Slave Spirituals

Define the following on p. 530:

·  Spirituals

·  Refrain

·  Biblical Allusions

·  Allegory

·  Oppressed

·  Smite

“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” p. 534

1.  What does the line “swing low, sweet chariot” stand for?

2.  What two items does the word “home” stand for in the line “Coming for to carry me home?”

3.  What is the allusion in the line “I looked over Jordan and what did I see?”

4.  What does the word “angel” represent in the line “A band of angels coming after me?”

5.  What is the refrain in this song? What is the purpose of the refrain?

6.  What is the tone of this song? Give one example of a line that conveys this tone.

7.  What is a secret message the slaves included in this song?

“Go Down, Moses” p. 533

1.  What does the “Egypt’s land” represent?

2.  What dual meaning does the line “Let my people go” possess?

3.  What does the line “Let my people go demand?”

4.  What two things do both the African Americans and Jews have in common?

5.  What is the tone of this song? Give one example of a line that conveys this tone.

6.  What is a secret message the slaves included in this song?

7.  What is the refrain in this song? What is the purpose of the refrain?

Movie: Frederick Douglass: Narrative and Style

1.  How was Frederick Douglass able to break away from his life as a slave?

2.  Why was A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass such a groundbreaking work?

3.  How should Frederick Douglass be remembered?

4.  What was a pivotal moment in the speaking life of Frederick Douglass?

5.  What proved to be the most important skill that Frederick Douglass learned as a young child?

Movie: Uncle Tom's Cabin and the American Civil War

1.  In Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, how does Eliza choose to deal with the impending sale of her son to a slave trader?

2.  In Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, what are Tom's defining characteristics?

3.  In Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, how does Tom's faith play a role in the final minutes of his life?

4.  In what way was Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a different kind of literature?

5.  What was Harriet Beecher Stowe's ultimate purpose in writing Uncle Tom's Cabin?

#5

Directions: Create a song modeled after the salvation spirituals African American slaves wrote. Include the following criteria:

·  6 lines or more

·  Topic must be about freedom (school, parents, work, society, etc….)

·  Include one refrain

·  Include one coded message (secret)

·  Include one allusion

·  Tone must be hopeful