1. Introduction
The subject for this term paper is James Grainger’s approach to use the means of georgic poetry to justify the slave system in the 18th century. The primary object of my study is Grainger's poem The Sugar Cane, which was written in “West-Indian georgic” style. First of all I will give a short explanation of georgic poems and their history. Then I will turn to Charles Woodmason, who emigrated to South Carolina and was responsible for many georgic poems in the New World giving the farmers extensive agricultural advices. Exemplified by Woodmason`s Indico I will point out the typical characteristics of a georgic poem. Next I will focus on James Grainger and his poem The Sugar Cane. He lived and worked on the Caribbean islands as a doctor and provided medical care for the slaves. He wrote down his experiences in the poem and gave detailed information for his readers in Britain and Europe about the West Indies. Furthermore I will explore the significance of sugar for empire building and the poetics of empire. In addition I will thoroughly analyze The Sugar Cane since responses to Grainger's poem in the eighteenth century were quite contradictory. On the one hand he justified slavery and the plantation system and on the other hand he condemned the colonial project and slavery. I will show some passages from the poem as examples for the thesis of justification of slavery and the antithesis of criticism of slavery. Finally I will try to work out and present ways on how he overcomes the contradiction between empire and freedom. At at the end I will give a short summary and some concluding thoughts.
2. Georgic poems
According to The New Princeton Encyclopaedia of Poetry and Poetics (1993) a georgic poem is a “didactic poem primarily intended to give directions concerning some skill, art, or science, such as practical aspects of agriculture and rural affairs. It also celebrates the virtues of hard work and cultivation.” The model for such verse in postclassical literature was Virgil’s Georgica written between 37 and 29 BC. Virgil was born to a farming family, and his poem gives specific instructions to Italian farmers along with a passionate message to care for the land and for the animals and crops that it sustains (cf. http://classics.mit.edu/Virgil/ georgics.html). The word georgics stems from the Latin word georgicus and means agricultural (cf. http://aolsvc.merriam-webster.aol.com/dictionary /georgics).
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Georgic poems
2.1 Charles Woodmason`s poem Indico as an example of georgic poetry
3. James Grainger’s poem The Sugar Cane
3.1 Information about the poem The Sugar Cane
3.2 Reception after the publication of The Sugar Cane
4. The poem as an approach to justify slavery
4.1 The cultural politics of sugar
4.2 The poetics of empire
4.2.1 A Thesis: Justifying slavery to the British Nation
4.2.2 Antithesis: The Sugar Cane incriminates slavery and the colonial project
4.2.3 Synthesis: Ways to overcome the contradiction between empire and freedom
5. Summary and concluding thoughts
Research Objectives and Themes
This academic paper examines how James Grainger utilizes the genre of georgic poetry to justify the 18th-century slave system, while simultaneously exploring the underlying moral contradictions regarding colonialism and freedom within his work.
- Analysis of the georgic poetry tradition and its characteristics.
- Evaluation of James Grainger's The Sugar Cane as both a pro-slavery justification and a critique of the colonial project.
- Exploration of the role of sugar in the British Empire's economic and political expansion.
- Investigation into how Grainger uses medical and agricultural expertise to rationalize slavery.
- Discussion of the moral dilemmas faced by colonial authors during the peak of the British Empire.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2.1 A Thesis: Justifying slavery to the British Nation
In the following I will analyse in which way Grainger’s poem The Sugar Cane is a justification of the plantation complex and rationalizes the colonial project and slavery focusing on Book IV. I will cite passages from the poem as evidence showing the pro-slavery attitude of the author.
Grainger starts Book IV with a striking “Invocation to the Genius of Africa” (cf. Book IV- Argument). Here gives proper instructions for the buying and choice of slaves. He naturalizes the holding of slaves and states that “the labour, when compared to that in lead-mines, or South America, is not only less toilsome, but far more healthy” (cf. Book IV- Argument). So he justifies the slave system in the Caribbean as a good institution which is the best thing that could happen to slaves. Furthermore he gives threadbare advice for the human treatment of slaves: “Field-negroes should not begin to work before six in the morning, and should leave off between eleven and twelve […] Negroes to be cloathed once a year, and before Christmas” (cf. Book IV. Argument). This argument was heavily attacked by the Critical Review saying […] “here we think that tenderness and humanity, with which the former part of the poem seems, replete, is, in some measure, forgotten. The poet talks of this ungenerous commerce without the least appearance of detestation; but proceeds to direct these purchasers of their fellow-creatures with the same indifference that a groom would give instructions for chusing a horse” (cf. Gilmore 2000, 43).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction outlines the paper's focus on James Grainger’s use of georgic poetry to justify 18th-century slavery and establishes the key research areas.
2. Georgic poems: This chapter defines the didactic nature of the georgic genre, referencing Virgil as the foundational model for instructing rural and agricultural practices.
3. James Grainger’s poem The Sugar Cane: This section details the structure and themes of the poem, including its function as an ethnographic and medical manual for the Caribbean colonies, and reviews its contemporary reception.
4. The poem as an approach to justify slavery: This central chapter explores the economic importance of sugar for the British Empire and dissects Grainger's contradictory stance, which balances support for the plantation system with occasional humanitarian sympathy.
5. Summary and concluding thoughts: The final chapter synthesizes the main arguments, concluding that Grainger’s attempts to reconcile empire and freedom ultimately resulted in a compromise that supported an "efficient and medicated" colonial system.
Keywords
James Grainger, The Sugar Cane, georgic poetry, British Empire, slavery, plantation system, colonial project, West Indies, cultural politics, human treatment, moral dilemma, literary criticism, agricultural advice, 18th century, abolition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this paper?
The paper examines how 18th-century author James Grainger uses the literary style of georgic poetry to justify and rationalize the slave system in the British Caribbean.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The core themes include the georgic tradition, the economic significance of sugar for the British Empire, the ethical justification of slavery in literature, and the contradiction between colonial ambition and humanitarian concerns.
What is the main research question?
The primary research goal is to understand how Grainger used his poem to navigate the moral dilemma of slavery, essentially attempting to bridge the gap between empire-building and the reality of human suffering.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The study employs literary analysis, close reading of specific passages from The Sugar Cane, and historical contextualization through scholarly sources and contemporary reviews.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body focuses on the characteristics of georgic verse, an analysis of the cultural politics of sugar, and a dialectic structure exploring Grainger's "thesis" of slavery's justification and his "antithesis" of slave empathy.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is defined by terms such as James Grainger, georgic poetry, British Empire, colonial project, plantation slavery, and literary rationalization.
How does the author attempt to justify slavery in the poem?
Grainger attempts to naturalize slavery by claiming that the work conditions in the Caribbean were healthier than those in European mines and by providing "humanitarian" guidelines for slave management.
How did contemporary critics react to The Sugar Cane?
Reception was contradictory; while some reviewers praised the poem's humanitarian tone, others, such as the Critical Review, condemned the work for its insensitive treatment of the plantation complex.
What was Grainger's personal motivation according to the author?
The paper suggests that Grainger likely favored the slave system to maintain his own status and income as a colonial doctor, criticizing it only superficially to satisfy his anti-slavery literary circle in London.
- Citar trabajo
- Nicholas Haase (Autor), 2008, Justifying the slave system, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/126646
