Ideological underpinnings of slavery and its ironic relationship with Christianity: A critical look at Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
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Date
2018
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Publisher
University of Fort Hare
Abstract
This study examines the ironic elements embedded in the fascinating relationship between Christianity and the American system of slavery in the 19th century. Through the use of Marxist's Literary Criticism as a theoretical framework, the study examines the autobiographies of Harriet Jacob and Frederick Douglass, respectively entitled, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. The theory used helps bring to the fore the ironies and contradictions in the religion practiced in the slave holding Antebellum South. The primary research question of this study was to investigate the ideological underpinnings in Christianity used by slave masters to justify the domination
of slave as well as how slaves used Christianity as an emancipatory and liberating tool. Marxist Literary Criticism augments this study as it debunks the inconsistency in masters and slaves in terms of their interpretations of Christianity, while sharing the same description of God and faith yet still remain in their conflictual positions of masters and slaves. Marxist Literary Criticism is used in probing the primary texts. An array of secondary texts are used throughout this research to back opinions, arguments and conclusions that are advanced by this research. The conclusion drawn from the analysis of these texts is that there are ideological contradictions in the different versions of Christianity and the irony thereof, hence noticeable elements of ironies in actions and speeches of slave masters and slaves.
Description
Masters Theses
Keywords
Slaves -Biblical teaching, Christianity, Marxist criticism
Citation
Fayayo,S.Ideological underpinnings of slavery and its ironic relationship with Christianity: A critical look at Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.Alice.University of Fort Hare.