The Preservation Of African Culture Through Folklore
As individuals, who we become is heavily influenced by our culture, through the foundational values imparted to us by our family, by virtue of the traditions we share, and from the principles conveyed to us through the wisdom of our elders. In his didactic poem, “Aunt Sue’s Stories,” Langston Hughes imparts the importance of teaching black children about slavery and their ancestry through the art of storytelling, and how doing so is crucial for shaping not only the lives of those children, but for keeping African American history and culture alive for the betterment and advancement of future generations. There is a beauty within folklore that cannot be matched by written word. The resonance of the storyteller’s voice, the emotional inflection, and the passion that can only come from the soul of one who has lived to tell the story all meld together to create a mental image so vibrant, so vivid, that it transports the listener right into the heart of the story. Stemming from folklore are the customs, traditions, and beliefs of a people, passed down from one generation to the next generation to preserve not only a way of life, but ancestral and cultural history. Through his use of abstract imagery, Langston Hughes created Aunt Sue to be the symbolic and ritual thread that links past and current generations.
The responsibility of keeping the African history and culture alive falls to her, and she bears the weight of that responsibility with pride. Once a slave herself, “Aunt Sue has a head full of stories,” and is thereby able to draw from her experiences as a slave and use those experiences to impart wisdom to younger generations. Sharing her stories brings forth a plethora of emotions; pain, joy, and sorrow all blend together, she “has a heart full of stories. ” Despite the pain, Aunt Sue knows the importance of imparting her wisdom, of teaching that next generation of children about slavery. She knows that this generation of children, while never slaves themselves, is descended from slaves, so she wants to make certain that they never forget how the suffering of their ancestors played an instrumental role in shaping their lives and the lives of every future generation. In order for them to comprehend the sheer magnitude of slavery’s brutality, Aunt Sue needs them to understand what slavery was like, how slaves were forced to work all hours of the day, every day, in brutal conditions, even during scalding hot days, and cold, damp nights. She teaches them about the fortitude of their ancestors, their incredible will to survive, and how, throughout their slavery, they were able to preserve their African ancestral customs, including the singing of beautiful, sorrowful, spirituals. The child snuggled on Aunt Sue’s lap instinctively knows he is not listening to a fairy tale, nor is he listening to someone else’s story. He is being held by someone he trusts and respects; therefore, he understands that the words he hears are true; he is in the arms of not only the storyteller, but of one who lived this narrative. He discerns the gravity of her words, and intuitively knows that the experiences of the slaves in her story are more than just stories she wants to share; those experiences, though not his own, still define him; not only who he is now, but also who he will eventually become. The child grasps the importance of preserving this history for future generations, and knows these are not stories that he will ever read about in books.
These are stories that will only be shared through folklore, first through those who suffered those atrocities, and eventually through him, his children and his grandchildren. Rather than metrical structure, Langston Hughes used beautiful prose to construct his free-verse didactic poem. By doing so, he is able to share folklore in a story-like format, which enables the reader to better process and comprehend the significance of Aunt Sue’s words. Hughes’ use of alternating phrasing, in addition to clusters of phrasing, is reminiscent of how songs are structured. This, too, enables his prosody to shine in its story-like format. His use of alliteration with the letter “s” brings a unique rhythm to his poem, and creates beauty in his prose, “Sue’s stories, summer nights, slaves, singing sorrow songs. ” Moreover, that alliteration helps the reader to construct a mental image of the slaves’ day-to-day lives, “And black slaves singing sorrow songs on the banks of a mighty river. ” When the reader can visualize the words, it brings the poem to life. When a poem comes to life, it has a greater impact on the reader, making the poem more meaningful, and through that, remembered and treasured forever. “Mingle themselves softly in the flow of Aunt Sue’s voice. ” Even though they may not share the same blood, the slaves are family by virtue of their shared experiences, their love and concern for one another, and by their African roots. They are united in solidarity, mingling together as a family to share stories about their pasts, ensuring that they will never forget their roots, and where they came from before they were sold into slavery. Hughes repeats “black slaves” multiple times to make certain that the reader associates the history of the African American people with the history of black people whose lives were rooted in slavery. Hughes wants to preserve the African culture and history for future generations, and does so through the medium of paper and ink. Through Aunt Sue, Hughes fosters a relationship between generations while bolstering a sense of pride in African culture and heritage. He wanted to educate younger generations of African Americans about slavery, to teach them how the slavery of their ancestors has played a pivotal role in molding every generation of African Americans since that time. “In the dark shadows that cross and recross Aunt Sue’s stories. ” Hughes makes clear that through the folklore of stories told, the generation of slavery and the generation of now are united, mingling as one to share in the history of slavery.
There is an exorbitant amount of value to be gained from learning about your roots. It promotes a sense of self that can only come from acquiring a deeper understanding of your heritage. Knowing where you came from and how that made you the person you are now builds a sense of cultural pride that encourages excellence in every venture you undertake, promoting a desire to live a life that would make your ancestors proud. Through his poem, “Aunt Sue’s Stories,” Langston Hughes is encouraging a generation of youth to explore their racial and cultural identities, to learn about their ancestry and how their ancestry has shaped their lives. He wants them to realize that acquiring a better understanding of where they came from gives them the tools they need to exceed expectations and accomplish their goals. Langston Hughes wrote “Aunt Sue’s Stories” with the intention of creating a medium that would bridge the gap between generations of slavery and non-slavery. He wants the younger generation of African Americans to respect and appreciate the wisdom of their elders, to listen intently when history, ancestry and culture are discussed, and to learn from those who have knowledge to share and stories to tell. Hughes uses the power of the written word to laud the oral tradition of storytelling as a method of sharing the folklore of past generations. Through his poem, he imparts the importance of teaching the morals and values that are the structural foundation of the African culture to promote growth and success among African Americans.
