Negative Person-hood aka Social death in WSS
Betty and I addressed negative personhood during our panel presentation. I wanted to give my personal thoughts on this subject.
The author of the article defines negative personhood as having one's identity being removed and how this was prevalence throughout the West Indies as shown in the Wide Saragossa Sea (WSS). The article talks about negative personhood as a "2nd" death. Where one death is the physical death where you physically die while the other death is the social death.
Additionally, the author also addresses laws and writing playing a part in condemning someone into social death. This is demonstrated when Antoinette properties were transferred onto Mr.Rochester when she married onto him. Stripping her of her home and anything to go back to if she tries to stray from Rochester. Another example is Christophine's obeah practices. Before the law entered the scene, Christophine held some respect within society because of her knowledge of magic. But when Obeah became a target under the law, it stripped Christophine's identity with magic/obeah. Soon after that, she disappeared from the book like she is dead.
I personally think that social death, in this case, is a lot worse than physical death. Having no identity in society basically means death because you don't stand for anything nor are you using to society. In some cases, this social death led to physical deaths within the book.
One case that led from social death into the physical death is Antoinette. I thought Antoinette social death begun when Antoinette was married to Mr.Rochester and not when she was young. She was still relatively innocent when she was young and yet to have a social life besides being a friend with Tia. She yet to have an identity to lose. When Antoinette married Rochester she loses her property and started to lose her own identity. Rochester numerous attempt to objectified Antoinette did its damage. Revoking her of her name, isolated her away from social contact, and removing her from her homeland were all attempts to make Antoinette an object. She started to become lifeless and indifference.
All the things were very real in the West Indies under the slave laws and criminal laws. Many people became the victims of negative personhood as they became slaves and servants as demonstrated in this book.
The author of the article defines negative personhood as having one's identity being removed and how this was prevalence throughout the West Indies as shown in the Wide Saragossa Sea (WSS). The article talks about negative personhood as a "2nd" death. Where one death is the physical death where you physically die while the other death is the social death.
Additionally, the author also addresses laws and writing playing a part in condemning someone into social death. This is demonstrated when Antoinette properties were transferred onto Mr.Rochester when she married onto him. Stripping her of her home and anything to go back to if she tries to stray from Rochester. Another example is Christophine's obeah practices. Before the law entered the scene, Christophine held some respect within society because of her knowledge of magic. But when Obeah became a target under the law, it stripped Christophine's identity with magic/obeah. Soon after that, she disappeared from the book like she is dead.
I personally think that social death, in this case, is a lot worse than physical death. Having no identity in society basically means death because you don't stand for anything nor are you using to society. In some cases, this social death led to physical deaths within the book.
One case that led from social death into the physical death is Antoinette. I thought Antoinette social death begun when Antoinette was married to Mr.Rochester and not when she was young. She was still relatively innocent when she was young and yet to have a social life besides being a friend with Tia. She yet to have an identity to lose. When Antoinette married Rochester she loses her property and started to lose her own identity. Rochester numerous attempt to objectified Antoinette did its damage. Revoking her of her name, isolated her away from social contact, and removing her from her homeland were all attempts to make Antoinette an object. She started to become lifeless and indifference.
All the things were very real in the West Indies under the slave laws and criminal laws. Many people became the victims of negative personhood as they became slaves and servants as demonstrated in this book.
Th biggest example of social death must be Annette. She is completely ostracized from the community. She is not english or black but creole. She's obviously different. However her "death" only comes with the end of slavery in Jamaica. The previous white landowners struggle finically especially Annette's estate. Her dead husband slept with his slaves and had many illegitimate system. Because of this she was isolated by the black community and the white community. You see her social death through her decline into madness.
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