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1、1TheMonstrousandMaternalinToniMorrison’sBelovedTheunforgettablewordsofformerslave,abolitionistandwomen’srightscampaigner,SojournerTruth,returnustohistoryanditsterriblemistakes.“Ain’tIawoman?”sheaskeddefiantlyatawomen’sconventionrallyin1851,inOhio.Herwordsc
2、onveythethoughtsofmanyotherAfrican-Americanwomenwhowerealsoforcedtoquestiontheirplaceintheworld.Herpowerfulvoicecarriedthroughtheprotestsofthegatheredassemblyasshecontinued:Thatmanovertheresaysthatwomenneedtobehelpedintocarriages,andliftedoverditches,andto
3、havethebestplaceeverywhere.Nobodyeverhelpsmeintocarriages,orovermud-puddles,orgivesmeanybestplace!Andain'tIawoman?Lookatme!Lookatmyarm!Ihaveploughedandplanted,andgatheredintobarns,andnomancouldheadme!Andain'tIawoman?Icouldworkasmuchandeatasmuchasaman-whenI
4、couldgetit-andbearthelashaswell!Andain'tIawoman?Ihavebornethirteenchildren,andseenmostallsoldofftoslavery,andwhenIcriedoutwithmy1mother'sgrief,nonebutJesusheardme!Andain'tIawoman?TherecurringquestioninSojourner’siconicspeechcanbecoupledwithanequallyimporta
5、ntenquiry:IfIamnotawomanthenwhatamI?African-Americans,whilelivingtheirlivesasslaves,werecertainlydeniedhumanstatusbytheirwhiteowners.Theyexistedintheshadowsandservedasaninferior“Other”totheirmasters’superiorstatus.Sojourner’shandsworkedhardtoproducecropsan
6、dherwombtocreatepreciouslife,butthiswasnotenoughforhertoberecognisedasahumanbeing.Asbellhookspointsout,slavewomenmerely2achieveda“breed[er]”status,yetSojournercontinuedtocallherselfamotherandasRuth3Robbinsnotes,she‘appealedtohermaternityasthesignofherwoman
7、hood’.Foraslongasshecouldvalueherselfamothershecouldalsocallherselfawoman.hooksfurtheraddsthat“thelotoftheblackslavewomanwouldalwaysbeharsher,morebrutalthanthatoftheblack4maleslave”sinceshehadmoretoofferandtherefore,moretoloseofherself.Neitherherbodynorits
8、reproductivefunctionbelongedtoherasheroffspringweredestinedtobethepropertyofthewhitemaster–hisfutureslavehands.2ThetraumaofthirteensuccessfulbirthsledtoasmanyunsuccessfulattemptsonSojourner’sparttomothertoher