ipl-logo

Wendy Anne Warren's The Cause Of Her Grief

928 Words4 Pages

Written by Wendy Anne Warren and published in March of 2007, The Cause of Her Grief is notable writing that documents the events and rape of a young slave woman. The story starts with an excerpt from a book written by John Josselyn, which describes Mr. Maverick, a slaveowner, and how he wants more black people on his plantation. A young woman’s life changes when she voyages from her home to the plantation of Mr. Maverick and how she struggles with her new life there. It told in great detail the conditions of the ship this woman took to New England and the conditions sound unjust and unbearable. After getting to the destination of Mr. Maverick and his land, the young woman, along with many others, begins their work as a slave and is forced …show more content…

Including books, letters, articles, newspapers, and more, Warren was able to obtain enough information to create this passage and tell the story of the rape of an enslaved woman. She assumes the position of the woman in New England, and since the slave was not considered human, there is no record of her; Warren is going to assume her role and position in this writing and advocate on her behalf. The sources she references mainly tell the story of the white people - those who were for slavery and who did not speak on the accounts of the enslaved. In addition to utilizing various resources, Warren conveys her message by asking the reader questions to initiate abstract thinking and expand the meaning behind her words. Throughout the entire article, she is asking questions, and this helps to put into perspective how twisted slavery is and points out important decisions that were made for the enslaved. For example, when the author questions, “Did she allow herself the luxury of tears afterward? Or was she too accustomed to life’s brutality?” (Warren 1047). These questions display how Warren left it up to the reader to think and imagine what it would be like in the woman’s shoes whilst still guiding the story in a fashion that communicates her argument. Along with the writing style, this quote itself shows how inhumane it was to go through life as a slave and how little influence one has in their

Show More
Related
1195 Words | 5 Pages

The chapter covers various cases in which there were lies that were being told by the white women regarding them being raped by the Afro-Americans. The chapter covers the how the white women who had black children were treated in the society, and this is regarding being considered as outcasts, and they were divorced, disgraced, and in other cases, they were cashed from their homes. The third chapter of the book is “the new cry.” This chapter covers the plea of sympathy that was done by the southerners towards the northerners and this is because the whites who had sympathy for the lunching were deemed to have no sympathy for the white women who were victims of rape from the Afro-Americans.

Read More
732 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the narrative, the author includes his personal stories about experiencing the violence of slavery first-hand. For example, on page 20, he writes about the first time he witnessed a slave, his own aunt, getting the whip. “The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest…I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition… It struck me with awful force. It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery…” The author including his experience of his aunts whipping, in detail, appeals to the emotions of the reader.

Read More
1125 Words | 5 Pages

That the idea African Americans could consider themselves equal to whites or be presented as such, was unacceptable to them as show in Page’s writings. The idea that a white woman could be with a black man, was inexcusable to them because of the hatred they had for African American ’s so, although in part southern white men could conclude they were protecting the purity of their women, it could also be concluded it was purely as Terrell mentions, “a hatred of a strong people toward a weaker who were once held as slaves”. It was this remaining idea that can be seen throughout, that even the poorest white could see themselves as better than the richest of African American which is why lynching’s could so easily take

Read More
930 Words | 4 Pages

In the case of African women, the larger implication of Snyder’s work is the notion of quieting the voices of enslaved women in regarding to accusing white men of sexual assault. Since speech, which includes gossip as well as testimonies in court, was critical to negotiating the hierarchies in the colon. In addition to this, keeping slaves quiet was crucial to master’s maintaining and strengthening their power. Snyder strongly states that “Virginians cherished the rights of masters more that they did those of husbands.” Snyder as well and Brown conclude that eighteenth century Virginia severely limited the voices of women and continued to display anxiety and discomfort regarding women's forrightness as it posed challenges to white male

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

He points out personal facts about how he feels when he says, “I often found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead; and but for the hope of being free, I have no doubt but that I should have killed myself or done something foe which I should have been killed”. The words that he uses explains the emotions that he was going through and to build an appeal to emotions. Throughout the time that he has been expanding his knowledge he runs across the word “abolitionist” which means it’s a movement to end slavery. He was always eager for someone to speak about it and he was ready to listen he says, “I did not dare ask anyone about its meaning, for I was satisfied that it was something they wanted me to know very little about”. He says this because he realized that the word is spoken very rarely and he knew if he spoke that word and someone heard him, he could get penalized.

