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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page book review of William Wells Brown's novel Clotel, or, The President's Daughter, which was first published in 1853 and has the distinction of being the first novel authored by an African American. The fundamental premise of the novel is that Thomas Jefferson fathered children by one of his slaves. The narrative begins with the auction of Jefferson's mistress, Currer, and their two daughters, Clotel and Althesa. Brown indicates the irony of Jefferson, the Founding Father most recognized for writing eloquently of freedom, liberty and equality, as being sufficiently hard-hearted and hypocritical to first father black children and then sell them, with no paternal feeling whatsoever. As this suggests, the sole purpose for the novel is to convey the emotional and physical atrocities of slavery. In achieving this purpose, the novel opens a window on the past for the modern reader. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khclotel.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
fundamental premise of the novel is that Thomas Jefferson fathered children by one of his slaves. The narrative begins with the auction of Jeffersons mistress, Currer, and their two daughters,
Clotel and Althesa. Brown indicates the irony of Jefferson, the Founding Father most recognized for writing eloquently of freedom, liberty and equality, as being sufficiently hard-hearted and hypocritical to first
father black children and then sell them, with no paternal feeling whatsoever. As this suggests, the sole purpose for the novel is to convey the emotional and physical atrocities of
slavery. In achieving this purpose, the novel opens a window on the past for the modern reader. Browns account of slavery is believable because Brown was born a slave,
escaped, and first fled North and then to England, where he became a prominent abolitionist. Brown, therefore, had first-hand experience as to what slavery was like in the antebellum South.
Therefore, the details in his novel have the ring of authenticity. For example, in describing how blacks were sold, Brown writes: The Negro pen is a small yard surrounded
by buildings, from fifteen to twenty feet wide, with the exception of a large gate with iron bars. The slaves were kept in the builds during the night, and turned
into the pen during the day. After the best of the gang were sold off, the balance was taken to the Exchange coffee-house auction rooms, and sold at public auction
(Brown 8). As this suggests, Browns novel has much to tell the modern reader about the everyday experience of slavery. Having been born to slavery and raised as a
slave, Brown very probably witnessed slave auctions or knew these details from speaking with other slaves. The overarching theme of this novel is that black women are just as
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