MALAWI ASSEMBLIES OF GOD UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

PROGRAMME: BACHELOR OFARTS IN EDUCATION (LANGUAGE AND

LITERATURE)

QUIZ 3

YEAR: FOURTH YEAR

SEMESTER: FIRST SEMESTER

TO: LECTURER LEGSON MUGHOGHO

FROM: LENNSON CHIKOMO

STUDENT No: 22012100008

COURSE TITLE: AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE

COURSE CODE:

ASSIGNMENT TITLE: Read Martin Luther king's speech and give any five points that he is
trying to make.

SUBMISSION DATE: 30th NOVEMBER, 2023

African American spirituals and ballads are part of African American Literature. According to
Wikipedia, Encyclopedia (2023) African American literature is defined as writings by people of
African descent living in the United States generally focused on the role of African Americans
within the larger American society and what it means to be an American. These writings were
done in order to voice out their quest for freedom. Among their writings, the African Americans
were also immersed in poetry work as was used as a tool in their struggle for freedom. Nelson
(2015) stated that African American poetry predates the written word and is linked to a rich oral
tradition. She added that Black poetry draws its inspiration from musical traditions such as
gospel, blues, jazz and rap and are inextricably linked to the experience of African Americans
through their history in America, from slavery to segregation and the equal rights movement.
Their poems and songs were commonly boasting of the following features; protest in nature,
having biblical allusions, cryptic in nature as well as repetitive in nature and this paper seeks to
explore and analyze these features in details by referring to the selected spirituals and ballads by
these Africans in America in the time they were struggling for their freedom. As the way of
achieving this, the paper will define each feature before analyses three spirituals and two ballads
in line with the four stated features.

1. Features of African American Literature

a. Protest in nature
The first feature of African American Literature to be analysed is protest in nature. Jim
(2023) described the Protest poetry as any form of poetry which has, as one of its main
functions, the objective of finding fault with some existing current event or circumstance.
He further stated that this kind of poetry often focuses on the misdeeds performed by a
government upon its people. Therefore in regards to this writing these misdeeds of the
government can be referred to the way Africans in America were being treated in the
time of slavery and the aftermath of the abolition of the human trade. Jim (2023) further
argued that Protest poems can stimulate a reader's interest and empathy, and sometimes
spur him or her into action. In this case, African poets wrote against slavery, racism and
all acts dehumanization of the blacks.

b. Biblical allusion
 A biblical allusion is a reference to the Christian bible (Blakeley, 2022). On the other
hand Freeman (2010) defined biblical allusion as a literary device that authors use as a
brief reference to a person, event, or place from the Bible. He further highlighted that
biblical allusions often compare characters struggles with a character from the Bible and
this allows the reader to associate the character with one that is easily recognizable.
These allusions are very common and are even found in some works of African
Americans which were written in the time of slavery and in the struggle for freedom.

c. Cryptic in nature
According to Merriam-Webster. (n.d.) cryptic means having or seeming to have a hidden
or ambiguous meaning. In some poems by African Americans this feature was commonly
used. Ibrahim (n.d.) hinted that ambiguity provides poets with certain meanings and
effects that cannot be made by any other means. African Americans’ poetry were
commonly of cryptic in nature as they were used as tools to fight against all sorts of
injustices so the poets were afraid of being exposed much and they feared to be killed if
they sung directly.

d. Repetitive in nature
It is the use of the same word, letter, phrase, number of syllables, stanza, or idea, multiple
times (Parker, 2020). He further stated that it is a fundamental feature of poetry and is
one of the main ways a poem can be recognized as different from prose. StudySmarter
(n.d.) pointed out that repetition functions as a memory device used to fill space while
deciding on the next phrase, to build emotion and in African American literature, writers’
pair repetition with revision as a result, the readers find that each time the author returns
to a concept, situation, or set of words, it’s slightly different.

