The concept of the mask in Afro-American poetry of the 1960's

Abstract

In the first chapter there is an attempt to trace the development of the Afro-American folklore. Through the examination of the different genr~s we are able to assess the importance they have for the black Americans. This chapter also serves to negate the myth that black Americans have never had a literature and an aesthetic of their own. By examining the folklore we are able to destroy some of the predominant myths about black slaves and the entire slave system. Such myths depict slaves either as contented and ever-happy creatures or as little children who revel in stealing from their masters. Their major trait is seen as docility and deceit.