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“Sus Hijas Le Han Sido Arrebatadas”: Lenguaje, Deshumanización Y Resistencia En Las Negras De Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro, Julia Gillis

Periclean Honors Forum Scholar Award Winners

In this paper I argue that the four stories that form the collection las Negras by Yolanda Arroyo

Pizarro address dehumanization and objectification of the black body and question the role of religion during slavery. A central theme throughout the collection is whispering, which initially symbolizes the initiation into slavery and ultimately symbolizes the emancipation from it. Through careful analysis of the text, research on Puerto Rico, and examination of authors’ opinions on Arroyo Pizarro’s other works in addition to las Negras, I maintain that by focusing on stories of black slave women in Puerto Rico, Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro …