My Slave Narrative

William Henry Singleton, a native of North Carolina and former slave, shares his life of both a slave and a soldier in his narrative “Recollections of My Slavery Days”. Singleton was born on August 10, 1835 in Newbern, North Carolina (1). He recalls how is birth was not that great for he was “a black man” (1). According to him, because he was black, it was “believed that he had no soul” (1). Although Singleton’s narrative contain historical events relevant his time as a slave, it might be qualified as a slave narrative because of important aspects regarding to the components described in a document titled “General Structures of Slave Narratives”.

Regarding the document “General Structures of Slave Narratives” that is provided through the

It’s also a great piece of literature. Through writing a story about his living his life in two separate ways, Singleton showed the world that he has seen it all and lived through it. Nothing was able to stop him and he was living proof about the events that happened. He’s consciously aware of his past and brings it to the present through his writing and sharing it with anyone interested in his story. Be it a play, poem or song, his story is a fine piece if literature. In fact, Arthur Krystal, a famous author and essayist, stated in his article “What is Literature? In defense of the canon” that literature is “referred to any writing formed with letters” (89). Singleton’s narrative captures the reader’s imagination and leeches onto it, feeding the mind with actuals events. The reader can also feel Singleton’s when being whipped, sold and threatened (9). Singleton elaborates on his family history and their decision about not owning slaves (6) and the events that followed. His method of bringing his past life of slavery with the life of a soldier in the Civil War, to settling down peacefully with his wife and using words of motivation that really gets into the reader’s heart is what makes this narrative qualify to be a slave