Before we deal with gender identity it is first of all important to understand the definition of gender. The Oxford Companion to African-American Literature explains it as follows:
“Gender is different from sexuality [sic!]. Sexuality concerns physical and biological differences that distinguish males from females. Cultures construct differences in gender. These social constructions attach themselves to behaviors, expectations, roles, representations, and sometimes to values and beliefs that are specific to either men and women.”
In this following paper I’m going to analyse the different gender identities appearing in the poetry of Emily Dickinson and the autobiography of Frederick Douglass.1 My main focus is concentrated on the use and description of gender in both genres. How are gender identities characterized and how do we get to know them? Which gender does Dickinson use in the chosen poems and how are their identities constructed? Referring to Douglass it is interesting to look at how he constitutes himself as an identity.
Referring to Emily Dickinson, I chose several poems, like “I’m “wife” – I’ve finished that-“, “I felt my life with both hands”, “A Wife- at Daybreak I shall be”, “I was the slightest in the House-“ and “I tie my Hat”. Gender Identities in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry In the lyric poem there is for the most part no description of who is speaking, no embodiment, no development, no introduced “character”. For example, Dickinson’s various personae or self-positionings as “Earl”, “Wife” or “Queen” are known either only by the tone and manner of the text or by self-naming within the poem’s text. Dickinson’s speaker exclaims “A Wife – at Daybreak- I shall be-“ but the poem provides no corroboration of these identity markers. Dickinson neither describes her speakers in narrative terms nor describes their positions as separate from herself, except in the single cryptic comment to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, “When I state myself [that is, use “I”] as the Representative of the Verse- it does not mean me- but a supposed person”.2
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Gender Identities in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry
3. Gender Identity in Frederick Douglass’ The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass. A American Slave Written by Himself
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This essay explores the construction and representation of gender identities within two distinct American literary works: the poetry of Emily Dickinson and the autobiography of Frederick Douglass. By analyzing the linguistic strategies and performative aspects of identity in both texts, the research investigates how personal and social selfhood is forged against cultural expectations and conventional gender roles.
- The role of gender as a social construct and personal identity factor.
- Linguistic and performative strategies of identity construction in Dickinson’s lyric poetry.
- The link between literacy, self-definition, and the acquisition of freedom in slave narratives.
- The transition from objecthood to subjecthood through self-naming and authorship.
- The comparison of poetic "gaps" and narrative self-assertion.
Excerpt from the Book
Gender Identity in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. An American Slave Written by Himself
Referring to the aforementioned definition of gender, we have to keep in mind that nothing has been left undone to “cripple the intellects, darken the minds, debase the moral nature, obliterate all traces of the relationship to mankind” as in the case of the African-American slaves. Politicians and proponents of slavery understood how to scotch any individuality and the exertion of traditional (African) cultural models.
In order to darken their minds, reading and writing was no mean thing in the life of a slave. Learning to read and write meant that this person of African descent took one giant step up the Great Chain of Being; the “thing” became a human being. As in Douglass’ case, it was never intended that he and other ex-slaves should be able to read and write and thus have the capacity to produce and publish the narratives of their lives and, declare freedom and independence for themselves. With his acquisition of literacy, the power to read books and discover one’s place in the scheme of things, Douglass also achieved his physical freedom.
In the famous passage Douglass speaks of reading as the way he began to define himself via defiance of his master. At the age of eight young Frederick is taught the ABC by his mistress Sophia Auld. But soon his master forbids her to teach him. This is the very moment in Douglass’ life when he “understood what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty- to wit, the white man’s power to enslave the black man. It was a grand achievement , and I prized it highly. From that moment I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom.”
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter defines the theoretical understanding of gender and outlines the research objective of comparing identity constructions in the works of Emily Dickinson and Frederick Douglass.
2. Gender Identities in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry: This section examines how Dickinson uses poetic gaps and performative linguistic markers to explore feminine identity while simultaneously subverting conventional gender expectations.
3. Gender Identity in Frederick Douglass’ The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass. A American Slave Written by Himself: This chapter analyzes how literacy and the act of writing one's own narrative enable Douglass to transform himself from a chattel into a self-defined, free human being.
4. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the findings, highlighting that while Dickinson uses textual ambiguity to discuss gender, Douglass utilizes the mastery of language to secure his social and personal freedom.
Keywords
Gender Identity, Emily Dickinson, Frederick Douglass, Autobiography, Poetry, Literacy, Self-construction, Performative Identity, Slave Narrative, American Literature, Social Construction, Agency, Identity, Discourse, Bildungsroman
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the construction of gender identities within two vastly different literary genres: the lyric poetry of Emily Dickinson and the autobiography of Frederick Douglass.
What are the central thematic fields explored in the essay?
The central themes include the social construction of gender, the performative nature of self-identity, the role of literacy in empowerment, and the significance of self-authorship in defining one's existence.
What is the primary objective of this research?
The goal is to determine how Dickinson’s speakers construct identity through linguistic "gaps" and how Douglass utilizes the acquisition of literacy to transition from the status of an enslaved object to that of a free, self-governing subject.
Which scientific methods are employed in this analysis?
The author uses a comparative literary analysis, applying concepts of gender theory and social constructivism to textual evidence from both poetry and autobiography.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body is divided into two parts: an investigation of Dickinson’s feminine personae and their performative nature, followed by an examination of Douglass’ path to self-definition through the acquisition of language and writing.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Gender Identity, Literacy, Self-construction, Performative Identity, and Slave Narrative.
How does Dickinson’s approach to identity differ from Douglass’?
Dickinson uses linguistic ambiguity, quotation marks, and silence to challenge static definitions of womanhood, whereas Douglass uses explicit narration and the assertion of his own name to claim his status as a man and a free agent.
What significance does the title "Written by Himself" have in Douglass' narrative?
The phrase serves as a powerful assertion of authorship and humanity; it counters the abolitionist tendency to speak for the slave and asserts that Douglass is the sole creator of his own life story and identity.
How is the "Bildungsroman" concept applied to Frederick Douglass?
The essay argues that the progression of Douglass’ narrative, through his name changes and his growth toward freedom and intellectual maturity, fits the structure of a Bildungsroman, tracing his psychological and social development.
- Quote paper
- Katrin Gischler (Author), 2005, Gender identities in the poetry of Emily Dickinson and in the narrative life of Frederick Douglass, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/47124
