Secret History or the Horrors of St. Domingo Analysis

Secret History or the Horrors of St. Domingo Analysis Analysis of Leonora Sansays Secret History; or, The Horrors of St. Domingo Leonora Sansays Secret History; or, The Horrors of St. Domingo provides a personal historical narrative surrounding the Haitian Revolution. A manuscript in this manner can offer historians a voice to elements of the Revolution that would otherwise be lacking or silent when studying other writings of the period. The manifestos of the revolutionaries, writings of the dominant class and government/military documents often provide the primary materials for research and historical text; however, it is the personal narrative that illuminates certain moods and philosophies that can be overlooked or when emphasising the dates and names surrounding an event. Sansays narrative takes the structure of an epistolary novel, a novel containing a series of letters, written by an American, Mary, to her personal friend Aaron Burr, who at that time was the vice president of the United States. Mary traveled to Saint Domingue in 1802 with her sisters French husband, St. Louis, in hopes of salvaging an estate lost during the early years of the Haitian Revolution. As a secret history, the novel has its foundation in the dawdling relationship between, Leonora Sansay, and Aaron Burr. Like the protagonist in the novel, Mary, Sansay was a close friend of Aaron Burr; and like Marys fictional sister, Clara, Sansay was married to a French officer from Saint Domingue, Louis Sansay. Demonstrating that, the novel is generously based on Leonora Sansays experience in Saint Domingue during the final years of the revolution, 1802-03. On the first reading, Sansays novel seems to give scarce attention to the devastating events of the Haitian revolution. The politics of race and colonial power, and the often horrific scenes of warfare that took place during the very years of the novels account are behind the scenes. Indeed, given Sansays weakness for descriptive accounts of, for instance, the â€Å"innumerable lustres of chrystal and wreaths of natural flowers ornamented the ceiling; and rose and orange trees, in full blossom (Sansay,74) transported aboard a French naval ship in the harbour of Saint Domingues Le Cap Franà §ois to form the backdrop of the Admirals ball, it would be easy to dismiss the novel and its characters as exemplary of an aristocratic temperament. But it is this temperament of the French colonials that makes the document so interesting and important. Michael J. Drexlers introduction to Sansays novel touches on how Secret History has been viewed in the past, and how these views changed with the scholar Joan Dayan. Dayans text Haiti, History and the Gods, was the first serious scholarly use of Sansays writings, â€Å"[f]or Dayan, the novel is both a social history of French decadence and a glimpse of trans-cultural, or trans-racial, mimicry, fantasy, and desire† (Sansay, 26). What this means is, the novel would seem to focus on the excesses of a French colonial regime that is wilfully removed from the life and death brutalities of the colonial slave system that brought about the revolt occurring outside the doors of its gilded fantasy world of extravagance and indulgence. The question that arises, with the knowledge of the how the book has been overlooked in the past by other historians, is how would Sansays work be of use to a young historian? Having a fundamental understanding of the concerns, causes and conclusion of the revolution in Haiti, assisted in a greater understanding of the novel. In Secret History the politics of French colonial warfare are displayed within the hidden, private desires that flow through the characters. The secret history conjectures a structural relation between the public and the private: each genre privileges a different pole as the primary location of meaning, but both foreground the necessary conflict and reliance of one set of meanings upon the other. This understanding of the characters relations to each other and their surroundings sets a mirror upon the countrys complex interactions. Metaphorically, then, love is colonial warfare. However, the love plot assumes more essentially violent dimensions when St. Louis imprisons Clara in their house threatening to kill her if she attempts to leave. When the armed forces of General Jean-Jacques Dessalines draw near Le Cap, Rochambeau takes advantage of the occasion to invite Clara to safety aboard a French vessel; an offer she declines out of fear of incurring her husbands wrath. The more horrifying truth for Clara, than the soon-to-be-realized threat of the massacre of all the white residents of Le Cap by Dessalines black revolutionary forces, is the menace of being murdered at the hands of her white husband. Yet colonial warfare ultimately offers Clara a surprising escape route from her husband: as Le Cap falls under siege, Mary writes, All the women are suffered to depart, but no man can procure a passport (Sansay,105). Mary and Clara are able flee Saint Domingue and break away from from St. Louis by traveling to Cuba and later Jamaica in the company of other women displaced by the revolution and scattered across a colonial Caribbean landscape. The cruelty of patriarchy in the novel is clearly interrelated to that of colonialism and race politics, a pairing underscored by the formation of a quasi-utopic community of husbandless Creole women at the close of the novel. This novel does possess a certain amount of fictional material, just as any fictional historical narrative will, but there is not a wealth of biographical information available about Leonora Sansay. Michael Drexlers introduction to Secret History provides a useful and comprehensive account of Sansays career. The narrative itself provides quasi-autobiography of Sansay, which discerning historians will find useful. On top of this, Sansay does grant her audience with a believable and accurate backdrop. The Haitian Revolution began in 1791 and ended with the establishment of the first free black republic in the west in 1804. During which time, French and Spanish troops, in a dizzying number of shifting alliances and oppositions, fought white Creole populations, free persons of color, and slave factions, vying for control of the country. By 1800, the black leader, Toussaint Louverture secured control of the island as a whole, but in 1801, the French General Leclerc, who was dispatched to Saint Domingue by Napoleon to reassert French control, captured Toussaint and sent him to France. In Sansays novel, Mary and her sister arrive in Le Cap Francais while Leclerc is in command; thus basing her novel in a sound and accurate setting, proving valuable for scholars. At the outset of our examination of Secret Historywe discussed how a personal narrative can provide a unique voice to any historical event. The opening sentence of Sansays epistolary novel outlines an antagonism between the life of the physical body and that of the Haitian social body: We arrived safely [in Saint Domingue] after a passage of forty days, during which I suffered horribly from sea-sickness, heat and confinement; but the society of my fellow-passengers was so agreeable that I often forgot the inconvenience to which I was exposed (Sansay, 61). The reader can note the difference between the first half of the sentence, which describes the travails of a sea voyage of biblical length and duress, and the second half, which casually dismisses the pains of the flesh in favour of the pleasures of sociability. An inappropriateness of empirical registers marks the opening of the novel, and while this incongruity asserts itself as slightly jarring initially, it becomes increasingly pronounced as the novel unfolds. Indeed, the contrast embedded within the opening sentence augments the intentional exaggeration throughout the novel such, that within a few short pages we find scenes of bayoneted bodies intermingled with blushing glances exchanged at balls in the colonial palaces of Saint Domingue. However exaggerated the text may seem it still opens a precious gem of information that cannot be overlooked or undervalued.

