Daniel L Schafer Analysis free essay sample

In Daniel L. Schafer’s book Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley: African Princess, Florida Slave, Plantation Slaveowner, the life of a somewhat mysterious African born woman is broken down. There were many challenges to writing a biography on a woman who did not write any letters nor kept a diary on the events of her life. This and the fact that she was an African slave in the beginning of her life over in Florida made writing such a biography all the more challenging. I feel that Schafer has succeeded in providing an organized and descriptive piece on a historical figure whose background has very much been shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. The book stays true to the thesis and keeps Anna Madgigine Jai at the center of every topic. In the preface of this biography, Schafer makes his thesis very clear. He wants to write a â€Å"lively and imaginative yet scholarly† account of Anna Kingsley’s life that will appeal to a wide audience. He wants the reader to know the life of Anna and tries not to have her husband Zephaniah’s life accounts overpower hers. He begins by addressing the claims over in Florida that Anna was royalty in Africa. The claims of her being royalty can best be described as a legend that started to get passed around through word of mouth. There are no official documents stating if she was definitely royalty or not; also due to the fact that she was purchased as a slave by Zephaniah Kingsley, no documents of her family tree were recorded. However, Schafer did his best to find some truth in the legend. He relies on a local historian by the name of Abdou Cisse and also elders in the village of Yang Yang to explain the situations going on in the area around the time of Anna’s captivation to draw judgment on what her social status was in Africa. Their accounts both mention how Anna’s father was in competition for the throne but failed in the end, and Abdou Cisse mentions that the family would not want it to be known that Anna was a slave (Schafer 16-17). I feel that Schafer used this information in a responsible way that is sure to not mislead his reader, he makes it clear that her status of being royalty is uncertain. This portion of the book is a good example of how Schafer is able debunk tall tales from facts with the help of credible historical accounts. His quoting and references from many historical documents and people is what makes his book accurate and unbiased. Schafer uses many different sources to help drive and reinforce important points in Anna Kingsley’s life. He includes excerpts from interviews done with the people in Anna’s life, one such interview includes one done with Zephaniah Kingsley by Lydia Maria Child. The interview relates to the tales of Anna’s supposedly royal backgrounds and also the place of her marriage. Once again, Schafer is speaking on an uncertain topic but still manages to have strong supportive references so that the reader can get a better feel of what Anna’s life may have been like. I think one of the best sources he decided to include in his book were the accounts from the book The Summer of the Great-Grandmother by Madeleine L’Engle. This book gives accounts on the visits of a woman named Susan Philippa Fatio L’Engle to Anna Kinglsey when she was at Fort George Island. According to the book, the two women became friends and implies that Anna was a very interesting woman and provided enough conversation to keep such a â€Å"distinguished white lady† intrigued (Schafer 61). This source is important because it breaks down the idea that women of different races did not bond at all during such a racially segregated time. I feel that it also shows Anna being someone who can socialize with people of many different background types and does not feel inferior to whites because of her skin tone. This shows she considered herself equal to whites during the time, instead of bowing down to them, she bonded with them. This is the image that I feel Schafer wants us to see when we think of Anna Kingsley. She was a strong woman placed in a position that yielded power and respect from many races. Schafer also portrayed Anna as a heroine by telling the story of how she set fire to her own home after the British had taken over (Schafer 42). This story may or may not be true as well, but I feel Schafer added it in his book to further reinforce his idea of the woman Anna may be. Anna Kingsley’s life is described by Schafer through many time periods. He does not focus on one point in her life too strongly while leaving some areas lacking in detail or evidence, each time period in her life has substantial supporting evidence. His book is organized chronologically and gives insight on events during the time that affected Anna’s life as a slave married to her owner and also when she was a free black woman. He also explains the lives of Anna and Zephaniahs children in great detail. He is sure to include how events that effected Anna’s life also effected theirs. One of the strongest aspects of this book is how he used the accounts from other people and the situations that those people faced in a way that still keeps Anna as the main focal point. Even though he is using the lives of other people to tell her story, he does so in a way that does not confuse the reader. He worked well with the limited information he found and went the extra mile b y traveling to the area Anna was believed to be a descendant from in order to learn more about her. There is still some uncertainty about all of the events involving Anna Kingsley, but Schafer’s book does manage to clear up some of the mysteries that involve Anna and gives historical insight of how Florida was during the times slave trading was practiced.