How can writers denounce society?

Littérature Anglaise

THEMATIC:The writer in their century

PROBLEMATIC: How can writers denounce society?

I'm going to talk about the theme the writer in their century. Some writers don't hesitate to criticize their own society through their work of thinking under the form of movie, story , song etc... In this presentation I'm talking about slavery, my three documents are an extract of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852 , a poem called Still I Rise by Maya Angelou in 1978 and the last one is my personal document , it's front cover page of Sweet sixteen by Annalise Heurtier in 2013. These three documents are connected by a common idea that of slavery and my personnal document.

I will answer the question:” How can writers denounce society?

Firstly, let me introduce each document briefly, after that I will analyse them and study them.

So, off we go, let's start.

Elizabeth Harriet Beecher Stowe was a woman of American letters, abolitionist. Uncle Tom's Cabin is the most famous anti-slavery novel ever written in

1852. The following excerpt tells about how Tom is ordered by his owner, Simon Legree. Fisrt I think it's not appropiate that a person has an “owner” because it's a person like others. There is an opposition between these two characters: Tom no violent, generous, charitable, kind, determined, stands his gound, calm we can assoaciate him to Jesus because when his owner hit him he said “turn the other cheek”. He is like a Christian martyr.Conversely, Legree is describing like a violent, brutal , cruel man , he is uncompromising, direspecful, insulting and he thinks he is superior , makes fun of Tom he is mocking like an animal with it's prey. We can associate him to Satan. With this novel she wanted to create a simple characters to represent important ideas for her century which the novel describes better the anti-slavery. Also Abraham Lincoln when he met her referred to her as “the little lady who started this big war”.

Then, the poem of Maya Angelou, if you don't who is she? She is a poet, writer, actress and American activist. An important figure in the American civil rights movement, she has become an emblematic figure of artistic and political life in the United States. This poem treats about racism because the poet accuses directly the write, slave traders lowners racism people colonisers with “you” at the first line. She describes herself, other black people and also her ancestors with “I”. She uses a metaphor to designate the slaves: “Cause I walk like I've got oil wells pumping in my living room” (l.7/ 8), anoher metaphor which designates slavery:” out the huts if history's shame”(l.29) .Uses smile comparison using “as” or “like” : like dust (l.4) , a form of slavery for the workers :”Cause I like I've got gold mines”(l.19) and others metaphors and smiles. But even if write oppressors distnguish her , she is proud of her inheritance and she's optimist for her future :Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave I am the dream and the hope of the slave”(l.39/40),  she repeats many time:”I Rise” to show that even if there racism toward her, she is strong and she will ,ever let anyone to pressure on herself.

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