African American Literature

February 25, 2014Negro Spirituals: Notes

and Examples(analysis)

Agenda•Many Rivers to Cross Ep 2 Recap

•Notes: Negro Spirituals

•“Steal Away to Jesus” and “Go Down Moses”

•TPCASTT – a tool for unlocking meaning

Negro Spirituals•Religious songs sung by African Americans since the earliest days of slavery

•First gathered in a book in 1801 by black church leader Richard Allen

Negro Spirituals•Not sung only in churches or religious settings

•Sung during work time, play time and rest time as well as on Sundays and during praise meetings

•Served as powerful shields against the slaveholders’ desire to oppress all aspects of black humanity

Negro Spirituals•Common theme: “This world is not my home”

•Common images: a steady and just King Jesus with plenty of room around his throne –a place to be reunited with those they had lost

Negro Spirituals•These visions of justice were twofold: to escape the sorrowful world and to criticize injustice and violence

•Focus on Old Testament God, his heroes and prophets

•Allegory: Egypt=south; Pharoah=masters; Israelites=themselves; Moses=their leader

Negro Spirituals

•Another purpose: referring to the urge, and maybe even the specific plan, to make a run from slavery to freedom

Negro Spirituals

•Form: Call and Response patterns of West and Central Africa

•Further study: How are their sounds captured on the printed page by future writers?

TPCASTT•Title (pre)

•Paraphrase

•Connotation (deeper meanings? Fig. lang?)

•Attitude (tone)

•Subject (What is it about?)

•Title (post)

•Theme (What does it reveal about human experience? Etc…)

Assignment

•Complete TPCASTT Analysis for “Steal Away to Jesus” and “Go Down, Moses” on a separate sheet of paper

•The paraphrase portion of the task can be written directly on the handouts.

Closing – Listen and Compare

•Exit ticket: How does the audio recording of the spirituals emphasize or change your understanding of the meaning of the songs? Be specific in your response.