Tuesday, January 27, 2009
....Frederick D...is awesome
I thought the first two parts of “Heroic Slave” were extremely intriguing. As many classmates brought up in Tuesday’s lecture, Douglas’s fantastical scenarios did not seem to hinder the text at all for me. Not once did I stop and think about how ridiculous the scenes were, where everything seemed to happen just perfectly. Although, Linnie and others did bring up some very good points about the reality of it all. As I read the last parts, I was more conscious of how things did appear to happen so coincidentally, and it really affected my overall admiration for the text. How ironic is it, that among all else, Listwell would run into Washington yet again? This reoccurring and unrealistic idea started to get on my nerves a bit towards the end. Though Parts III and IV were not as interesting to read as the first two, I really admired the work by Douglas. He kept me entertained for the most part and not once did I really want to put the book down. (But why did Washington’s wife have to die? I was pulling for them both!) He was so intelligent and insightful and truly portrayed the figure of Washington in a light that was well inspiring to other slaves, and even today encouraging to countless others.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree with you Lauren that the coincidental nature of the novel did not detract from its message. I too did not feel the need to stop and think about how unlikely the situations were because I felt that each part was so influential that the meaning overshadowed the plot. However, as I read the second two parts I wasn’t bothered as you were by the recurring coincidences because I felt them to be necessary for the novella’s message and therefore not particularly detrimental to the strength of the book as a whole. Furthermore, the fourth part of the book was my favorite, which does not seem to be the case for many others. After reading the introduction I expected the fourth part to be about the mutiny as is was happening rather than an account of it told by characters other than Madison Washington and Mr. Listwell. I found that the fourth part really solidifies the message and makes it stronger.
ReplyDeleteThe same scenario was true for me initially when I was reading the book in terms that I did not notice how coincidentally events seemed in the book. I will say, though, that I really enjoyed reading the book and wanted to continue turning the pages as I read. I knew what was going to happen in the end, yet my curiosity continued as I questioned how the two lives of Mr. Listwell and Madison Washington would again intertwine. And I also agree that the fourth part of the novella was not as entertaining as the beginning. I was definitely disappointed in the portrayal of the events on the Creole, but as someone had noted in class, it was from the perspective of a white sailor, and had the events been told with a more aggressive tone, it would have been more difficult in the “story-telling” aspect of the scene. I disagree with Leah in terms of the story being stronger because of the fourth section told as it was. Personally I felt it was a big letdown. So far in the two stories we read I felt disappointed after reading both. First, Augustus’ death in Pym was a heartbreaker and again I felt empty after reading Washington’s success on the Creole. But, I definitely felt that The Heroic Slave was more precise and intriguing. I did feel that it was a story written for the purpose of making money for charity, but overall I believe there to be a significant and eye-opening message within the text.
ReplyDelete