Rescue at Sea Essay

Although it’s been almost two years now, I can still remember that day as if it were yesterday. We were all glued in front of the television, when dad came rushing into the house after work to tell us that he had just bought a new cabin cruiser. He promised us that the following week he’d take us all on a fishing trip. We were all very excited and happy at the prospect of it. I spent the next few days daydreaming about how wonderful it would be. When the much-awaited day finally came, and dad drove us to the yacht marina, I was awe-struck by the sheer beauty of the boat, shimmering in that hot sunny August morning. After we packed everything onto the boat, dad started the engine and steered it slowly out of the harbour. We headed out until we were a good distance from the shore. Then, when we found what seemed like a good spot for fishing, dad stopped the engine and lowered the anchor. The sky was crystal clear and the sea was as calm as a sheet of glass. We spent a good couple of hours basking in the sun, fishing rods in hand, without a care in the world. It was fantastic just being there, staring out at the beautiful blue sea. After we had caught a good number of fish, it was time to eat. Mum had prepared some delicious sandwiches and, famished as we were, we didn’t need much convincing – we sank our teeth into the food like hungry predators and gobbled up the whole lot in a matter of seconds. We must have lost track of time, chatting and laughing, because the next thing I remember is being plunged into a darkness so thick one could almost cut it with a knife. Looking around, it was all pitch black, as if someone had thrown a drape over us. Then, out of nowhere, a big wave came crushing into the boat, nearly toppling us all overboard. If that wasn’t bad enough, we could hear the ominous rumbling of thunder in the distance – it was unbelievable how the weather had changed so quickly before our very own eyes. The storm was creeping up on us fast and it wasn’t long before all hell broke loose and the rain started to come down in showers. It was like a sheet of water coming down over us, drenching us to the bone/skin. The rain was so dense and heavy that we could barely breathe. Dad immediately rushed to start the engine but it would not start. He tried and tried, but it was all in vain – the engine was dead. For that split  second it took us to realise what was going on, we all just stared at each other without saying a word. The panic-stricken look on our face said it all – we were stranded/left high and dry in the middle of nowhere! We were scared out of our wits. Mum was as white as a ghost. To make matters worse, without the engine, we were at the mercy of the sea. The waves were getting higher and the boat was taking in water, fast. Then, when we had given up all hope and thought we were doomed, we started to hear what seemed like the sound of a helicopter approaching. At first the sound was very faint and barely noticeable over the sound of the torrential rain and howling wind, but it kept growing stronger and stronger until, one by one, we all realised what it meant – our prayers were answered and we were going to be safe after all! That thought gave us courage, and we started to yell at the top of our voices and to wave, torches in hand, with all our might. Luckily it didn’t take long for the rescue team to spot us. They manoeuvred the helicopter a few feet above our heads and lowered down the rope-ladder, from which we could all climb to safety. It wasn’t a minute too soon however, because as we peered down into the darkness, we saw our boat capsize and could only get a final glimpse of it, before the hull got completely engulfed by the raging sea. The return trip was as silent as it was miserable. No words could express the way we felt. From the look in our eyes it was evident that we were both relieved and shocked at the same time. After that traumatic experience I promised myself I would never step on a boat again. The picture of the angry sea trying to pull us down still haunts my dreams at night. At times the images are so vivid that I wake up in the middle of the night, feeling all sweaty and gasping for air.

