THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE
Maret 06, 2020
Oleh: Karina Hanum Luthfia
(Mahasiswi S3 Kajian Amerika UGM dan Dosen Sastra Inggris Universitas Negeri Semarang)
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| Source: studybreaks.com |
The
origin of African
American literature is the narrative of African American slavery. In the
eighteenth century, the characteristics of African American literature
dominantly stretched on the slavery life struggling for the abolition
movement. Liberty is summoned to live with the African American people.
However, the institutional systemized slavery was strongly bonded to its
root,
hence African American found the circumstance difficult to pose
opposition
toward the domination. Capitalism was found as the foundation of the
power
relation. The landowner held the privilege in taking control of the
slavery’s
life. As violence emerged as the interracial equality developed, the
life of eighteenth-century African American slavery was portrayed in an
inhuman
circumstance.
Reacting to the
suffering of which experienced by African American social group, abolition of
the slavery and freedom for the African American was advanced through
education, Education was believed as the key to conduct African American’s
consciousness on what was happening to their society, that slavery is not the
nature of being African in the United State, yet it is constructed by the White
American. Literacy is the most characteristic advanced through nineteenth
century. The activity in pursuing education was elaborated to the African
American church or religion in achieving the freedom of African American people.
Meanwhile, oppression toward African American educational movement was advanced
for the aim to set the limit on the
African American literacy development from which portrayed as a threat for
White American sovereignty.
In
the twentieth
century, the struggle of African American in pursuing their freedom and
education as the basic right of being human beings had been successfully
possessed. People of African American was no longer living under
institutionalized slavery, in addition, they had access for education.
In fact,
the inequality as the characteristics of African American literature
portrayed
the shifting issue spreading among the African American’s life which was
racism. The writer recognized that racism is the core of the African
American characteristics started from the beginning in eighteenth
century. However, the
racism happened during that period was considered as causal reason from
African
American of being slavery, yet in the modern era as African American had
held the
freedom and education, racism does still exist toward African American
people.
Political and economic
life can be taken into account to depict on how African American apparently
still struggle for their lives. Politically, African American did not own a
right to vote, subsequently at the point they did, it was provided only for
male African American from which gender inequality emerged as another
characteristic. Furthermore, African American take the position of the highest
educated social group in the United States, yet still they have to struggle
with racism since African American achieved less payment than White American
even they are at the same level of quality. This circumstance triggered the
African American to pursue their self-determination.
Self-determination and pride of being
African American characterized the African American literature in form of
identity in the twenty-first century. The oppositioning against the inequality
and racism was voiced through self-determination. The respect toward the body,
the complexion, and the descendant of African American in the society was
reflected in the literary work as a voice of African American people’s
resistance. The movement was in addition supported by the unique
characteristics of African American in form of strongly bonded community and
sisterhood. Hence, taken from the portrayal, literary work of African American
was inferred to be a discourse spreading the voice of African American vision.
BIODATA PENULIS
Karina Hanum Luthfia atau
biasa dipanggil Hanum, adalah seorang mahasiswi S3 Pengkajian Amerika
yang juga mengajar di Universitas Negeri Semarang. Saat ini
sedang menitikberatkan fokusnya ke kampus untuk mengajar dan penelitian
mengenai gerakan literasi di Indonesia. Ia juga memiliki pengalaman
menjadi volunteer dan researcher di salah satu locally run NGO di Yogyakarta.
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