Points to Consider:
In our discussion of Mary Prince’s narrative, we have tried to examine closely the relationship between Mary’s “voice” and that of her editor’s which appears throughout Prince’s story. We discussed, for instance, that Prince very often speaks “in code” because someone else is transcribing her text. You will also notice that the editor, in fact, chooses often to parallel Prince’s story with tales of other slaves and then appends other slave narratives at the end. Consider this feature of the text as a whole by examining how multiple “voices” and “authors” operate together to represent the moral atrocities of slavery. This feature of the text as a whole shows us how multiple “voices” operate together. Your own analysis should discuss whether you think this feature aids or impedes your comprehension of Mary Prince’s own story, which is supposed to be the centerpiece of dee book.
Question:
How you understand autrorship in “Mary Prince”? It is up to you to decide whether you think the multiple voices of this text aids or impedes your comprehension of Mary Prince and her story. Who is the author?; who, finally, has authorship over Mary’s story?; what difference does this make in your interpretation of the text? Towards your conclusion, incorporate Frantz Fanon’s idea about the “weight of a culture” a speaker must carry to suggest if and/or how Mary Prince achieves any measure of freedom in the telling of het story.
Guidelines:
Pick at least four scenes from the book that will help support your analysis and to elaborate your argument. Though you are to focus on single scenes or sections, your paper must also demonstrate your understanding of the text as a whole. Your main objective is to argue for your position on this question, not to repeat and/ or summarize the text.