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

Jane Ftacnik
LITR 5731
February 22, 2003

  Precious, Corinthians, and Douglass:  Literacy as relief from oppression?

       There are different levels of literacy that include being academically literate, functionally literate, and computer literate.  There is no certainty about what will happen if one becomes literate and perhaps academically literate.  With all of the evidence presented by statistics and economists, achieving literacy has come to mean success.  Within our texts, there are examples of how achieving various levels of literacy affected the lives of slaves and other characters.  Literacy does not always equate to immediate success.  As we will see in the three examples of our texts, one can be literate yet still suffer from oppression by members of the dominant society.  Frederick Douglass, Corinthians Dead, and Precious Jones achieved different levels of literacy yet still remained oppressed.

     In contrast to the other texts, Frederick Douglass' slave narrative is an autobiography.  He suffers the social status of being nothing more than a piece of property, and he has no choice in the matter, and no way to improve his situation.  None of the other slaves mentioned in his narrative are literate, and thus all are oppressed.  As we are taken through the horrible plight of the slaves, Douglass is carefully describing reality while building support for the abolition of slavery, which is why the narrative was written.  The narrative exists only because Douglass became literate.  The atrocities of slavery are conveyed only because he learned how to read and write. 

     As Douglass conveys how the slave masters torture and kill the slaves, and how the Southern white men as a whole behave towards Black people, a sense of doom pervades as we learn that there are many facets to the plight of black people in the south during this time period.  As Douglass narrates his conversations with the poor white children about his status, he speaks of his status as a slave as lasting for a lifetime.  It is an impasse, an unchanging predicament.  As Douglass writes, "You will be free as soon as you are twenty-one, but I am a slave for life (Douglass 368)!"  At this point in the narrative, Douglass represents the slave situation as one that is impossible to alter.  As his readers become sympathetic, the little white boys that he laments his status with are sympathetic so that Douglass simultaneously earns the sympathy of his readers and his companions in this scene. 

     We know that Douglass is reading and learning to write at this juncture in the narrative, but how literacy will benefit him.  One of his masters deflates the idea of Douglass becoming literate as he explains that it will hurt Douglass rather than help him.  As Mr. Auld describes what would happen if a slave were taught to read, Douglass narrates, "…if you teach that nigger (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him.  It would forever unfit him to be a slave.  He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master.  As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm.  It would make him discontented and unhappy (Douglass 364)."  After Douglass hears his master uttering the idea that literacy will hurt him, he decides that literacy is the key to freedom for him.  But it still seems that even though Douglass is becoming literate, he is not able to attain his freedom and exercise choices in his life.  It is not clear at this point how literacy will help Douglass, and Douglass has mentioned that it has hurt him. 

     After Douglass escapes to the north where he is a free man and is married, he can only find work as a laborer loading oil onto ships.  He tries to work in calking, but the white people were in power and refused to let Douglass do that job.  Even though Douglass is highly literate and is able to write a book, he still must succumb to the oppression of white people.  He can practice being an intellectual by reading the newspaper called the Liberator, and attending anti-slavery meetings and speaking at these meetings, but he cannot work with white people doing a calking job.  Douglass himself admits that the purpose of his narrative is to enlighten people about the realities of slavery, and this seems to be his only triumph against the wall of oppression. 

     A woman who was able to go to college during the late 1930's should have had a world of opportunities awaiting her.  She was afforded the opportunity to be educated and literate, and should have been able to have a job as a professional.  Corinthians was not only a woman but a black woman, who graduated from college in the early 1940's, and she should have been able to earn a living as a teacher, or some other profession where she would be able to showcase her intellect.  Instead, Corinthians is trapped inside of her own privilege, which ultimately binds her to the job of a glorified maid. 

     Morrison acknowledges this privilege as she explains that Corinthians should have been able to do more than be a maid.  As Morrison writes, "The three years she had spent in college, a junior year in France, and being the granddaughter of the eminent Dr. Foster should have culminated in something more elegant than the two uniforms that hung on Miss Graham's basement door (Morrison 188)."  Corinthians had more opportunity than most other women her age, let alone other black women.  Yet, here is evidence that even though she is literate, Corinthians was a powerless black woman in a society controlled by wealthy white people. 

     Morrison reveals some of the racism that exists among some black people, as she describes how black men shun Corinthians precisely because of her background.  They do not want her because she has too much power for them.  Corinthians has traveled overseas, her father is a source of income, and she has a college degree and is bilingual in both French and English.  And, in addition to those attributes she is attractive and has manners and is described by Morrison as "high toned and high yellow."  Her powerfulness works against her because the professional black men do not want someone who is already successful; rather, they are searching for someone who is hungry for success.  She is successful partly because of birthright; and partly because she earned her college degree.  But she is unable to assimilate into black society and she has no other option but to work as a maid.  Morrison explains how Corinthians and her mother believe that she should be sought after by black men as she writes, "High toned and high yellow, she believed what her mother was also convinced of:  that she was a prize for a professional man of color (Morrison 188)."  But her skin color does not win her a marriage proposal and may even further her rejection by black men. 

