Enduring Autumn: An Exploration of the Thompson Siblings’ Poetry and the African American Experience
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Sidonia Serefini
Abstract
On a rural farm in Rossoyne, Ohio, three siblings, Clara Ann, Priscilla Jane, and Aaron Belford Thompson, found solace in the poetical recreations of the natural world around them. The parents of the Thompson poets, John Henry (b. 1822) and Clara Jane Thompson (b. 1836), were born into Virginia’s slavery system. The couple eventually fled from the plantation via Cincinnati’s Underground Railroad, settled in the free state of Ohio, and lived as sharecroppers in Rossmoyne. John and Clara inherited a printing press from the farm’s former owners. Thus, their children learned to typeset their poetical creations and understand the publishing process. The siblings collectively published seven works of poetry in their lifetimes, each revealing the talents of keen observers, watching and recreating the seasons revolving around them as society’s social progress remained stagnant. This presentation explores the three poets’ use of the Autumn season to illustrate the African American experience in Ohio in the early 20th century. The Thompsons’ imagery exemplifies Camille Dunby’s theoretical framework behind Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry (2009), revealing a traumatic connection between African Americans and the natural world. Further, my analysis is informed by Frank Quillin's historical examination of race relations in post-Reconstruction Ohio. Qullin’s contextualization of Ohio’s “color line” provides a richer understanding of the Thompson siblings’ poetic depictions of Autumn as they intertwine with the cyclical oppression of African American culture. By establishing the season of Autumn as a symbol of transition and the recurring force of ancestral trauma, the Thompson siblings address the perpetuating effects of slavery and the injustices that pervade American society even after successful abolitionary efforts.
Start Date
27-3-2024 4:20 PM
End Date
27-3-2024 4:28 PM
Location
Arts and Sciences 2-70
Enduring Autumn: An Exploration of the Thompson Siblings’ Poetry and the African American Experience
Arts and Sciences 2-70
On a rural farm in Rossoyne, Ohio, three siblings, Clara Ann, Priscilla Jane, and Aaron Belford Thompson, found solace in the poetical recreations of the natural world around them. The parents of the Thompson poets, John Henry (b. 1822) and Clara Jane Thompson (b. 1836), were born into Virginia’s slavery system. The couple eventually fled from the plantation via Cincinnati’s Underground Railroad, settled in the free state of Ohio, and lived as sharecroppers in Rossmoyne. John and Clara inherited a printing press from the farm’s former owners. Thus, their children learned to typeset their poetical creations and understand the publishing process. The siblings collectively published seven works of poetry in their lifetimes, each revealing the talents of keen observers, watching and recreating the seasons revolving around them as society’s social progress remained stagnant. This presentation explores the three poets’ use of the Autumn season to illustrate the African American experience in Ohio in the early 20th century. The Thompsons’ imagery exemplifies Camille Dunby’s theoretical framework behind Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry (2009), revealing a traumatic connection between African Americans and the natural world. Further, my analysis is informed by Frank Quillin's historical examination of race relations in post-Reconstruction Ohio. Qullin’s contextualization of Ohio’s “color line” provides a richer understanding of the Thompson siblings’ poetic depictions of Autumn as they intertwine with the cyclical oppression of African American culture. By establishing the season of Autumn as a symbol of transition and the recurring force of ancestral trauma, the Thompson siblings address the perpetuating effects of slavery and the injustices that pervade American society even after successful abolitionary efforts.