LITR 5731: Seminar in American Minority Literature
University of Houston-Clear Lake, Fall 2001
Sample Student Midterm

Donnette Arnold
Literature 5731
October 2, 2001
Dr. Craig White

A Dream in Various Forms

            In 1776 it was stated that our country was based upon one simple truth, "That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Though stated with a poetic justice, this statement did not hold true for all U.S. citizens. Many citizens were held in captivity, versus freedom, unable to pursue those "inalienable rights." After two hundred years of inequality, Martin Luther King, Jr., would provide one of the most vocal positions regarding the lack of equal rights owed to African Americans. In his 1969 Lincoln Memorial speech, King would historically state, "I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream, that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed – we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Like most Americans, African Americans have developed several variations of the American Dream. Many African Americans find that their dream differs from the traditional American dream in that there is no immediate success. Sometimes it consists of equality via liberty and/or literacy, while at other a simple desire to know self through historical connection. Dreams of this nature have been a major underlying theme of African-American literature since the 1800’s.

            In the mid-1800’s Frederick Douglass began sharing his story of slavery with what was then considered the "North." Douglass realized his dream early in life and worked to achieve as much of the dream as possible. As he explains in The Classic Slave Narratives, his Baltimore mistress began to teach him the alphabet at a young age, "She very kindly commenced to teach me the A, B, C. After I had learned this, she assisted me in learning to spell words of three or four letters" (Gates 274). Ultimately, his master discovered his wife’s acts and immediately ended the teaching. Even though his instruction was cut early, Douglass soon realized that in being able to read and write, not only could his mind be free of captivity, but he may find physical freedom. It took Douglass seven years to learn to read and write. Though this power allowed Douglass to free his mind, he once stated, "I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without a remedy […] I often found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead; and but for the hope of being free" (279). Even in achieving his dream of literacy, it led to a greater dream, freedom.

            Douglass’ achievements were not without setbacks and/or difficulties. In working towards literacy, his master withheld knowledge of reading and writing forcing him to learn these in unconventional ways. He tricked the neighborhood boys into showing him how to write and spell words in the dirt. He also secretly read newspapers and other texts. These setbacks only impressed upon him his necessity to become literate. If his master worked so hard to keep him from learning, then there must have been a great benefit for Douglass that his master was not vocalizing. He felt an absolute need to acquire what was denied him.

            In his achievement of physical freedom, Douglass faced other setbacks. After seven years in Baltimore, Douglass was sent back to the South. Here he discovered hunger and cruel treatment. As an African American requiring "redirection," Douglass was sent to Mr. Covey for one year. During this year Mr. Covey was tasked with "breaking" Douglass, a task necessary to reintroduce Douglass to a life of physical labor. As one of his most trying years, Douglass explains, "Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me. I was broken in body, soul, and spirit[…]my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me" (293). Douglass would not forget his dream. In an effort to survive via freedom, he stood up to Mr. Covey. Mr. Covey tried to beat him, and Douglass beat Covey down physically instead. Douglass would win this battle – a battle that would be a turning point in Douglass’ life and rekindled a deeper desire to obtain freedom.

In rising above his difficulties, Douglass achieved literacy and freedom. These goals turned achievements led to an effort to teach fellow slaves, an effort aimed at achieving freedom for his fellow slaves. As an individual with a dream, Douglass worked to end slavery and bring dignity to his brethren.

Douglass’ story is echoed in Sapphire’s story, Push. Sapphire’s Precious seeks literacy and parental independence. Precious’ story does not occur in the 1800’s or the early 1900’s, but from 1987 to 1989. Twenty years after King’s speech in Washington, D.C., Precious, a young African-American woman, still struggles to acquire literacy and independence. Her "captors," or parents, keep her in ignorance to maintain relative power, which is a situation that leads to horrid mental and physical abuse. Just as Douglass recognizes his need for literacy, so too does Precious.

Once realized, Precious’ dream of literacy is used to develop a single goal, to remove herself from her parents’ home. As experienced by Douglass, she too undergoes setbacks and difficulties. As she attempts to leave home to attend an alternative school, her mother yells to her, "School? Go down to welfare, school can’t help you none, now," noting that a now pregnant Precious only needs welfare to care for that baby (Sapphire 23). Precious refuses to allow her mother to get in her way. "School gonna help me get out dis house" (35).

Once in a classroom, Precious must decide whether to start this first day of class with the typical apathy and carelessness, or to take on a new attitude - a true drive to learn. She chooses to sit at the front of the classroom, "An’ for the first time in my life I sits down in the front row" (40). Precious determines that this is her last chance to acquire literacy and, therefore, maintains an attitude of care and sincerity.

