Saturday, March 17, 2012
Plantation Names
I found it interesting that the plantation in Beloved was called Sweet Home when it seemed anything but that. However, it seems that many plantations were given comforting and misleading names, despite the terrible conditions for slaves. For example (I found some more names with a little research): Welcome Plantation, Felicity Plantation, Golden Grove, and Belle Alliance. Pretty deceitful if you ask me...
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6 comments:
I completely agree Meredith. Plantations were often given rather comforting names and many were gorgeous. This quote in the novel really points this out:
''. . . suddenly there was Sweet Home rolling, rolling, rolling out before her eyes, and although there was not a leaf on that farm that did not want to make her scream, it rolled itself out before her in shameless beauty. It never looked as terrible as it was and it made her wonder if hell was a pretty place too. Fire and brimstone all right, but hidden in lacy groves. Boys hanging from the most beautiful sycamores in the world."
I can remember visiting Oak Alley Plantation in Lower School and how beautiful it was. I was too young then to understand occurred there. Now thinking back on the trip, I remember seeing a beautiful row of oak trees on either side of a path...those trees could have very well been used for hanging slaves.
heres a picture of what I'm talking about in case you guys weren't here or don't remember:
http://www.paranormalknowledge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/oak-valley-plantation.jpg
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I have never reall thought about it, but now it makes a lot of sense. I didn't realize that these white plantation owners could be so heartless and name a plantation Sweet Home. I still cannot imagine life as a slave.
I guess it wasnt just plantations because I remember last year watching "Amistad" in Euro. Amistad means friendship and that was kind of haunting. It's horrifying to me to think that slave ships could have such comforting names. "Friendship" as a name for a floating crime against humanity is just chilling.
It may have been to simply sound like it wasn't such a bad place, but maybe people like the school teacher thought it was a sweet place. If he thinks slaves are property, then he might actually think his plantation is a good one.
That is a good example, Christine. Oak Alley was so pretty and it was easy to forget everything that happened there. I agree with Meredith as well, that many of the plantations are giving deceitful names like Sweet Home. Maybe the plantation owners thought of these places as comforting where the slaves were trapped in these plantations
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