Iola Leroy or, Shadows Uplifted by Frances Harper - Essay Example

Unheard Voices in the Shadows of Slavery the following two paragraphs (They can be combined so that both the question about the meaning of the book and the specific artistic or intellectual work definition) tells what the selected work is and states the thesis of doubt as to the central theme of the novel: Single sentence thesis: It is hard to find the principal theme in Frances Harper's novel, Iola Leroy, Or Shadows Uplifted, and this makes it more difficult to determine what the central meaning of the book is. For example, is it a book about slavery, a historic romance novel, or the vicarious autobiography of its author, Frances E.W. Harper (Specific artistic or intellectual work by a female creator.) Harper was born on September 24, 1825, in Baltimore, Maryland, and died on February 22, 1911, in Philadelphia, Pa. She was 86 years old when she died. During her lifetime she was recognized by historians as being one of the most important women of her time, not only as an African American author but also as an orator and as a social reformer.(1) interpreting the work, you will address either the question of meaning or significance. In other words, the key question (choose one) that you want to answer is: what does the work mean Answer: Problem with Themes which confuses what the novel is all about: First Paragraph introduces the work Significance of book, as well as contradictions to thesis: The book is important to American Literature because of its accurate descriptions concerning the cruelties suffered by slaves prior to and during the Civil War. (2) And while this also appears to be the main theme of the book, there are others which fight for this place. Three of these are: the life of the author as a social reformer in the late 1800's; the romantic life of Iola Leroy, who was also a social reformer, and the history of Christianity in the African American culture. One of the reasons this it is so difficult to understand the principal theme is that Harper uses two voices to tell the different stories in the novel. She uses the dialect of slaves in the first person voice to tell about the horrors they survived prior to and during the Civil War. This voice clearly tells the story of slavery in that era. The other voice is that of the third person. It is the voice of the author and speaks of her life as much or more than it does the life of Iola, the protagonist. The fact that Iola does not appear until the sixth chapter of the novel makes it more difficult to determine her place in the theme of the novel. Another confusing factor is the style of the book as a historic romance novel. Like most of these books, this novel spins a tale of fantasy romance with a happily ever after ending. In addition to these themes, the second part of the book's title implies the theme of shadows lurking over the characters in the book. One wonders if the book is about the shadows that haunt Harper as a Black American Woman or the lives of the characters in the book. Yet, this theme is not fully developed and, therefore, could not be called a central theme. This is just as true for the theme of the history of Christianity. Although the stories regarding this are entertaining they sometimes take away from the seriousness of the stories about slavery and they affects society. The back and forth movement of these stories add to the reader's confusion in searching for the meaning of the book. And there appears to be even more themes in the book, including that of the story of a Black American feminist. It is questionable as to whether or not the character of Iola is patterned after Harper's own life. Both women face discrimination, not only because of the "color" of their skin, but also because of their gender. This is a theme that could further be developed to make the novel more interesting in this respect. For example, Harper could expand on the occurrences of discrimination than Iola faces-describing more vividly how these takes place as Iola escapes from enslavement and fights her way a maze of obstacles to succeed in the job market and as a leader of social reform. Another way, Harper could enhance this theme would be to compare her life as a free woman to that of Iola as a slave. She could also do this by exploring the chasm in the lives of herself and Iola. Although Harper lived in a world of discrimination she was never beset by the horrors Iola faced, nor did she suffer from the rapes and crimes against women, both black and white. It is unlikely that a woman who had suffered these atrocities could engage so freely in romantic interludes as those engaged by Iola. In the 1800's when it was hard for all American women to find employment, both Harper and Iola were able to do so. Even though their pursuits were somewhat successful, the novel does not go into much detail about how they were. Again this takes away from feminism as being a central theme in the work. In this period, women in the south could only work as housekeepers (servants); dressmakers or seamstress'; or as nurses and teachers. In the north some ladies were able to find employment in businesses. Iola was one of these, but it was not until after the Civil War that she was able to do so. Even then black women were "looked down upon." More than once Iola was let go because of the complaints of white female employees about her "color." Harper could have explored more of these facts in developing her work. Harper, as Iola, always retained empathy for her people, and even though the two women were given opportunities to turn against their world in order to have a "better" life, they refused. Instead, they chose to remain in an environment which was conducive to their coming to the aid of their people. Their role as Martyrs could have been more clearly defined. In the beginning Harper wrote books of poetry. Among these was her first publication, Forest Leaves. The book was highly received and. It was " extremely popular and over the next few years went through 20 editions." Harper was only 20 years old when it was published. (3) The fact that so many editions of the book were published indicates the degree of their demand. The lesser demand of Harper's novel could be taken as an indication that it was not as popular. Perhaps had Harper worked harder to market her work rather than as a social reformer she would have been more successful as an author. "In 1850, Harper started working in Columbus, Ohio, as a schoolteacher. Three years later she joined the American Anti-Slavery Society and became a travelling lecturer for the group. She often would read her poetry at these public meetings; including the extremely popular Bury Me in a Free Land. Later, she also wrote Minnie's Sacrifice, Sowing and Reaping and Trial and Triumph."