The memoir of Jasper Rastus Nall, “Freeborn Slave: Diary of a Black Man in the South” is unique in that it offers an exclusive viewpoint even among the variety of critically acclaimed historical novels of his time. It includes an assemblage of both first and second-hand accounts by Nall of his and his family’s history. Although the novel shows shortcomings in Nall’s biases and a few stories that depart from the motif, its true strengths are in the book’s organization, its honest account of what it was like to be a black man in the south, and its competency depicting Nall’s confidence in the value of education. The author’s tone in recounting these stories reflect his determined, frank, and serious nature with intelligible language easy for the reader to understand. Nall’s writings are composed matter-of-factly and there is no further embellishment beyond what is necessary for his stories, giving the reader a sense of assurance in his veracity.
The author, Jasper Rastus Nall, offers the perspective of a black man whose life …show more content…
The organization of this novel is very fluid, purposeful, and understandable to the reader. In its contents, Nall begins with the stories of his family line passed down to him before branching into his own. Within these tales, he is persistently attentive in recording every relation to not only himself but also to other family members and even their slave masters. To illustrate, when writing in regards to his maternal grandmother, he begins stating, “Her mother was the daughter of an Irishman who had settled in the South and had become a slave-owner.” (1) Records of his forbearers their surnames are of great significance in documenting his family’s past and proving Nall’s capability as an author giving a factual, candid description of bygone
The author, Jasper Rastus Nall, offers the perspective of a black man whose life …show more content…
The organization of this novel is very fluid, purposeful, and understandable to the reader. In its contents, Nall begins with the stories of his family line passed down to him before branching into his own. Within these tales, he is persistently attentive in recording every relation to not only himself but also to other family members and even their slave masters. To illustrate, when writing in regards to his maternal grandmother, he begins stating, “Her mother was the daughter of an Irishman who had settled in the South and had become a slave-owner.” (1) Records of his forbearers their surnames are of great significance in documenting his family’s past and proving Nall’s capability as an author giving a factual, candid description of bygone