African proverbs were used to portray the philosophy of life to people by building on the wisdom and experience of the past. Proverbs taught moral values, modes of conduct, religious beliefs, respect for elders, and was also a means of communication, such as a greeting. Th

The African American boat songs also originated from the African boat songs. Historians have made a connection between the boat songs heard in Africa, and those heard in the seaport towns along the Atlantic coast where the African American slaves would sing as a way to ease their labor and suffering. While singing, the boatman would keep time with the tune at every stroke of his/her oars. This illustrates a feature of the African boat songs- the lead singer's call and the worker's response in words or grunts or in the sound of their tools. This shows that the work songs were built on the African call and response.

Spirituals are considered to be the most original and beautiful expressions of human life in the achievements of African and African American literature and culture. Spirituals combine African and biblical tradition, and clearly portray the African American slave's struggle for survival, freedom, and equality. The spirituals, which were originally shaped for group singing, expressed a double meaning. They reflected the slave's daily life experiences on the plantation, such as their sorrows, troubles, weariness, hopes of release, and dreams. The spirituals were also coded antislavery messages. Master's believed that the slaves were just engaging in their usual "sorrow songs", thus they allowed the singing not knowing that the spirituals were being used as a signal that a planned escape was pending.

African American folktales have influence from both African and Euro-American folktales. The primary focus of African American folktales was animals. Most of the animal tales evolved from the African tales about the trickster animal who outwits those of superior then it, by the use of cunning and wit. The African folktales also had several other purposes: to impact moral values, ins

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