“How is the Cuban Slave Poetry of ‘Juan’ Covered Transatlantically?”

1. “How is the Cuban Slave Poetry of ‘Juan’ Covered Transatlantically?” British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Reporter The Eclectic Review The Friend; a Religious and Literary Journal (1827-1906)

2. Details about the Approach In his presentation of Margaret Garner and Frederick Douglass, Gilroy suggests that death provides a freedom from slavery and “It supplies a valuable clue towards answering the question of how the realm of freedom is conceptualised by those who have never been free. This inclination towards death and away from bondage is fundamental” (68). Source: Gilroy, Paul. “Masters, Mistresses, Slaves, and the Antinomies of Modernity.” The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1993. 43-71.

3. Source: British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Reporter 26 (Dec. 1841): 314-15. ProQuest British Periodicals. 5 Oct. 2013.

4. Findings from The Anti-Slavery Reporter • Indicates the poet is self-made, self-educated, and “self-cultured.” • “Juan” is a loving mother’s child; the mother calls for the dead father. • “Juan” gives terrible accounts of severe beatings as a result of his falling asleep while at evening tertulliasor for failing to keep the lantern going on the volante. • “Juan’s” poem and narrative are framed by Dr. Madden’s comments and assurances.

6. How do Gilroy’s findings interplay with Juan’s commentary? • “I felt the blow in my own heart! To utter a loud cry, and from a downcast boy, with the timidity of one as meek as a lamb, to become all at once like a raging lion, was a thing of a moment—with all my strength I fell on him with teeth and hands, and it may be imagined how many cuffs, kicks, and blows were given in the struggle that ensued” (315).

7. And the Death Commentary . . . • “At beholding my mother in this situation . . . I flew at the mayoral, and was near losing my life in his hands” (315). The mayoral was a slave given supervisory authority over other slaves.

8. Source: “Poems by a Cuban Slave.” The Eclectic Review 9 (Apr.1841): 406-14. ProQuest British Periodicals. 5 Oct. 2013.

9. Findings from The Eclectic Review • This periodical addresses the literary and moral value of “Juan’s” narrative and poetry. • This publication offers many more details and other poems. • This piece seems to place blame on the arrogance, ignorance, and aloofness of Europeans and Americans for slavery’s brutality. • This publication makes scientific, religious, and political claims about the potential for equality Africans have with Europeans.

10. Additional Findings • The accounts of brutality are more descriptive. • “Juan” offers more details of his childhood and the time he spent in the coal closet. • The publication implies that Spanish slavery is especially abusive.

11. Death is Still Present • Poems are much more grim and void of hope: “The Clock that Gains,” “To Calumny,” and “Thirty Years.” • This publication does not include the “Religion” poem.

12. Findings from America: The Friend • A reprint from The British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Reporter Source:“Slavery in Cuba.” British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Reporter 26 (Dec. 1841): 314-15. Rpt. in The Friend; a Religious Literary Journal (1827-1906) 14.18 (Jan. 1841): 138. ProQuest American Periodicals. 5 Oct. 2013.

13. More from The Friend: “Religion”

14. Transatlantic Ties This topic is truly transatlantic since it addresses a Cuban poet whose work appears in English as a result of the efforts of Dr. Robert Madden, “Juan’s” Irish translator. To add to the topic’s transatlantic appeal, certain poems and related material were published in American and British periodicals within a few months of one another. Since slavery was still legal in the United States and Cuba at the time of these publications, these periodicals further demonstrated the need for transatlantic compassion and support for the slaves in the Americas. Beyond the periodicals’ details, I have approached this presentation transatlantically by examining it alongside Paul Gilroy’s claims in The Black Atlantic. In short, Gilroy finds that in some slave narratives, death is preferable to slavery. From “Juan’s” experience, one may well determine that he would have rather risked death than continue living under the terror of slavery.

15. Conclusion • As I conclude, I note that the periodical that took a more scientific approach to “Juan” did not include the “Religion” poem. I am curious about this omission. • Another curiosity is that each periodical mentions the relationship “Juan” has with his mother and that his father is deceased. Would the reading audience have felt less compassion for him had he been orphaned or had no reference to a father? • Additionally, I see that Dr. Robert Madden’s expertise and validation were needed to frame “Juan’s” struggles to offer a credible piece of writing for the readers. As I have learned from The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave (Related by Herself),this packaging feature was common in the publication of slave narratives.

16. Ending Here but Moving Forward Although I found some additional information about “Juan,” I would like to know more. In the future, I might explore more of his narrative and his poetry as presented by Dr. Madden. I would also like to read it in Spanish. Additionally, I am curious about the use of the word trecillothat the periodicals mention. Does this word refer to a card game orAfrican-influence in Cuban music? Depending on the spelling, the word could refer to either music or a game. I also wonder how much influence Dr. Madden had in the translation and if he added or removed any details from the original Spanish. Beyond the slave poetry, I am also curious about the ways in which the Spanish treatment of slaves was distinct from American and British practices. To pursue this interest, I will need to examine the manner in which British and American periodicals address the Spanish slave trade and pay particular attention to its effects in Cuba. With regard to my final project, this presentation topic has provided me with plantation vocabulary such as mayoral that will help me better understand details in Sab by Gertrudis Gomez Avellaneda since Mayoral is used in the novel. Also, as a result of “Juan’s” poetry and narrative, I have a better understanding of Saband the brutality Cuban slaves endured. Furthermore, I may have a stronger ability to view Sab through the lens of Paul Gilroy’s approach. In the novel, Sab dies, and I am interested in determining how much his death connects with Gilroy’s findings about death and slavery.

17. Works Cited “Art. III. Poems by a Slave in the Island of Cuba, recently liberated; Translated from the Spanish, by R. R. Madden, M.D., with the History of the early Life of the Negro Poet written by himself. To which are prefixed two Pieces descriptire of Cuban Slavery and the Slave Traffic.” The Eclectic Review 9 (Apr. 1841): 406-14. ProQuest British Periodicals. 5 Oct. 2013. Gilroy, Paul. “Masters, Mistresses, Slaves, and the Antinomies of Modernity.” The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1993. 43-71. Moore, Raymond. “Robert Richard Madden.” An Inventory of the Richard Robert Madden Papers.The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives, 2011. 6 Oct. 2013. “Slavery in Cuba.” British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Reporter 26 (Dec. 1841): 314-15. ProQuest British Periodicals. 5 Oct. 2013. “Slavery in Cuba.” British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Reporter 26 (Dec. 1841): 314-15. Rpt. in The Friend; a Religious Literary Journal (1827-1906) 14.18 (Jan. 1841): 138. ProQuest American Periodicals. 5 Oct. 2013.