2. Analysis of the features in reference to spirituals and ballads

In analyzing these features, the paper is to pay attention on the three selected spirituals and
two ballads authored by African Americans during the time they were fighting for their
freedom.
a. Spirituals
Library of Congress (2021) defined spiritual as a type of religious folksong that is most
closely associated with the enslavement of African people in the American South.
According to the Library of Congress, this spirituals are derived from the King James
Bible translation of Ephesians 5:19: "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." Africa Americans
authors spirituals which they used to sing in their quest for freedom and as a way of
building their faith. Dahya (2017) hinted that the purpose of these spirituals was to lament
the horrors of life as a slave and speak to personal and religious values that offer hope.
Gayhardt (2020) pointed out that many of these songs became widely known during the
abolition movement of the mid-19th century and were particularly popular among
conductors and passengers along the Underground Railroad, the network of safe houses
through which slaves escaped north into freedom. The three spirituals to be analysed are
Go Down, Moses, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and Michael, Row the Boat Ashore.

Starting with a spiritual titled ‘Go Down, Moses. Go Down Moses" is an American
Negro spiritual.
Lyrics of the spiritual

When Israel was in Egypt’s land,

Let my people go,
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let my people go.

Refrain:
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let my people go.
(Just part of it)

According to Albert (2023) Go Down Moses is one of the Negro spirituals used coded
messages to hide the message from their white slave masters. Albert highlighted that
Israel in this spiritual refers to African slaves in the South of America and the “pharaoh”
and “Egypt” refer to the slave masters and the land of slavery, in this case, America.
Albert further clarified that the name Moses in this spiritual actually refers to Harriet
Tubman. Harriet Tubman was called “Moses” for her work with the Underground
Railroad.

Features in the spiritual ‘Go Down, Moses’

This spiritual has a number of features. First, the spiritual has biblical allusions. The use
of the famous bible character, Moses has made this spiritual to be biblical in nature.
Looking at the lines of this spiritual, the writer is presenting the story of Moses who led
the Israelites out of Egypt. This has made this writing to portray this feature as it is in line
with what Library of Congress (2021) presented as it defined spiritual as a type of
religious folksong that is most closely associated with the enslavement of African people
in the American South. So the use of biblical story in this spiritual has made it to be a
religious folksong.
In addition to that, this spiritual is also cryptic in nature. As Merriam-Webster. (n.d.)
stated that cryptic means having or seeming to have a hidden or ambiguous meaning.
Therefore this spiritual is fitting to the definition of the term ‘cryptic’ according to
Merriam-Webster. Albert (2023) hinted that the name Moses in this spiritual actually
refers to Harriet Tubman as she was called “Moses” for her work with the Underground
Railroad. This is also the case with the Israelites mentioned in the spiritual as it has been
used as a metaphor to mean the Negroes who were in captives in the same way the Jews
were in Egypt.

The spiritual is also repetitive in nature as there is a repeat of refrain in this spiritual that
declares, “Let My People Go!”
One cannot deny the fact that it is also protest in nature as it is one of the weapons of
protesting injustices which the African slaves were being subjected to in America.

Another spiritual to be analysed is the one titled ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’

Lyrics of the spiritual

 Refrain:
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.

According to Cengage (2023) “Swing Low Sweet Chariot" is a spiritual song in the style
developed by American Negro slaves during the nineteenth century. As in “Go Down,
Moses’ this spiritual has a number of feature to be looked at.

Features in “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”

First, this spiritual is of cryptic in nature. The words in the spiritual like River Jordan,
home and the chariot itself have the hidden meaning. According to the Wikipedia,
Encyclopedia, in “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” the Jordan River is a representation of the
first step to freedom from slavery, “home” represent Africa, and Jesus as anyone who
helps bring the enslaved to freedom while the chariot represent the way of escape.

The spiritual has biblical allusions as it has portrayed the bible story of the crossing of the
River Jordan by the Israelites as well as the chariot which was used by Elijah when taken
to heaven. Therefore the use of these bible references has made it to be biblical in nature.
It is also protest in nature as the spiritual is part of the songs sung by the African
American slaves who were protesting against the ill-treatment from the slave masters and
seeking the way out of slavery.

The last work to be analysed under spirituals is “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore”.
Lyrics of the spiritual

Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah

Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah
Sister helps to trim the sail, hallelujah
Sister helps to trim the sail, hallelujah
 According to Peterson (2020) “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore,” is representation of the liberation
from slavery and in particular the escape from the slaveholding south into the free states of the
North. This spiritual has a number of features worthy analyzed in this paper.

