“What’s Love Got to do with it”? It is a liberating song written in 1984, by iconic songstress Tina Turner. It brings to mind the suffering of her many years of domestic violence, while believing that she loved her abuser. Her experience is similar to the fictional character Clotel, in Williams Wells Brown novel Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter. This novel is first published in 1853 in London, England. He writes about the exploitations of mulatto women during slavery. In American literature, Brown’s literary writing depicts the tragic mulatto story, reflective of inbreeding or mixing of race between white masters and black slaves. Since slavery in America was one of the most heinous crimes in history, Brown explores the sexually oppressive
…show more content…
While their treatment is cruel and inhumane, it forces them to think of creative ways to increase their chances of freedom. Brown looks at three slave woman who believes to be in love with their white slave owners. He first introduces us to a slave woman who had or a long time been owned by Thomas Jefferson and who were the father of her two mulattos slave daughters. Brown clearly defines the differences between being a slave and free, he explains; “the law says:—Slaves shall be deemed, sold, taken, reputed, and adjudged in law to be chattels personal in the hands of their owners”(Brown 45). What does a slave girl know about love? The master usually begins his abuse at the beginning of her teens. He summons her to the main house and closes the door to a world wind of horror. No voice or screams is heard from her, she lies deathly still and is covered by his whiteness. Brown paints a better picture to the reader that, “A slave is one who is in the power of a master to whom he belongs” (Brown 45). In chapter 1 “The Negro Sale”, Brown introduces us to an ambitious wealthy college man, who desires to purchase a mulatto girl. The President’s daughter is notably recognized as a woman that can pass for white. Brown declares the white gentleman’s promise by stating, “You shall soon be free and your own mistress"(Brown 45). This is a welcoming deception for a slave girl who is desperate to be free. A slave can easily be held captive by mental manipulation and victimization. The slave should never lose sight of their objective with the overshadowing of love. If she allows human emotions to get the best of her, it can somehow permit her to believe that a white man in the antebellum south, can give her a happily ever after. Brown points out that, “This fact is, of itself, the best evidence of the degraded and immoral condition of the relation of master and slave in the United States of America” (Brown
While their treatment is cruel and inhumane, it forces them to think of creative ways to increase their chances of freedom. Brown looks at three slave woman who believes to be in love with their white slave owners. He first introduces us to a slave woman who had or a long time been owned by Thomas Jefferson and who were the father of her two mulattos slave daughters. Brown clearly defines the differences between being a slave and free, he explains; “the law says:—Slaves shall be deemed, sold, taken, reputed, and adjudged in law to be chattels personal in the hands of their owners”(Brown 45). What does a slave girl know about love? The master usually begins his abuse at the beginning of her teens. He summons her to the main house and closes the door to a world wind of horror. No voice or screams is heard from her, she lies deathly still and is covered by his whiteness. Brown paints a better picture to the reader that, “A slave is one who is in the power of a master to whom he belongs” (Brown 45). In chapter 1 “The Negro Sale”, Brown introduces us to an ambitious wealthy college man, who desires to purchase a mulatto girl. The President’s daughter is notably recognized as a woman that can pass for white. Brown declares the white gentleman’s promise by stating, “You shall soon be free and your own mistress"(Brown 45). This is a welcoming deception for a slave girl who is desperate to be free. A slave can easily be held captive by mental manipulation and victimization. The slave should never lose sight of their objective with the overshadowing of love. If she allows human emotions to get the best of her, it can somehow permit her to believe that a white man in the antebellum south, can give her a happily ever after. Brown points out that, “This fact is, of itself, the best evidence of the degraded and immoral condition of the relation of master and slave in the United States of America” (Brown