From Death Unto Life: The Rhetorical Function Of Funeral Rites In Arna Bontemps' "Black Thunder"
The funeral rites of the slave Bundy provide the central metaphor for Arna Bontemps' treatment of the Gabriel Prosser Conspiracy of 1800. In an inversion of the usual pattern of death as a transition from the world of the living to the world of the dead, Bontemps presents the conspirators'...
| Published in: | Journal of ritual studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Dep.
[1987]
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| In: |
Journal of ritual studies
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| Further subjects: | B
Slave revolts
B Rape B Criminal conspiracy B African Americans B Funerals B Death B Slaves B White people |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | The funeral rites of the slave Bundy provide the central metaphor for Arna Bontemps' treatment of the Gabriel Prosser Conspiracy of 1800. In an inversion of the usual pattern of death as a transition from the world of the living to the world of the dead, Bontemps presents the conspirators' thwarted transition from the world of the dead to the world of the living. Bundy's rite of passage is artfully linked to three additional rites of passage. Three major conspirators-Gabriel Prosser, Ben Woolfolk and Criddle-undergo the transition from boyhood to manhood, a necessary prerequisite for the slave revolt. Moreover, Bontemps uses ritualized actions to differentiate these three rites of passage and to add complexity to his analysis of the conspiracy: Gabriel's wrestling match, Ben's swearing-in ceremony and a symbolic rebirth analogized to baptism and Criddle's metaphorical rape. Of the three conspirators, only Ben Woolfolk fails to complete his passage to manhood; only he moves from death to life and back to death again. By contrast, Gabriel and Criddle complete their passage even though the conspiracy itself fails. |
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| ISSN: | 0890-1112 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of ritual studies
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