Features in “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore”

First this spiritual has Biblical allusion with the use of the words ‘Hallelujah’ and the
presentation of Michael who is an arch Angel. Looking at the lines of this spiritual, the persona
is calling upon Angel Michael to row the boat, it is like they are in the boat and they are nearing
the shore therefore urged Michael to row the boat. Therefore it suits the definition of Biblical
allusions.

In addition to that it is cryptic in nature as it seeming to have a hidden or ambiguous meaning.

Looking at the lines of these spiritual one can simply say that it is religious song to be sung
during the religious gatherings but with the critical glasses one can see that it is about the
liberation from slavery as Peterson (2020) stated that “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore,” is
representation of the liberation from slavery and in particular the escape from the slaveholding
south into the free states of the North.

The spiritual is also repetitive in nature through the repetition of the line ‘Michael row the boat
ashore, hallelujah’ According to Parker (2020) the poem or song can be deemed as repetitive in
nature when the same word, letter, phrase, number of syllables, stanza, or idea, has been used
multiple times. Therefore this spiritual fits well as it has repeated lines.

Lastly, the spiritual is again can be deemed as being protest in nature. Looking at the lines of this
spiritual, one can agree that the author of this work of art is protesting against the injustices the
black slaves were facing in America. By calling on Michael to row the boat, the poet is showing
that they are tired at the midst of the sea which can be the troubles which they were facing and
want to go to the shore hence calling upon Michael to row the boat ashore.

b. Ballads
A ballad is a poem usually sung in a concert that tells a story, usually (but not always) in
four-line stanzas called quatrains and its form is enormously diverse, and poems in this
form may have any one of hundreds of different rhyme schemes and meters (Literary
Terms, (2015). African American writers were also writing ballads as a means of sending
 the message to their fellow Negroes who were in slavery and even to their slave masters
as well as the government. These ballads contain a number of features which are to be
analysed by referring to two selected ballads. These features are protest in nature, biblical
allusions, cryptic in nature and repetitive in nature. In analyzing the features the
following ballads are to be used; "An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with
Penitential Cries" by Jupiter Hammon and "The Escape" by William Wells Brown

The first ballad to be analysed is “An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with
Penitential Cries”

The lyrics

Salvation comes by Jesus Christ alone,

The only Son of God;
Redemption now to everyone,
That loves his holy Word.
Dear Jesus we would fly to Thee,
And leave off every Sin,
(Just part of it)

Features in the ballad titled “An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential
Cries”

An Evebing Thought is a ballad by Jupiter Hammon, according to Mwende (2021) the ballad is
sending a message to Negroes in slavery that only Jesus can set them free from the human
captivity.
The first feature is Biblical allusion. The ballad is of biblical allusion as it talks about the
important bible figure, Jesus. In this ballad, Jupiter Hammon is encouraging his fellow Negroes
to remain steadfast as Jesus is the one to set them free.

Another feature is protest in nature. The ballad is of protest against the ills which the slave
masters were inflicting on the black slaves and calling on Jesus to deliver them.

In this ballad there is also a repetition of the name Jesus. This has made it to be repetitive in
nature.
The ballad can also described as being of cryptic in nature. Looking at the lines of this ballad, the
line ‘Dear Jesus we would fly to Thee,’ may mean the escape from their slave masters to the free
land.
The second ballad to be analysed is “The Escape” by William Wells Brown.

Lyrics of the ballad

"No refuge is found on our unhallowed ground,

For the wretched in Slavery's manacles bound;

While our star-spangled banner in vain boasts to wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

The Escape centers on the attempted sexual violation of a slave and involves many characters of
mixed race, through which Brown commented on such themes as moral decay, white racism, and
black self-determination. (University of Tennessee Press, n.d.)

Features in the ballad titled ‘The Escape’

First the ballad is cryptic in nature. The use of metaphors in this ballad has made it to have
double meanings. This is a real definition of cryptic nature as the poet is trying to hide from the
realities of his writing as to avoid the authorities as they were in slavery.

Again, the ballad is repetitive in nature having some words and lines being repeated. Still more
the ballad is lacking biblical allusions as there is no mentioning of religious features of bible
characters and features.

In conclusion, the paper has analysed features like biblical allusions, cryptic in nature, protest in
nature and repetitive in nature from selected African American spirituals and ballads.
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