     So Corinthians' enigmatic position leads to a job as a maid for a wealthy white woman who happens to be a prominent figure in the literary society of the time.  Morrison plays with the idea of literacy representing power, as Corinthians is highly literate, and can read the same books as her employer, however; Corinthians has no power and is relegated to her lowly occupation.  Morrison makes certain that the reader understands the prominence of this white woman's position, as she lists at length her literary achievements.  The hegemony of the white woman contrasts with the subservience of Corinthians the maid when Morrison reveals the opinion of the white woman about Corinthians.  In Morrison's words, "It was also a pleasure and a relief to have a maid who read and who seemed to be acquainted with some of the great masters of literature.  So nice to be able to give a maid a copy of Walden  for Christmas rather than that dreary envelope, and to be able to say so to her friends (Morrison 190)." Literacy sharpens the line between the powerful and the powerless as Corinthians is thought of as a maid who reads classic literature.  Morrison is careful to have the character of the white woman think of Corinthians as a maid, rather than a person who reads literature who happens to do housework for her.  Instead of empowering Corinthians, literacy helps her maintain her status as a maid. 

     Unlike Frederick Douglass, Precious Jones is not born into slavery but has the opportunity to attend public school but does not become literate there.  The character of Precious is the opposite of Corinthians, as Precious is born into a life of poverty and abuse.  She endures such difficulties at home that she is unable to comprehend her lessons.  Precious seems to be resigned to a life of illiteracy and welfare.  She sits in classrooms and does not pay attention, and no teacher ever notices that she wets on herself and is not responsive to anything.  Precious is illiterate and cannot even tell what time it is.  After she becomes pregnant with her father's child, she is suspended from school and this worsens her situation.  Precious seems to be in a downward spiral towards hopelessness. 

     An unlikely hero helps Precious get back into school, a white woman named Mrs. Lichenstein who arranges for Precious to get into an alternative high school.  Mrs. Lichenstein has power, as she decided that Precious should be suspended, yet she also helps Precious to resume attending school.  At this point in the story, Precious is oppressed by several forces, only one of which is white people.  White people are the teachers and administrators in the educational system, and they fail to help Precious as she attends public schools.  Precious is oppressed by her parents, her grandmother and even her neighbor, as all either ignore or abuse her.  Mrs. Lichenstein is the first white person to help Precious and this is a turning point in the text.  Sapphire constructs the character of Mrs. Lichenstein as a literate white woman who cannot imagine what Precious is going through, as Mrs. Lichenstein uses language in a patronizing way when she speaks with Precious.  In Sapphire's words, "Sixteen is rather ahh-she clear her throat-old to still be in junior high school (Sapphire 7)."  Instead of asking Precious how is she is doing and what she would like to do, Mrs. Lichenstein emphasizes her power as she judges Precious for her position in life.  Sapphire also has Mrs. Lichenstein use vocabulary words that exemplify her status as a literate person as Mrs. Lichenstein tells Precious "Your attitude Claireece is one of total uncooperation- (Sapphire, 8)."  We know that Precious will not understand these words, and thus Mrs. Lichenstein has power over her.   

     After being helped by Mrs. Lichenstein, Precious begins to attend the alternative high school and this where she becomes empowered.  Precious learns how to read and write, and is able to write short poems and journal entries.  Still, even though Sapphire has convincingly created the character of Precious as illiterate, and it is obvious that she should be at a certain level of literacy at age 16, it is not immediately obvious how literacy is going to help Precious.  She is still living in an abusive situation with her mother, and she lacks money and a way to earn it.  She has the second baby and decides to raise him herself without a means to take care of him.  She then runs away from her house with no place to live and a newborn child,  and is temporarily homeless.  She gets placed into a halfway house, and continues to go to school. 

     Precious slowly achieves a functional literacy and is able to comprehend what she reads on a basic level.  Her self-esteem begins to build, and she realizes that her life was not normal and there is hope for the future.  The critical moment during Precious' life comes when she is reading on her own and writing in her journal regularly, and she sees what members of the dominant society think of her.  She realizes that they believe that she is only capable of becoming a home attendant, which involves caring for the elderly.  But Precious wants to continue her education and go on to college.  As Sapphire writes, "…I'm getting my G.E.D., a job, and a place for me and Abdul, and then I go to college (Sapphire 120)."  Precious has become literate, yet she is still seen by white people as only capable of doing a menial job.  Oppression weighs her down as she struggles to rise above her conditions. 

     Douglass, Precious Jones, and Corinthians Dead all achieve different levels of literacy.  They achieved what seemed to be an impossible goal for black people in the past, yet they remain gripped in the vice of oppression.  Someday this situation may change, but for now, it remains a frustrating reality.  Perhaps black people may take inspiration from the words of the Negro national anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing."  In the words of James Weldon Johnson:

      Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,

      Let us march on till victory is won.