Read More
1056 Words | 5 Pages

First, Frederick Douglass uses rhetorical questions to elucidate to the listener the many social inequalities between black and white people. For example, Frederick Douglass says, “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice embodied in the Declaration of Independence extended to us?” (para. 1). He is implying that the rights stated in the Declaration of Independence are not given to those of African American race. The audience will begin to realize that they are not treated with the same liberties as those who are considered free.

Read More
970 Words | 4 Pages

She explains how American slavery began in Virginia and how the enslaved people used their knowledge

Read More
1830 Words | 8 Pages

Douglass addresses this text primarily to like-minded individuals, fellow abolitionists and those who sympathize with them. Secondarily, he addresses it to the unconvinced and undecided, so that they may learn of the horrors of slavery from a firsthand account. “...It is (referring to the Narrative) the most thrilling work which the American press ever issued—and the most important. If it does not open the eyes of this people, they must be petrified into eternal sleep... The picture it presents of slavery is too horrible to look upon, and yet it is but a faint picture of what to millions is a vivid life.

Read More
1330 Words | 6 Pages

The main character of the novel, Dana, witnesses and goes through slavery herself, getting a true feel of what slavery is. What Butler is trying to talk about is fear of oppression, how slaves should be worried about what's going to happen

Read More
2690 Words | 11 Pages

Her speech aims to force the audience to use their voice for good by using her own experience to provide credibility. Then Stewart explains how the treatment of slaves compared to the treatment and rights of other Americans contradicts the beliefs of the American people. In conclusion, Stewart’s writings changed the way Americans perceived the slave trade and the slavery argument. The structure of her argument, logical, emotional, and credibility factors make her the most persuasive and effective compared to any other

Read More
520 Words | 3 Pages

She talks about how she was treated by Dr. Flint " But Dr. Flint swore he would kill me, if I was not as silent as the grave." Although in Jacobs narrative she was treated, in Douglass' his grandmother was whipped "The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped, and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped the longest." He also talks about how bad women had it "He would whip her to make her scream, and whip her to make her hush; and not until overcome, would he cease to swing the blood-clooted cowskin." Then he talks about how slavery was like hell "It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery, through which I was about to pass."

Read More
1344 Words | 6 Pages

“One who is a slaveholder at heart never recognizes a human being in a slave” (Angelina Grimke). This quote was created to show the effect that slavery had on not only the slave, but the slaveholder. The slaveholder would dehumanize the slave to the point where the human was no longer recognizable; instead, the slave was property. Throughout this autobiography, Frederick Douglass uses language to portray the similarities and differences between the two sides. He allows the reader to spend a day in the life of a slave to see the effects from it.

Read More
342 Words | 2 Pages

Brown provided a sense of ambition and protection for the slaves in the abominable institution, which illustrated a tendency to not give up liberation. Moreover, Brown symbolized in his writing irresistible literary stylistics that were persuasive and paradoxical to mixed race individuals and to the nature of slave families. In the Narrative of William Wells Brown, an American Slave, Brown’s words in the narrative expressed an act of resoluteness, pity, remorse, and grief as he stated, “Experience has taught me that nothing can be more heart-rending than for one to see a dear and beloved mother or sister tortured, and to hear their cries, and not be able to render them assistance” (16). Brown was characterized as a tenacious man who escaped

Read More
1647 Words | 7 Pages

But, he then goes to show how her transformation came to be of a true mistress and how that kind of foolish power corrupted her. She was not a bad person, but being able to control over another human being transformed her from an angel into a demon. Douglass saw the change in her how “That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon” (38). This just shows how slavery affects not just the slave but the slave owners as well. This vicious cycle desecrates and destroys everyone involved.

Read More
1016 Words | 5 Pages

The strange juxtaposition of these two realities help readers internalize what it might of been like for slaves. Comparing Walker’s use of Woolf as opposed to all the other cited works helps explain the reasoning behind it. The works of Toomer, Okot p’Bitek and her own personal poem are all devices to convey her argument, yet they go untouched. Only commenting on the piece before or after, Walker, makes a conscious choice. She is saying something, all of her writing is very calculated.

Read More

More about Wendy Anne Warren's The Cause Of Her Grief

Related Topics

Open Document