Stephen Mwingira
Professor Cunningham
AFST. 3220
November 23, 2017
Narrative Authority and the African-American Author Narrative authority—whether it be subtle or explicit—is a crucial declaration an author can make in his or her own piece of literature. Authority in one’s work is what signifies believability to the audience, it’s what instills trust between the audience and the author, and it’s what convinces a reader that what the author is claiming in their work is both genuine and their own.
Over time, the African-American author has been able to gain the ability to formally declare authority over their own work, with and in their own voice. And in an excerpt of “Mrs Stewart’s Farewell Address to Her Friends In The City of Boston”, Maria …show more content…
All aspects of voice, dialect, diction, vocabulary, language, etc; play a role in the construction of an author’s narrative authority in their text. Voice is a tool that the author uses to declare who the narrator is, whether or not they are reliable, and what the piece of literature is all about.
For Maria Stewart, it was crucial for her to be authoritative in her speech, especially in her journey to aid for unity and black nationalism as a black jeremiad. When she writes “What if I am a woman; is not the God of ancient times the God of these modern days? Did he not raise up Deborah, to be a mother and a judge in Israel?” her voice is that of anger and even disappointed. She is also now being assertive in the tone of her writing, her advice on matters of equality in the United States were rejected simply due to the fact that she was a …show more content…
Even further in the text, beyond this excerpt, Stewart cites Mary of Magdalene, and Queen Esther, who are among some of the most prominent women discussed in the bible. Both of these women played a major role influencing the survival of a group. Esther saved the Jews from getting massacred by Persian King Ahasuerus, whilst Mary used her money from her life as a tradeswoman, to pay for the things that Jesus and his disciples needed to continue spreading the word of God. Both women were influenced and used by God.
Stewart is therefore being authoritative in her speech, not only is she black and an author, but her statement, “What if I am a woman”, she is implying that she should have just as much of a right to speak out in public as anyone else, even if she is a woman. That right is granted to her by providence, the same God that allowed Mary of Magdalene, Queen Esther, and Deborah to work in his favor in biblical times, allows her to do the same during her time as a black
Professor Cunningham
AFST. 3220
November 23, 2017
Narrative Authority and the African-American Author Narrative authority—whether it be subtle or explicit—is a crucial declaration an author can make in his or her own piece of literature. Authority in one’s work is what signifies believability to the audience, it’s what instills trust between the audience and the author, and it’s what convinces a reader that what the author is claiming in their work is both genuine and their own.
Over time, the African-American author has been able to gain the ability to formally declare authority over their own work, with and in their own voice. And in an excerpt of “Mrs Stewart’s Farewell Address to Her Friends In The City of Boston”, Maria …show more content…
All aspects of voice, dialect, diction, vocabulary, language, etc; play a role in the construction of an author’s narrative authority in their text. Voice is a tool that the author uses to declare who the narrator is, whether or not they are reliable, and what the piece of literature is all about.
For Maria Stewart, it was crucial for her to be authoritative in her speech, especially in her journey to aid for unity and black nationalism as a black jeremiad. When she writes “What if I am a woman; is not the God of ancient times the God of these modern days? Did he not raise up Deborah, to be a mother and a judge in Israel?” her voice is that of anger and even disappointed. She is also now being assertive in the tone of her writing, her advice on matters of equality in the United States were rejected simply due to the fact that she was a …show more content…
Even further in the text, beyond this excerpt, Stewart cites Mary of Magdalene, and Queen Esther, who are among some of the most prominent women discussed in the bible. Both of these women played a major role influencing the survival of a group. Esther saved the Jews from getting massacred by Persian King Ahasuerus, whilst Mary used her money from her life as a tradeswoman, to pay for the things that Jesus and his disciples needed to continue spreading the word of God. Both women were influenced and used by God.
Stewart is therefore being authoritative in her speech, not only is she black and an author, but her statement, “What if I am a woman”, she is implying that she should have just as much of a right to speak out in public as anyone else, even if she is a woman. That right is granted to her by providence, the same God that allowed Mary of Magdalene, Queen Esther, and Deborah to work in his favor in biblical times, allows her to do the same during her time as a black