my husband is holding my hand, his hand that dug for bullets as a boy
The fact that even her husband can be characterized like this demonstrates how inescapable the history of her ancestors is for the speaker. Nothing can ever change the suffering that has occurred in the past, and the reminders of white supremacy can never disappear.
Oh and that big magnolia is in bloom—fragrant milky petals and waxy greens by the red brick house, and the large front porch with rocking chairs tipping back and forth above the purpled stains of Confederate blood
The beauty and happiness represented by the plantation is backdropped by black suffering, the reason that such a place even exists.
. I-40 bisected the black community like a tourniquet of concrete.
This represents the ways in which black needs are reduced and overlooked by the benefits to white communities in modern times. Development occurs at the expense of black communities.
His appearance, from all accounts, was that of the victim of some malignant sorceress
This paragraph exhibits the ignorance and unfamiliarity the narrator has with respect to the land and its people. The natural climate as well as the work these people perform are the reason for the way they look. Words such as "savage" and "creature" dehumanize the man and demonstrate the narrator's racial prejudices.
Could it be possible that they robbed and murdered one day, reveled the next, and rested themselves by turning meditative philosophers, rural poets, and seat-builders on the third?
This sounds oddly reminiscent of how European colonists/imperialists behaved. They destroyed and exploited natural territories and were still praised as important figures.
A Chola, or half-breed Indian woman, of Payta in Peru, three years gone by, with her young new-wedded husband Felipe, of pure Castilian blood, and her one only Indian brother, Truxill, Hunilla
The fact that a detailed description of the woman's racial heritage precedes her name does not surprise me, as race still serves as the primary identifier.
She was a fearful woman, and a savage mistress to her slaves
The characterization of the mistress as evil is interesting, especially because of the use of "savage," which is a term one would expect to be used by a white person towards a black person, and not the other way around.
for the avowed purpose of serving the Spirit more fully
It's interesting how he emphasizes religion in this passage. Considering his audience is dominated by devout Christians, perhaps he emphasizes using religion as a justification to sway his audience to sympathize more with him.
Knowing the influence I had obtained over the minds of my fellow servants, (not by the means of conjuring and such like tricks–for to them I always spoke of such things with contempt) but by the communion of the Spirit whose revelations I often communicated to them, and they believed and said my wisdom came from God
This reminds me of the way colonists used religion to justify slavery and westward expansion through manifest destiny.
At her feet was seated the desolate Munro. His aged head was bowed nearly to the earth, in compelled submission to the stroke of Providence; but a hidden anguish struggled about his furrowed brow, that was only partially concealed by the careless locks of gray that had fallen, neglected, on his temples.
The emphasis on Munro's age highlights the sadness and unnaturalness a parent feels for their young child to die before them.
A few long, low, and moss-covered piles were scattered among them, like the memorials of a former and long-departed generation
This seems reminiscent of the idea of the last of the Mohicans. Additionally, this paragraph seems to demonstrate the effects that white colonizers have had on the natural landscape as well as the indigenous population; both are being destroyed.
it seemed as if the foot of man had never trodden
This line seems really significant when thinking about the fact that this novel is about the American frontier. It reiterates the manifest destiny view that America was an untouched land of natural resources that are meant to be utilized by Europeans. It also completely disregards the presence of Native Americans.
their original savage fathers
I find the use of "savage" here interesting, as he implies that Europeans descended from savages and argues throughout this eulogy that both Europeans and natives are civilized. As a native, he goes against the dominating European view of savagery and calls out Europeans for their hypocrisy.
it will fall upon their children, though I sincerely hope they will not be seriously injured by it -although I myself now and then feel a little of its pressure, as though I should not be able to sustain the shock
This reveals Apess's view that it is posterity's responsibility to advocate on behalf of natives and their lost voices. It also might reveal Apess's reason for writing this eulogy and defense for King Philip.
O Christians, can you answer for those beings that have been destroyed by your hostilities, and beings too that lie endeared to God as yourselves, his Son being their Savior as well as yours, and alike to all men?
A recurring theme is how Apess convinces his audience that religion as a justification for colonization is inherently wrong and hypocritical. This really undermines any reason that might drive colonization other than racism and social hiearchy.
a larger Indian town, the work of a powerful nation, whose period of grandeur perhaps long preceded the discovery of this continent
Here, Bartram expresses the dominant European view that this continent never belonged to the natives, even after they admitting the natives established an advanced civilization. He is unable to accept any other standard of civilization besides the one set by Europeans.
who was married to a white woman; he seemed an active, civil, and sensible man
Is Bartram more likely to call the Creek Indian "civil" and view him in a positive manner overall because he's married to a white woman? Throughout his book, his definition of civilization seems to be defined by European standards.
Can we after viewing this object, hesitate a moment to confess, that vegetable beings are endued with some sensible faculties or attributes, familiar to those that dignify animal nature; they are organical, living, and self-moving bodies, for we see here, in this plant, motion and volition.
It's interesting to see that plants are elevated to the status of an animal, being praised for their ability to destroy other species. How does this relate to the race-based hierarchy established in the colonies?