On her rough road to literacy, she encounters several hurdles. After the birth of her son, Precious discovers that she is HIV Positive. After being told of her condition, she states, "I gotta learn more than ABCs now. I got to learn more than read write, this is BIG" (94). Precious decides that she must also provide a proper home for her son.

Precious is able to "push" through adversity, accomplish what she wants and also help others. To find support regarding her own personal problems, she in turn is enabled to help others in the group. Through identifying with other group members, she shows them that they can all make it through the adversity together. Precious explains to the reader, "Only now I the one who say ‘keep on keepin on’ to the new girls" (94). While pushing forward, Precious desires to see her friends achieve dignity, just as did Douglass.

In Song of Solomon, Milkman’s story is quite different from both Douglass’ and Precious’ story. Milkman was literate and had many options for further education, if so desired. Milkman was apathetic toward education and work. In fact, he was not sure what he wanted from life. Initially, he thought the best thing for his life was to leave his family and home. In order to do so, he needed money. His father, Macon gives him the task of searching for a bag of gold in his Virginian hometown. Macon fought Pilate for a particular bag of gold as children, and Macon believes the gold remains in the original location as it was when they were young. Milkman wishes to locate the gold as means to accomplishing his goal to achieve financial independence.

While on this quest, Milkman discovers his true dream, to discover "who he really is" and his family heritage. Milkman’s version of the African-American dream is one of uncovering the past, a past that has been covered and lost through slavery and post-abolition renaming. Where his grandfather and father choose to leave the past behind, Milkman chooses to retrace their steps.

Through Macon, Milkman has been fed numerous variations of history. Pilate, his aunt, continues much of the same distortion. He is unsure of history and reality. In listening to his father’s story, we read of Milkman’s feelings, "Deep down in that pocket where his heart hid, he felt used. Somehow everybody was using him for something or as something" (Morrison 165). As his father unfolds his version, Milkman feels that the only reason Macon shares is to motivate Milkman to locate the gold.

Besides his father’s and Pilate’s insufficient and distorted knowledge of the past, Milkman is faced with yet another difficulty in retracing his family’s past. His best friend, Guitar, seeks to take Milkman’s life. Once Milkman arrives into Shalimar, Virginia, the town in which Pilate spent much of her earlier life, he discovers that Guitar has left him a message. As voiced by a local, "Yeah. Said to tell you your day was sure coming or your day…something like that…your day is here" (262). Milkman receives this message with shock and surprise. Not only must he work to discover his family history, but he must do so while in danger of losing his life. He chooses to risk his life and continue his search for the gold in Shalimar, a search that leads him to his family history.

Milkman is faced with death while on a hunting trip with the men of Shalimar, "The wire pressed into his neck then and took his breath […] there was a piece of a second in which the wire left room enough to gasp, to take another breath. But it was a living breath this time, not a dying one" (279). Milkman survives this fight and deters Guitar, but as he struggles for his life, all the worries disappear. This struggle becomes his true struggle for life, not his fighting against those that surround his life. In this moment, he sees what is truly important– to know oneself.

Milkman finally verbalizes this to himself after his meeting with a local named Susan Byrd. He explained to her that it did not matter that he did not acquire the information he was looking for concerning his family. He admits, "And there was something more. It wasn’t true what he’d said to Susan Byrd: that it wasn’t important to find his people. Ever since Danville, his interest in his own people, not just the ones he met, had been growing […] Who were they, and what were they like?" (293). He knows there is no gold to find, only an equally valued family history.

It is the simple children’s song sung by the Shalimar children that enlightens him regarding the identities of his great grandfather and grandfather. He connects the stories he has heard and the information he has acquired and determines that his great grandfather was able to fly. In an attempt to fly away from his family he tried to take Milkman’s grandfather as a baby, but dropped the baby. Milkman finds pride in discovering that his family history is one filled with great men, great men who have places named for them.

Milkman rushes home with his newfound knowledge in hopes of sharing information and bringing his family together. Ultimately, in sharing the knowledge with Pilate he is able to give her dignity in life and peace of mind. His family was not united in the way that he had hoped.

Milkman’s process, the realization of a dream, the setbacks he must overcome, rising above those setbacks, and his quest for group dignity, mirrors that of Douglass’ or Precious’ process. Each one faced setbacks in the quest for achieving his or her dream. With no immediate success, as occurs in the traditional American dream, they all sought to work towards the goal with patience and determination. Once they acquired the dream or a part of that dream, they turned around and gave back to their people, family and friends, in an effort to help those around them. All three characters’ stories, whether factual or fictional, help to make up the great African-American literary tradition describing the quest for the dream of equality, and in that, exercising their inalienable rights.