Construction Of A Sense Of Self And The Spirit Of Place In Some American Literary Texts.

Before writing this essay I had the idea of paying attention on two writings only “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself” and “Incidents in the life of a slave Girl” written by Harriet Jacobs. Nevertheless, one of the conditions for this paper was to write about two stories written one before 1776 and the other after1776. Theones I had already chosen were published, after 1776. Then, It was hard for me to decide which one. Later my resolution was to talk about John Smith and “The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles”. However, I could not leave out of this paper the idea that every story and writing I read in this course had an important contribution in the construction of “the sense of self”and “the spirit of place” in the history of USA. All of them were useful for this purpose.

I do not pretend to criticize the whole American society of those years but criticize those who in the search of an identity committed severe errors against human beings. When Americans need to talk about the construction of “their” sense of self, it is commonly a painful duty because it is necessary toremember those black passages that had to do with slavery and racism. The construction of The Sense of Self was a structure that had not only a beginning but also a whole process. A human being lasts only his entire life constructing his/her sense of self. But the construction of the entire society in America has had a process which foundation began in Europe and the masses of immigrants comingto the “New World”. How is it? When coming to this country they found a lot of obstacles to establish their new society because they did not feel part of Europe and not even part of America, therefore they had to find their way. And to build this way they needed some ingredients to be mixed and boiled in the pot to make a new American to be born: First, the extinction of any vestige of their pastlife in Europe, second the constant production and reproduction of writings about Christian regulations and others which narrate the life and way of thinking of the epoch. The third ingredient was a terrible one and it had to do with human lives: the extinction of natives and the slavery of people brought from Africa.

“Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul tounderstand
that there´s a God, that there´s a Savior too:
Once I redemption neither sought not knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye.
“Their color is a diabolic dye”
Remember, Christians, Negroes, Black as Cain,
May be refined, and join the angelic train.”

To begin the construction of the history of a “new country” in an already existing place where people had already their ownlife was relatively easy. But the construction of The Sense of Self and The Spirit of Place had to be harder.
“This done, seeing the savages´ superfluity begin to decrease, (Smith) (with some of his workmen) shipped himself in the shallop to search the country for trade. The want of the language, knowledge to manage his boat without sails, the want of a sufficient power (knowing the multitude ofthe savages), apparel for his men, and other necessaries, were infinite impediments yet no discouragement”

New comers made a colossal effort for building the story of a new country by disappearing the one that already existed, not only the antecedents of their European roots but also the ones of the American Natives. Thus, my point of view is that it was the beginning of the construction ofa Sense of Self in North America. They came to sweep, to clean up and make any vestige of a last civilization to vanish. They did anything in order to commence a new story, the story of their present life. They did not even want to remember their past or their ancestors; nevertheless, it was inevitable because they were part of it. To make everything to disappear was tiring not only for the...