Song of Jaybird: Thematic discussion about emotions

When I began writing Song of Jaybird, the development and portrayal of emotions evolved with my research. As I learned more about my characters and grew closer to them, I saw an array of emotions in the choices they made or were made for them.

One thing is sure: human emotion is universal, crossing time barriers past, present, and future. Most of us have feelings and reactions to others and their situations, no matter when or where a person lives.

Hate contradicts love. Hatefulness perpetrates meanness in acts of violence. ‘humankind’s inhumanity to humanity has existed throughout time. It appalls and grieves us in current events and historically. Writing about debt peonage and what that meant for African Americans working under forced labor in turpentine, it did not take me long to realize the emotional themes of Song of Jaybird: longing, loss, and hate.

Longing is a constant theme throughout the book, especially for Delia. One barrier she discovers is there are no “colored schools” in the county where the camp is located. This fact leads her to make a personal sacrifice, which fuels her decision to compromise. It is hard to imagine the struggle African Americans endured to be educated, especially in the South. In contrast, learning how some people found a way against all odds is also encouraging.

Reading about the laborers' living conditions gives us insight into their longing for a better life rather than living in squalid conditions. However, the laborers' isolation remains a contradiction to finding hope. For that to happen, they needed to see what life was like outside the Longleaf Forest. Delia’s glimpses of a life different from hers gave her hope when opportunities became available.

Delia wondered why turpentine laborers were considered a lower class, even amongst her people. The Colored Women’s Mission Organization sponsored a picnic; this event opened Delia’s eyes, and she had more to long for.

Specifically, she felt shame at her clothing compared to the neatly dressed women who were kind to her. Having a new pleated skirt conveyed feelings of desire. What did that mean for her, and how would she obtain it?

Living life means we experience loss as part of it, even with medicine and advanced science to improve our health and heal diseases. People still die. We all experience the death of someone we love. During Delia’s lifetime, death was everywhere. People died from diseases due to their living conditions, insects, snakes, fires, hardships of weather, childbirth, and hatefulness.

Delia’s grief is portrayed in personal loss, family, and friends she loved.  Despite her circumstances, she comforted and encouraged the men who ate under her shed kitchen.

Have you been able to read Song of Jaybird yet? What emotion and with whom did you experience the most empathy in Song of Jaybird? Please share your response.