The Role Of Anthropocene And Its Effects On The World

There have been five major extinctions during the 4.6 billion years of Earth’s history. The Ordovician, the late Devonian, the Permian, the Triassic-Jurassic, and then the K.T. Cretaceous-Tertiary, the one that killed all of the dinosaurs. Currently, we are living in the new epoch, called the Anthropocene, the age of man. Anthropocene is known as the time of humans, which is characterized by the impact of humans as a fossil record for the future. While the extinction that happened 65 million years ago, causing the dinosaurs to go extinct, occurred naturally when an asteroid struck, the sixth extinction event we are experiencing now is directly identifiable as caused by human activity, such as habitat destruction and over-fishing. Of the past five mass extinction events, although by different causes, they have one factor in common, a massive increase in carbon dioxide levels. More than half of Earth s terrestrial surface has been altered due to human activity, resulting in dras tic deforestation, erosion and loss of topsoil, biodiversity loss, and extinction (Marine Bio, 2016). Global warming is the biggest problem that Earth is facing at this moment. Some causes and effects of global warming are deforestation, ocean acidification, burning of fossil fuels, and greenhouse gas emissions. Through the burning of fossil fuels, we are reversing geological history. During the Gulf oil spill, almost 5 million barrels of oil were spilled, but this is nothing compared to dailyShow MoreRelatedThe International Union Of Geological Sciences1259 Words   |  6 Pagesthe term â€Å"Anthropocene† and have declared that our planet has entered an entirely new epoch. The Anthropocene is regarded as the present time in which our everyday actions have impacted the planet in potentially irreversible manners in terms of environment and climate. 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He wrote an article in the Nature Geoscience titled ‘Tree mortality predicted from drought-induced vascular damage’ that Forests play a central role in global water, energy and biogeochemicalRead MoreOur Solar System For Colonization1198 Words   |  5 Pagesresources decrease and greenhouse gases increase, many scientists are looking for alternative places in our solar system for colonization, and Mars is the most capable of supporting this human settlement. The environment of both planets play a critical role in both the sustainability of Earth and the possible colonization of Mars. The Earth is billions of years old, but the span of advanced and industrial human civilization has destroyed the Earth more than during any other geological time. ResourcesRead MoreHuman And Natural Climate Change1485 Words   |  6 Pagesessay delves into the meaning of climate change along with the human and natural processes that alter the globes atmospheric temperatures over a long period of time. It includes various mechanisms and feedbacks, the history of climatic change, human roles/impacts, as well as my own position on the subject. Natural Climate Change The focus of this section is to explore natural climate change- which occurs without any human influence. These natural processes have been around for thousands of yearsRead MorePositive Impacts Of The Modern Revolution1063 Words   |  5 PagesThe Anthropocene Era, commonly referred to as the Modern Revolution, is a time period of acceleration by which human activity has been the dominant influence in shaping the climate and environment around us. As our world’s most recent threshold, the Modern Revolution contributes to new complexities, such as a globally connected human society. It also allows for an increased in new opportunities and inventions that would benefit humanity as a whole. The Modern Revolution is a positive force because

Exploring Different Printers Essay example - 457 Words

Exploring Different Printers Printers allow you to transfer images/text from your PC to paper, and can do so, using a variety of colour. In general, there are three different types of printers,two of which we are going to review. The three different types of printer are: a Dot Matrix Printer, an Ink Jet Printer, and a Laser printer. Laser Printers: The way laser printers work, is by using a print engine. This works by shining a very thin pattern of light, on to a type of metal drum. Black ink (toner), will stick to the parts of the drum that has been exposed to the light. The paper then rolls over the drum, and the image is transferred from the drum to the paper, but before the paper†¦show more content†¦The set back is, that they are expensive to buy, and very expensive to run, as toner cartridges expire after about 6000 prints. Most laser printers are used for printing text and pictures in black and white, because although the colour cartridges give excellent quality, they are VERY expensive. This printer could be very useful when doing my future fashions project. The high-quality prints could be used to make leaflets/flyers, which could be used for advertisement purposes. Dot Matrix Printers =================== A dot matrix printer is quite a contrast form a laser printer, as it uses simple technology, to that of a laser. The dot matrix printers have a head, which moves backwards and forwards across the paper. On the head there could be either nine or 24 steel pins, that imprint the image/text onto the paper, using an ink ribbon between the two. Dot matrix printers are quite cheap to buy, because they were the first types of printer to be invented. When the ink ribbon needs changing, they are cheap to purchase, making them cheap to run. These printers also allow you to make a carbon copy. When the steel pins hit the paper on the top, the pressure made, imprints a replica on the page below. The disadvantages of the dot matrix printer are that they can be very noisy. The qualities of the dot matrix printers are also veryShow MoreRelated3d Printing Has A Reputation For Being A Greener Method Of Manufacturing1651 Words   |  7 Pagescatalyst to speed up the ever growing industry that is 3D printing. 3D printing does not mean zero waste, there are many different types of 3D printers that all construct pieces in different ways. Fused deposition modelling (FDM) machines, a consumer favourite, print products by using technology methods, like a hot glue gun, with the control of XYZ co-ordinates. Inkjet 3D printers, lay down a po lymeric ink and then UV light cures it layer by layer. 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