Slave Ship Themes

Slave Ship Themes

Black Nationalism

Slave Ship was first produced during Baraka's literary and political phase of black nationalist sentiment. The play expresses a black nationalist perspective through the interlocking thematic concerns of African-American history, African-American community, and African-American identity. A strong sense of African-American communal identity is expressed through the play's representation of the seminal experience of African Americans—the "Middle Passage" to America via "slave ships," enforced accommodation to the oppressive conditions of slavery, whether through "Uncle Tomism" or attempted revolt, and contemporary struggles for racial equality. The play emphasizes the power of African-American community, as the African and African-American characters maintain their communal solidarity despite the efforts of white oppressors to disperse community and disband families. This strong sense of African-American community is expressed in the play through the persistence of African cultural roots throughout the history of oppression. The survival of African culture throughout African-American history is most strongly expressed in the...
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