(4) Among Harper's accomplishments during this phase of her life were those she achieved through her work in the Temperance Movement. "She served the Women's Christian Temperance Union as Superintendent of Colored Work. And during this time she fought against the idea that alcohol abuse was a problem particular to African American men." (The Gilded Age, p. 114) Like Iola, Harper was imbued with the belief that change of character came from within a person. She expressed this belief publicly while giving an address at the Centennial of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery in 1875. There, she spoke of "the fusion of personality and purpose." She further defined the meaning of this remark by saying. 'It is the inner life that develops the outer, and if we are in earnest, the precious things lie all around our feet.'"(5) These facts evoke the question as to why she did not use more of her speeches in her novel. By the same token, why did she not expand on the idea of the gentle woman which she portrayed throughout her life-which came through in the life of Iola In spite of the circumstances of their lives, both Harper and Iola maintained a softness about them that can only be attributed to that of a "gentle" lady. As a woman of strength and purity, Iola embodied many other ideals, especially those concerning family. Harper's mother died when she was three years old. After this, her father, for reasons not clear, perhaps because of his grief, was unable to care for her. Instead, she was sent to be raised by relatives. When she was old enough, an uncle, Rev. William Watkins, who was head of a school, saw to her education, and when she was only 13 years old she became a seamstress for a dressmaker. She started Iola on this same path to independence; first, in her job as a seamstress, and later as school teacher. In describing of this part of their lives, Harper leaves the question as to whether or not either of these jobs provided pay. Harper is successful in her presentation of the verbal life of the slaves. This is one of the most touching themes in the novel. The rhythm of their language still echoes in the society in which we live today. One only has to listen to several genres of music to experience this, or attend a "gospel meeting" of a church group. There are many other facets of the novel that Harper could have enlarged upon. One of those was the story of some of the slaves were able to learn to read. Others were: stories about a few Black Americans that were given opportunities to gain a higher education. Harper's skill as an author was in the telling of a story, and there were many of these in her novel. One of the most important of these was the love stories she told about Iola and her mother, Marie. As a young woman, Marie, a slave, had the good fortunate of being purchased by the agent of a plantation owner. His name was Eugene Leroy, and she eventually became his wife. When he first met Marie he was seriously ill. It was Marie that nursed him back to health, and because of her "gentleness" and great beauty he fell in love with her. The tragedy of their marriage was foretold through a conversation in which Eugene told a cousin, Alfred Lorraine, of his planned to marry a black woman. Even though Lorraine was aghast that Eugene would do so, Eugene still placed his trust in him, and asked him to take care of his family in case of his death. For many years Iola and Eugene relished their happiness, even though it was without the friendship of either black or white neighbors. In time they had three children; Iola, Harry, and Gracie. At some point in time they decided not to tell the children about their black heritage. Realizing that, if the children stayed in the south, this would come to light, they decided to send Iola and Harry north. There, they both receive a formal education. Throughout this period of their lives, Iola pleaded with Eugene to do more to secure their future in case of his death. He delayed because of his misplaced trust in his cousin, and also because he thought he had plenty of time to "set his affairs in order." In the meantime, Gracie remained at home and died from the plague. Soon afterwards Eugene succumbed to the same illness. After Eugene's death, Marie's worst nightmare came true. Lorraine found a flaw in the marriage and was successfully in his endeavors to have it set aside. Only then did Marie inform her children of the "black blood" which ran through their veins. By then, their father's estate had been stolen by Lorraine. This left Marie destitute and separated from her children. Iola was sold into slavery, and Harry remained in the north. This story shows how the central theme of the novel could have been that of a historical romance novel. For example, the romantic relationships throughout the work categorize it in this manner. The book is partially about Iola's love story, as well as the story of other loving relationships. Born free, Iola is banished to slavery following her father's death. However, in spite of the horrible deeds she referred to as being exacted on her, she never tells what they were in a specific manner. And in keeping with the romantic aspects of the novel, Iola's personality is that of a sad but innocent creature. This is most evident in the loving relationships she had with several men in the book. She was eventually