One myth that Southern slave owners and proponents were happy to perpetuate was that of the slave happily singing from dawn to dusk as he worked in the fields, prepared meals in the kitchen, or maintained the upkeep of the plantation. (Interesting case in point from more recent times: Disneys 1946 Song of the South). In his autobiography, Douglass is quick to distinguish the myth from the reality. He uses incidents of cruelty that he witnessed along with songs of the slaves themselves—spirituals—to emphasize this distinction. Show your students how effective Douglass is in demolishing this notion with a close reading of the key passages from his 1845 autobiography. edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/courage-freedom-reality-behind-song
Posted on: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 13:12:08 +0000
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