ELSA MEET
31st March 2019
Goverdhan Hotel, Agra, India
Theme:
Literature and Marginalized Communities: African American and Other Perspectives
The meet came up as a sequel to the discussion held last month
pertaining to the marginalised communities of India. Prof. Nibir Ghosh
initiated the meet with a small quiz based on the literary works of African
American literature. All members participated enthusiastically in the quiz and
won prizes. The questions were very pertinent to the topic and with each answer
Dr. Nibir Ghosh elaborated the issue behind it. Thus the session became an
enriching experience and left all members with a burning desire to read more
about the pantheons of African American Literature.
Dr Anjali Singh initiated the discussion by briefly mentioning the high
points of the Afro-American Literature. She touched upon the history of this
genre and then mentioned the contribution of Toni Morrison to it. The Nobel
Prize winning author’s work ‘Beloved’ was mentioned by Dr. Anjali especially
for portrayal of doubly marginalised section of American society, namely the
black women. She also mentioned the works of Langston Hughes and Amira Baraka.
Dr Srikanth Kulshreshta mentioned the contribution of Wole Soyinka, the
Nigerian author for tracing the roots of the native culture.
Dr Divya Gupta mentioned the historicity of the slave trade and the
inhumane conditions to which they were subjected to. She also mentioned Nadine
Gordimer’s July’s People as a seminal work of this genre. Dr. Rajan Lal
discussed the work of N. Scott Momaday. ‘The Way to Rainy Mountain’ is a
work which traces the roots to ancestry of the Native Americans.
Saurabh Agarwal began his presentation with the poem ‘Names’ by Nobel
Prize winner Caribbean poet Derek Walcott which talks about the loss of
identity of the people coming from the various parts of the world. He also read
excerpts from ‘Invisible Man’ by Ralph Ellison which highlights how the blacks
have been forced to think for ages that white is right.
Dr. D.K. Singh asked a pertinent question about the relevance of the
words of the famous critic Irving Howe that “The day Native Son appeared,
American culture was changed forever.” While answering to this Prof. Nibir
Ghosh took the members through the glimpses of the African American literature
from the very beginning till the contemporary scenario. He emphasized on the
Native Son by Richard Wright and Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison being the
milestone of African American Literature. He shed light on the important
trajectories of African American writings beginning with Slave Narratives, then
moving on to Harlem Renaissance, Communist movement, Nation of Islam, Black
Power and Civil Rights Movements and culminating with the entry of the first
Black Man in the White House i.e. Barrack Obama.
Mr. Saurabh Agarwal won a special prize for scoring the highest points
in the Quiz followed by Ms. Anjali Singh, Dr. Srikant, Dr. Rajan Lal, Dr.
Divya, Dr. Shipra Kulsrestha, Dr. D. K. Singh and others.
The Quiz questions are given below along with corresponding answers.
1.Name the first African American lady poet to publish a book in the
United States?
Phillis Wheatley
2. Who was the first African American to earn a doctorate degree from
Harvard. He is famous for his collection of essays, The Souls of Black Folk
W.E.B. DuBois
3. Name the author of I Know Why
the Caged Bird Sings that brought the author international attention.
Maya Angelou
(pen name of Marguerite Ann Johnson)
4. Alice Walker won a Pulitzer Prize for her fiction work. What was the
name of the novel?
The Color Purple
5. An African American author became well known for his writings
on the topics of communism and black nationalism. His magnum opus narrates the
story of an unnamed African man who could not be seen because people chose not
to see him?
Name the author and the novel
Ralph Ellison
Invisible Man
6. Name Lorraine Hansberry's novel that depicts an African American
family in Chicago trying to move to a white neighbourhood.
A Raisin in the Sun
7. To whom did president Abraham Lincoln address as 'the little woman
who wrote a book that made this great war.’ What book is being referred to?
Harriet Beecher Stowe (in 1862)
Uncle Tom's Cabin
8. ‘The day Native Son was
published, American culture was changed forever.’ Name the author/critic who
made this remark.
Irving Howe
9. Mention the years of the American Civil War. Which were the two sides
that participated in the said war.
1861-1865.
Northern and Southern States of America.
10. On what date was the Declaration of Independence signed?
4 July, 1776.
Comments by Wanda Giles (USA):
Sounds like a fabulous discussion, and I know two Illinoisans who would
have loved to be sitting in and listening. Irving Howe taught at Stanford
for a year or so; he didn't like the California climate and rushed back to New
York, taking with him a much-respected student and her husband, who became the
writer Willie Morris, a dear friend of ours during some of his short
life. Our current cat is named Celie; she takes her social
responsibilities with great seriousness (well, sometimes, and I'm not sure she
read the book yet).
Good topic! Congratulations, Nibir and colleagues! Oh, I
have to say one more thing, and it's only somewhat relevant. Richard
Wright. As everybody knows, he had a hard time breaking into the literary
structure of his time in America; as we all know, he did it very, very well he
made a huge difference. Some time ago--they were all but Wright still
living--the Illinois WPA (Works Progress Administration of the Great Depression
era) writers gathered at the Newberry Library--it's on Facebook and well worth
checking out--and spoke for the day on their memories; among them were Jere
Mangione, Meridel Leseur, Margaret Walker, Studs Terkel, and another half dozen
or so whose memory escapes me. But to hear those people speak, to see
them, to have a meal with them--it was one of the best days of our
lives.. And Richard Wright's name was brought up often and respectfully,
as of course would have been their own, had they not survived. It was a
splendid seminar; I have no idea whether the Newberry filmed it. If it
did, it is well worth watching.
Brilliant day! And again, congratulations; it sound like a
splendid discussion!
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