Slave Song-Erin

This article analyzes the use and the history behind the slave songs in Toni Morrison's Beloved. The author compares Morrison's book to Fredrick Douglass Narrative, how the Douglass does not try to use emotional writing because of the time period he is writing in and how Morrison is not constrained by this. The use of the slave song is very important according to this article. The song defines the slaves humanity and tells their specific story. Multiple times the article references specific passages in the book where the song was used to define the slave. The songs are also specific to a slave's experience. When Sixo was captured after he attempted an escape he sang to affirm his humanity in front of the white men and gives his "ultimate projection of the human experience" (Capuano, 101). The slave songs used throughout Morrison's book are used to define a slave's humanity and heal the protagonists. 


This article widens my understanding of the book. As I was reading it I did not know to even look for the songs. The article tells the history and the importance of slave songs and their importance in the book. Knowing about the historical importance of the singing mentioned in the book. With this in mind reading the book becomes a different experience. I can now note when singing appears in the book and analyze how it relates to the protagonists humanity. The songs can also relate to how the slaves want to survive and live their now free lives. Paul D sings to survive in the prison chain gang. There Paul D's humanity is violated every day and he has to sing to survive and eventually live. This relates to 12 years a slave where a free man is made a slave. In the video below we see a slave song where Northup, the protagonist, affirms through the song that he want to live, not just survive. 

Slave songs are an important historical reference for this book because the songs show how a rich culture survived and thrived under the yoke of slavery. Slave sung to survive the hard work and the dehumanizing techniques used against them. They also became messages for freedom and a call to escape. Eventually these songs became the basis of blues, jazz, and rock and roll. The slave songs used to help the slaves survive another day became a part of our culture.