critical lens

In Truth in Timbre, written by Peter J Capuano, he talks about how Toni Morrison describes slavery in Beloved, and compares her writing to Frederick Douglass's 1845 Narrative. He describes how Narrative relies heavily on facts due to the year it was published. Morrison's Beloved was published much later, which meant that Morrison could focus more on the emotional aspect than Narrative. He compares how Douglass portrays slave songs to how Morrison does, saying how Douglass establishes the relationship between slaves and there songs, while Morrison goes into deeper detail about this relationship. Capuano further explains how Morrison's book depicts slave songs as a way for slaves to assert there humanity.

In 1845, Frederick Douglass's narrative was to show people how slavery was like. In his book, he describes both his life as a slave and his escape. however, he left out the specific locations he was in during his escape. this was because in 1845, slavery was still legal. if he exposed how he escaped, he could be captured and brought back into slavery due to the fugitive slave act. Toni Morrison's Beloved was written in 1987, long after slavery was abolished. this allowed Morrison to give more detail in her book than Douglass. at this point, the civil rights movement during the 60's, and even though there was still signs of racism, African Americans have equal rights.

Capuano's article on Beloved describes how Morrison uses songs to show the constant struggle and hardships slaves had to endure. Capuano described Beloved as "tak[ing] the reader beyond the horrifying facts of Douglass's Narrative and into the more profoundly emotional turmoil of a post-emancipation community." I agree, as Morrison's Beloved has much more emphasis on the emotional side of slavery. "Morrison shows how song defines and affirms slave 'personhood' in a world where slave humanity is constantly challenged and denied" Morrison shows how slaves can still hold on to something that reminds them that they are not merely slaves to be bought.