wooed by two white men, but in the end of the novel married a Black man. In the meantime, the members of her family, separated during the war, were united. It was these events that brought the novel to an end with a romantic tone. Even readers without a complete understanding of the Civil War period could find it a source of entertainment in the story of Iola and its happy ending. This is a story that represents every man, woman, and child who hope for a better life. Yet, the novel is for more meaningful in the literary sense as a historical recording about slavery; the despair of those enslaved, and the social and political ramifications that follow after they have been freed. The book is also romantic in the weaving of the story history of Christianity throughout its tapestry. From the beginning of the war many of the slaves believed that God would deliver them from slavery and that the way He was going to bring this about was through the Civil War. The slaves were childlike in their thinking and rarely thought of what might happen to them once they were free. In their worship of God they were as colorful in spirit as they were as "colored" people. In today's world this continues to be true for a small segment of the population. It is not unusual for several religious denominations to meet in the "Good Old Gospel" tradition. Their congregations attend church at least three times a week; on Sundays, Sunday nights, and Wednesdays. They continue with their worship services, Bible studies and prayer meetings. Most of these services contain the singing of gospel songs, some which reverberate back to the mistrals' of the slaves. Today, there is another source which Harper, if living, could draw upon to expand this part of her novel. The Internet has much information available as to attest to this truth, not only through its online gospel meetings, but through other online experiences. For example on September 4, 2007, there was a blog published which concerned the subject of "gospel" meetings. (5) The host of the show was "Preacher Mike." He exchanged dialogue with several participates regarding the matter. One of these was a discussion between himself and a person named Larry James. In the event, Preacher Mike asks James to tell about his childhood experiences with gospel meetings. The context of his rendition was as follows: "Mike, I guess this proves I'm older. I recall the 14 day "protracted" meetings! I also remember the "discipline" of going to the meetings every night. I also recall having the crap scared out of me, er, sorry, the "fear of the Lord" applied to my young soul. This is also where I picked up the rather literal approach to scripture-especially the fire and brimstone parts and the avenging God of the chosen people. I also remember why we had it right and everyone else had it wrong-I took the learning from these meetings to the streets and the hallways of my school with very bad outcomes!" Even now, throughout the south, there remains a number of "preachers" and religious denominations, both black and white, which adhere to the hell fire and brimstone philosophy. Yet, out of these meetings, as in those of which Harper spoke, often comes individuals who have reached a level of faith and knowledge that is deep enough to exact a spiritual change in the characters of many people. Martin Luther King's is one example. In his most powerful speech he echoed words spoken on the deathbed of a slave in Harper's novel; "I'm free, free at last!" But it is the words of the scriptures that most affected the slaves and their dreams of a free future. It is also the spirit exemplified through Jesus that gave Harper and Iola their soft natures. Yet, in the novel these are not greatly expounded upon. Though Harper has done much through her books and work to help stamp out the evils in our society that are bent on brutalizing women and children, black and white, her novel has not received its rightful place among America's Great Literature.. The spirit of her life has been adopted by many of her predecessors, and they continue her battles. Yet, there continues to remain a hint of the belief that, in some ways, children born of interracial marriages are impure. - a concluding paragraph summarizing your research and restating your thesis. Even though it is hard to find the principal theme in Harper's novel, it was still a tremendous accomplishment for a woman author in the 1800's. In that era few women, black or white, were published. Iola's voice is only a whisper compared to that of Harper. With it she was able to make a difference in the world both as a writer and a social reformer. And in the end do the themes in her work matter Works Cited Harper, Frances E.W.." Encyclopedia Britannica, 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 6 Dec 2007 "Harper, Frances E.W." Iola Leroy, Or Shadows Uplifted. Garrigues Brothers, Publishers and Booksellers, 608 Arch. St., Philadelphia. 1893. "Cordery, Stacey." in The Gilded Age, Charles Calhoun, ed. Wilmington, Delaware, Scholarly Resources.1996. "Shockley, Ann Allen." Afro-American Women Writers 1746-1933: An Anthology and Critical Guide, New Haven, Connecticut: Meridian Books, 1989. "Maryemma Graham, ed.." The Complete Poems of Frances E. W. Harper, 1988. Frances Smith Foster, ed., A Brighter Coming Day: A Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Reader, 1990. Melba Joyce Boyd, Discarded Legacy: Politics and Poetics in the Life of Frances E. W. Harper, 1825-1911, 1994. Frances Smith Foster, ed., Minnie's Sacrifice, Sowing and Reaping, Trial and Triumph: Three Rediscovered Novels by Frances E. W. Harper, 1994. John Ernest, Resistance and Reformation in Nineteenth-Century African-American Literature, 1995 "Harper, Frances E.W." Address at Centennial Exercise, Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, Centennial Anniversary April 14, 1875, p.32. "Harper, Frances E.W.." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 5Dec. 2007. . "Mike, Preacher. " Gospel Meetings Church of Christ and Memories, 4 Dec. 2007, Blog Online. 4 Dec. 2007. . Read More