Nat Turner’s Confessions: Defying Black Autobiographical Norms Anonymous College

The tradition of black autobiography has held “a position of priority” (Gates, 1) in the African American community for centuries, beginning with traditions of oral storytelling and continuing with more contemporary voices such as Maya Angelou and bell hooks. These stories are unique and differ in important ways from white autobiographies, as the black writer has a an obligation as a “member of an oppressed social group” to remember that his “self” is actually part of a “larger whole,” or that his story must echo, emphasize, and exemplify the stories of other African American people (Butterfield, 3.) No story embodies this paradox better than The Confessions of Nat Turner, a monologue delivered by a slave depicting his recent slaughter of several slave owners and their families in 1831. Turner’s story is both representative and divisive of the African American community, as while some of the opinions and ideals that he expresses seem unanimous among slaves at the time, much of his language, background, and overall sentiments also demonstrate an overwhelming rejection of such unity. Although many scholars argue that the black autobiography should be as much about the community as the self, Turner’s sense of superiority coupled...