In order to rationalize the peculiar institution of slavery in the South, the Southern plantation novel surfaced. He idealized the plantation lifestyle by creating and romanticizing characters who would otherwise be considered evil by black people – the oppressed. Life was described as easy and carefree by the basic icon, the plantation owner or planter, faithfully referred to as a "Southern gentleman." By expressing the general view of the white middle class, Southern plantation fiction writers created a pro-slavery agenda that defended the institution of slavery. A defense of the Southern way of life attempted to change the view of slavery from evil to good until the arrival of Charles W. Chesnutt. Little did devout white readers know that Chesnutt would disrupt the positive image the South received, dismantling notions of the African American community as a whole by writing a series of folk tales. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Folktales and myths are arguably one of the most effective works of fiction that can change the reader's point of view. Chesnutt took advantage of this genre and used his characteristics to speak to his white audience. Often passed down from generation to generation, folktales remain concrete yet descriptive in their telling and contribute to a broader meaning. Some may be true and some may not, but it is important to identify and analyze the true meaning behind the overall story being told. Attention to detail in figurative language, simple plot, character analysis, and overall themes can reveal significant social intentions in the text that secretly work to shatter certain preconceived notions about something. In The Conjure Woman and Other Tales, Chesnutt uses plantation dialect, stereotypes, and conjuring the woman to unconsciously deconstruct negative prejudices and perceptions of the black community to his white audience. At the beginning of the novel, a white man named John moves to North Carolina with his wife on the advice of their family doctor. In search of economic prosperity, he hopes to exploit the grape industry by prospecting for a vineyard to cultivate. It is at this point that Chesnutt uses his brilliant imaginative mind to tell the story of the curse of the earth through a man named Uncle Julius. He explains in depth how this property became dangerous and infertile. Since the story originated during the height of slavery, Chesnutt strategically uses plantation-like dialect to effectively reveal the lack of education that slaves possessed. Uncle Julius explains: "Long next spring, after the sap has increased, and Henry is not int at the head and was declared fer ter git young and soopl, Mars Dugal 'up' and tuk Henry ter town , in sole 'I'm for fifteen hundred' dollars” (Chesnutt 11). At first glance, the first thing that may be noticed is the language or dialect used to form the sentences. Its distracting nature to many symbolizes a deeper meaning that is imposed on the reader. His use of dialect may be an interpretation of the great horrors of the institution of slavery. Upon further analysis, Julius' underlying statement about how a man named Henry was taken to town to be sold for fifteen hundred dollars secretly exposes the horrors experienced by black people during slavery. White people, given that they had rights andwere treated as human beings, were oblivious to the oppressive nature of black people and its harmful consequences for the African American community. In contrast, at this time, black people were denied the right to literacy under the system of slavery. Empathy not only begins to play a role in how the reader responds to stories, but also allows a space for compassion and welcome circumstantial reflection. Through the main characters, Johnet Annie, and the general white audience absorbing the language, plantation-style dialect most likely serves as a tool to advance the southern plantation novel's anti-racist social agenda in the reader by invoking anti-racist emotions towards the characters of the interior stories. In the story Po' Sandy, after Julius explains the story of Sandy and the wood, Annie says, "John, I don't think I want my new kitchen built with wood in this old schoolhouse" (Chesnutt 22). It is only when Annie is able to engage with Julius's stories and read the way the dialect functions as a metaphor, that she is able to respond with emotions that characterize true empathy for the horrors of slavery that black people experienced. Overall, the plantation-like dialect between the black characters within the interior narratives raises awareness and exploits the reality of black life during slavery, leading to a sense of sensitivity around the subject. These emotions are largely due to the reference to stereotypes throughout the novel. In the novel, stereotypes play a major role in gaining emotion from Chesnutt's white audience. As a description is given of the grapes that grew in the vineyard in The Goophered Grapevine, Julius says: "Now, if they're a nigger thing, next to possum, to chick'n, to watermillyums, it's is scuppernon’s,” (Chesnutt 7). The quote above that black people love nothing more than opossum, chicken, watermelon, and scupernongs is a stereotype reinforced by the judgments of one group of people by another. It is a generalization of a person or thing based on a widely held but fixed and simplistic image. Although it may appear that Chesnutt is reinforcing racial normalizations by explicitly choosing a black man to speak them out against the black community, he actually counters dominant stereotypes by offering insight into common misconceptions about the black community. Chesnutt's strategically includes a reinforcement of black stereotypes to criticize John, Annie, and other white readers who stereotyped primarily black slaves without remorse. Because of this, he somehow subtly becomes aware of their subconscious biases in order to slowly deconstruct the thought process of people who are not like them. Stereotypes were complete myths that were used to unfairly gain and maintain white power over black slaves and their opportunities. Therefore, subconscious prejudices and judgments are subtly attacked and brought to light when Julius mentions "black" food, thus begging for a reaction from Annie and John. While Annie becomes an engaged reader, understanding the metaphorical aspects of Julius's tales and responding with empathy, John constantly misses the point. In Sis' Becky's Pickaninny, Annie angrily responds to her husband: "They are mere ornamental details and not at all essential." The story is true to nature and could have happened a hundred times, and undoubtedly did, during those horrible days before the war” (Chestnutt 53). Because a slave is sold and separated from his child,..