Slave Songs Thesis
Outline
Topic: Research paper on slave songs.
I. Introduction
A. Thesis: Most of the slave songs were often adapted to represent the experience of labor in the many plantations; these songs were divided into three different groups, the working songs, the recreational ones and the spiritual songs.
II. Body Paragraph 1 – Work Songs
A. Focus on Work songs
B. The work songs differed according to the type of labor.
C. The tempo of the songs reflected the amount of work done
i. Slave owners encouraged the up-tempo songs ii. The working machined influenced the tempo iii. Different cultures in the songs
III. Body Paragraph 2- Recreational Songs
A. Focus on dancing songs
B. Sundays were very important for the slaves.
i. Parties …show more content…
One of the subjects often approached by the author are the slave songs. While Douglass narrates the story, Douglass explains that until he became free, he didn’t understand the meaning of slave songs until later, he was able to recognize and interpret them as laments. While Douglass analyses the various songs, he demonstrated a sense of reminiscence for when he used to sing them. Most of the songs were often adapted to represent the experience of labor in the many plantations; these songs were divided into three different groups: the working songs, the recreational ones and the spiritual …show more content…
In his narrative, Douglass explains that the songs sang sounded happy to the slave holders, but were actually sad, “The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears.”(Douglass, 15). Due to the needed of interaction, the songs, often called “field hollers”, involved call and response. The work songs often changed according to the type of labor done, but all of them, were frequently used to pace the labor, spend time and make life less unbearable. The labor often done by slaves included: harvest work, chopping trees, flashing rice, loading cargo, and among other unbearable and hard labor. The slaves would sing in order to be concentrated due to the fact that, they would work with dangerous tools such as axes and sledge hammers. The songs would pace the work in the speed of the activity and would determine when the men, standing in line, would strike with the axe or the sledge hammer. The songs weren’t planned, they would just start as improvised music, and were later arranged to fit the specific task, and the songs were also based in easy and predictable patterns in order for easy memorization. Most of the songs were led by the leader of the specific task, the leader would start singing a part of the line and
Topic: Research paper on slave songs.
I. Introduction
A. Thesis: Most of the slave songs were often adapted to represent the experience of labor in the many plantations; these songs were divided into three different groups, the working songs, the recreational ones and the spiritual songs.
II. Body Paragraph 1 – Work Songs
A. Focus on Work songs
B. The work songs differed according to the type of labor.
C. The tempo of the songs reflected the amount of work done
i. Slave owners encouraged the up-tempo songs ii. The working machined influenced the tempo iii. Different cultures in the songs
III. Body Paragraph 2- Recreational Songs
A. Focus on dancing songs
B. Sundays were very important for the slaves.
i. Parties …show more content…
One of the subjects often approached by the author are the slave songs. While Douglass narrates the story, Douglass explains that until he became free, he didn’t understand the meaning of slave songs until later, he was able to recognize and interpret them as laments. While Douglass analyses the various songs, he demonstrated a sense of reminiscence for when he used to sing them. Most of the songs were often adapted to represent the experience of labor in the many plantations; these songs were divided into three different groups: the working songs, the recreational ones and the spiritual …show more content…
In his narrative, Douglass explains that the songs sang sounded happy to the slave holders, but were actually sad, “The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears.”(Douglass, 15). Due to the needed of interaction, the songs, often called “field hollers”, involved call and response. The work songs often changed according to the type of labor done, but all of them, were frequently used to pace the labor, spend time and make life less unbearable. The labor often done by slaves included: harvest work, chopping trees, flashing rice, loading cargo, and among other unbearable and hard labor. The slaves would sing in order to be concentrated due to the fact that, they would work with dangerous tools such as axes and sledge hammers. The songs would pace the work in the speed of the activity and would determine when the men, standing in line, would strike with the axe or the sledge hammer. The songs weren’t planned, they would just start as improvised music, and were later arranged to fit the specific task, and the songs were also based in easy and predictable patterns in order for easy memorization. Most of the songs were led by the leader of the specific task, the leader would start singing a part of the line and