many figures that students are familiar with, but in reality know little about. Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, and many others have authored slave narratives that detail their lives while in slavery. I would argue that including their narratives in the high school English curriculum would allow the students to view these individuals in a broader light, not only as historical figures but as authors, too.
Additionally, the many of the conventions of the slave narrative genre would benefit the development of the students’ critical thinking skills. Slave narratives contain well articulated arguments for the humanity of slaves and the abolition of slavery. Slave narratives often build upon other literary genres, such as gothic and sentimental literary conventions. Exposing students to slave narratives would also expose them to a wealth of additional literary techniques and traditions. Exposure to these texts, along with an analysis of the specific rhetoric, would greatly prepare the students for entering college.
Specifically, I would like to recommend that The Bondwoman’s Narrative be added to the reading list for upper level English classes. The Bondwoman’s Narrative is a recently discovered text, thought to be written by a fugitive slave named Hannah Crafts. The narrative is edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., professor and director of Harvard’s African-American Studies program. The novel is an especially unique gem from the slave narrative genre and is particularly relevant to English classes because it was written as a fictionalized autobiography. The novel intertwines the literary conventions of slave narratives, gothic novels, and sentimental novels into a text that transcends the boundaries of each literary tradition. It would be an especially mind-opening experience for the students.
I hope that you will seriously consider my proposal. Too long have we allowed our educational system to give students an incomplete and disjointed view of historical figures and events. Adding slave narratives to the curriculum of upper level English classes will allow the students to make critical connections between the many different subjects that they are taught in the classroom.
Sincerely,
Aushianna Nadri
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You talk about how Hannah Crafts's novel is especially beneficial because it was thought to be written by an escaped slave, but it was written as a work of fiction. What does Crafts's novel offer that other fictional slave narratives, such as those by Toni Morrison, might not? Which do you think would be best for use in a high school classroom?
ReplyDelete"The novel intertwines the literary conventions of slave narratives, gothic novels, and sentimental novels into a text that transcends the boundaries of each literary tradition."
ReplyDeleteI think that this quality of the novel would make it especially beneficial for students to read. I also think that the controversy surrounding the novel and the search for the author would provide really unique opportunities for the students to develop their critical thinking skills.
I agree that slave narratives should be incorporated in high school English classes, but while this particular novel incorporates many different literary traditions, would it be better if the slave narratives used in the classroom were non-fiction so students would know that the brutalities and injustices in slavery are real and not made up by the author?
ReplyDeleteI think that there should be a mixture of both. While this is a fictionalized account of Hannah Craft's life, it is thought to be based on events that really did occur. I agree that they should read non-fiction narratives, but they should also read novels from the same genre. That would allow them to compare and contrast the fiction and non-fiction narratives.
ReplyDeleteIn what ways does the work include various literary traditions specifically?
ReplyDeleteIt includes the conventions from the sentimental literary tradition and the gothic literary tradition. Furthermore, much of the text reads as an adventure narrative.
ReplyDelete