Trethewey's "Southern History," effectively addresses the erasure of Black American history in the United States. The third stanza states, "No one raised a hand, disagreed. Not even me.” This statement speaks to the complacency and ignorance of students in the United States. Despite the fact that many students are misinformed they do not take initiative and take accountability for their education. It is unfortunate that many students do not question the system within which they are educated. Even when some students are cognizant of the problems of the education system they remain silenced and do not advocate for materials that are culturally relevant and historically accurate. Also the silence of students represents the power which the government has in manipulating education, and the feelings of those affected. When Trethewey states, “a true account of how things were back then” it is clear that the “I” of the poem is not being asked for her opinion of the account; her truth is irrelevant. Students are taught not to question the system, no matter what their beliefs are.
With the first two stanzas,
“Before the war, they were happy, he said.
quoting our textbook. (This was senior-year
history class.) The slaves were clothed, fed
and better off under a master’s care,”
Trethewey provides the reader with the image of a large group of people who are consciously trying to marginalize Black American of the United States. The group is achieving marginalization by providing text to convince youth that white Americans are superior to the Black Americans of the United States. These two stanzas are an attempt to convince people that Americans who are descendants of slavery in the United States will be “better-off” if they are supervised by a “master.” And today the figure of “master” is replaced by the government and the prison industrial complex.
I had a similar reaction to Trethewey’s “Southern History,” with the lines “No one raised a hand, disagreed. Not even me.” It’s interesting how so many people go by without questioning their education. It’s the dangerous single story that is being told, the Eurocentric one. The majority of people are not taught to question authority, the government, or education. It is until students are in high school or even to college (think of the percentage that even make it to college) that they start taking different courses of different perspectives. Then we have people questioning the education they were given throughout grade school. I think that’s a way we are kept in check. We are taught the single story to “interpret” it similarly, in hope students aren’t told a different version to question which one is “right.” This then keeps the socializing tradition. The one that keeps us trapped in an oppressive system.
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