SHIFTING IDEOLOGY IN MILDRED D. TAYLOR’S BOOKS by Pamela Manley Davis A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in English Middle Tennessee State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Martha P. Hixon Dr. Will Brantley Dr. Robert C. Petersen I dedicate this dissertation in honor of my husband, Douglas P. Davis, without whose support I could neither have begun nor completed my doctorate and in memory of my parents, Sarah P. and Theodore M. Manley, who, as Mildred Taylor’s parents did for her, believed I could accomplish anything I was determined to do. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I offer thanks to many who have spurred me on to complete my dissertation. First, I am grateful to Mildred D. Taylor who not only wrote these books I find so captivating but who allowed me to get to know her a bit better from her correspondence and her gifts. I valued my telephone conversations with Dr. Chris Crowe. Dr. Ellen Donovan first sparked the idea for this dissertation from a paper I wrote for her History of Children’s Literature class. She encouraged me in the beginning of my study, for which I am grateful, and her pursuit of excellence inspired me. Dr. Martha Hixon relentlessly pursued my project to the end, for which my husband is especially appreciative. Dr. Will Brantley and Dr. Bob Petersen were patient and thought-provoking readers, and are also favorites of my husband. Dr. Jenny Marchant, Dr. Laura Dubek, and Dr. Mischa Renfroe guided me wisely. I was excited to receive the signed copy of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry from Dr. Marchant and the 1935 history textbook taught in Mississippi from Dr. Petersen. Other professors at Middle Tennessee State University who have been role models and who came to mind in the research and writing of this dissertation included Dr. Pat Bradley, Dr. Sheila Otto, Dr. Carl Ostrowski, Dr. Larry Gentry, Dr. Robert Bray, Dr. Jimmy Cain, Dr. Warren Tormey, Dr. Tom Strawman, Dr. Allen Hibbard, Dr. Marion Hollings, and Dr. Gaylord Brewer. And I thank those who read my dissertation at various stages and offered input: my sister and brother-in-law Becky and Russ, and colleagues/friends: Dr. John Glass, Dr. Janice Hanna, Dr. Melvin Hill, Dr. Jenny Morris, Dr. Larry Standridge, and Dr. Micki Young. iii I received much affirmation apart from academia. I appreciate my mother-in-law, Pines Davis, whose failing health and early death was a reminder to me that life is short, dreams precious, and strength an asset; her unspoken testimony moved me to attempt a doctorate. I thank my son, Philip, who inspired me to do the improbable by rolling his wheelchair across the stage without removing his cap when he received his certificate for high school attendance. I thank many other relatives who verbalized their belief in me and vicariously enjoyed my accomplishments, especially my siblings and their families: Becky, Jacquie, Gerry, Debbie, Melanie, and Ted, and my sister-in-law, Denise. I have a grand chorus of friends who cheered me on at Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; at Grace Community Church and the University of Tennessee in Martin; and at First Baptist Church and Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee. There are a special few whose names I cannot omit, Patsy Hancock, Nedhal Moqbel, Dr. Marcy Froemke, Ruth Sundberg, Dr. Katherine Haynes, and Millie Beverly. All of these dear people said they believed in me when I doubted myself. I am much like the bumblebee who, some argue, is aerodynamically unfit for flying. The bumblebee flies because no one informs it of the facts. In my bliss, I too fly. Most of all I thank the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe He called me to graduate school and enabled me to complete each milestone in the journey: coursework, qualifying exams, orals, the dissertation, and the oral defense. A scriptural passage that has been important to me along the way is Psalm 138:3: “On the day I called, Thou didst answer me and didst make me bold with strength in my soul.” iv ABSTRACT Newbery Award winner Mildred D. Taylor (born 1943) drew from her family’s oral storytelling tradition to write nine books about the Logans, a fictitious landowning African American family in Mississippi. These texts take four generations of Logans from the 1870s to 1950 and show how they endure despite racial injustice. This dissertation examines the author’s shifting political ideologies, as defined by Robert Sutherland’s “Hidden Persuaders: Political Ideologies in Literature for Children.” Nuanced changes toward greater empowerment are highlighted when her books are organized into three stages—early, middle, and late. The first chapter provides an introduction and literature review, disclosing gaps in the existing scholarship. Chapter Two, “‘Them Black Kings’: Influences that Shaped Taylor as a Writer,” shows that Taylor derives her affinity to W. E. B. Du Bois through her father, Wilbert Taylor, who exemplified much of what Du Bois sought to convey in his children’s literature. Chapter Three, “‘He Can’t Speak No More’: Taylor Challenges Perceptions of African Americans in Her Early Stage Books,” shows that Taylor’s first three books—Song of the Trees (1975); Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1976); and Let The Circle Be Unbroken (1981)— reflect Du Bois’s objectives regarding re-imaging African Americans, re-casting the African American family, and writing African Americans into history. Chapter Four, “Changing Focus in Taylor’s Middle Stage Books,” shows that Taylor diverts from Du Bois’s family model in her middle stage books: The Gold Cadillac (1987), The Friendship (1987), The Road to Memphis (1990), and Mississippi Bridge (1990). Chapter Five, “‘We’s Free Now’ and ‘Use Your Head’: Agency and Efficacy in Taylor’s v Late Stage Books,” discloses how main characters in her late stage books, The Well: David’s Story (1995) and The Land (2001), achieve greater empowerment through verbal or written contracts. In these books, Taylor also demonstrates that characters do not merely endure segregation but that they thrive in spite of it, allowing her latest book to conclude with an uncharacteristically happy ending. In the conclusion, Chapter Six, I discuss the ramifications of Taylor’s message of empowerment and implications for her readers. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... x CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ................... 1 Levels of Ideologies ........................................................................................... 5 Literature Review............................................................................................... 10 Three Stages of Taylor's Books ........................................................................ 18 Taylor’s Early Stage ......................................................................................... 20 Taylor’s Middle Stage ....................................................................................... 27 Taylor’s Late Stage ........................................................................................... 32 Chapter Overview ........................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER TWO “THEM BLACK KINGS”: INFLUENCES THAT SHAPED TAYLOR AS A WRITER ....................................................................................... 38 Du Bois's Literature for Children ...................................................................... 39 Evidence of Taylor’s Harkening to Du Bois ..................................................... 57 Taylor’s “Manifesto” ......................................................................................... 68 CHAPTER THREE “HE CAN’T SPEAK NO MORE”: TAYLOR CHALLENGES PERCEPTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN HER EARLY STAGE BOOKS ........................................................................................ 77 Taylor Re-Images African Americans .............................................................. 79 Characterizations in Taylor’s Early Stage Books ............................................. 86 Taylor Re-Casts the African American Family ................................................ 92 Taylor Reconsiders African Americans in History .......................................... 105 vii Education .................................................................................................... 107 Judicial System ............................................................................................ 110 Voting .......................................................................................................... 112 Lynching ...................................................................................................... 113 Labor Unions ............................................................................................... 117 A Bridge Text .................................................................................................. 119 Summary .......................................................................................................... 121 CHAPTER FOUR CHANGING FOCUS IN TAYLOR’S MIDDLE STAGE BOOKS .................................................................................................... 123 Change in Subject ........................................................................................... 123 Change in Narrator .........................................................................................