Category: Slavery

Slavery is an unpleasant chapter in the history book of our world. In the retrospective, it teaches that every man and every woman regardless of their skin tone is born equal and is worthy of understanding and respect. The autobiography written by Equiano is one of those books that provide explicit evidence and draw strong conclusions on the topic. However, some researchers doubt the originality of the narrative arguing it presents made-up or stolen facts. Despite the controversy around the narrative, it still lets the readers dive deep into the everyday hardships of a slave’s life and helps people understand the nature of slavery.

The book was subject to criticism that questioned the original birthplace of the author and thus tried to undermine the validity of the whole story. Carretta argued that he found evidence of Equiano being born not in Africa but in South Carolina, which transforms his autobiography into fiction (Equiano, the African: Biography of a Self-Made Man 1). Paul Lovejoy challenged those arguments saying that baptismal records and a muster roll cannot be the evidence of Equiano’s fraud but instead reflect the wishes of those who made these documents (1). The main argument in the answer to Lovejoy was that the records could clarify the author’s true age, which is the key to the dismissal of the idea that Equiano is a native African (Response to Paul Lovejoy’s ‘Autobiography and Memory 116).

Both Lovejoy and Carretta have solid logic. The resolution of the conflict can presumably be achieved through the discovery of new facts and evidence, but regardless of the result, the main point of the literary piece under discussion stays the same. Even if Caretta is right in his judgment and the book cannot be deemed an autobiography of an African slave, it is still a life story of a slave. For instance, he argues that Equiano borrowed his identity from his ‘fellow’ Africans, whose stories he allegedly used to create his own (Equiano, the African: Biography of a Self-Made Man 7).

Regardless of the truth, it still does not change the fact that native tribespeople were conquered and taken away from their homes, relatives, and loved ones. In addition, it is a common practice among the authors to consult others to refresh the memory of the events or to seek consultation on the particular details. Despite the affiliation of the depicted events to one person or another, they still give the reader an understanding of how the life of Africans changed with the onslaught of slavery.

Equiano observes that English people treated indigenous tribes as inferior human beings due to their lack of understanding of English culture and language (741). That notion gives them the idea of their superiority and the ability to buy and sell living beings like property. Disproving this basis of slavery was one of the primary purposes of the book. The fact that the author may or may not have been born in Africa does not change it. The fact that he was bought and sold like a piece of furniture gives him the right to speak about slavery and fight it by any means.

Carretta also finds it suspicious that the book was published right on time, as the native African stories were needed to support the abolitionist movement (Response to Paul Lovejoy’s ‘Autobiography and Memory 116). The movement may be considered a party at war and in any war all means are fair. Even if the autobiography was a fruit of collaborative effort used to strengthen the argument of the slavery opponents, it still served the greater good. The autobiographic format of the book was presumably used to create a deeper experience when the readers can associate themselves with the author and feel his sufferings.

Despite the doubts on the originality of some facts, the book’s primary purpose seems to revolve more around the conclusions that the author makes when reflecting on the described events. Equiano argues that not all people are vile and mean, but the feeling of power that the possession of a slave gives them corrodes their souls. He also states that all individuals are born equal in the ability to understand each other (Equiano 740). These ideas seem to make the book unique. The events of Equiano’s life seem to be a horrifying entourage that leads the reader to the same conclusions as the narrator made. Even if some experiences are not his own and he made them look natural, it does not make a difference if the book serves its purpose. Above that, the author can be credited for the ability to draw wisdom from experience showing the readers not only the images of cruelty and injustice but letting them see the reason behind it and understand the true nature of slavery.

Almost every piece of poetry or prose is written for a reason. Every writer has a goal, a thought, or several thoughts he wants to convey to the world. For example, George Orwell and Aldous Huxley with their dystopias wanted people to note the trends and draw parallels with the contemporary society, Oscar Wilde in his Picture of Dorian Gray outlined the problems of double life and esthetics. Similarly, Equiano wanted to focus attention on the issue of slavery. The fact that he revealed his own experience, no matter the place he was born, makes his arguments even stronger.

Slave trade affected the world order quite deeply. A substantial part of the global economy was built around it. Countries and politicians waged wars to defend their slave business or to occupy that niche. These wars divided the world into the oppressors and the oppressed, the owners and the owned. This mindset had to be altered, and abolitionists fought for it. They needed the means of distribution of their ideas, heralds of humanity. Equiano became one of these voices, that moved the hearts and minds of people by the story of his life and the lives of his fellow slaves. The hypothesis that the author is not African has little relevance to the problem of understanding slavery. The reason for this is, as it was mentioned above, the global status of the issue. Slavery affected every race and gender, and it had to be abolished by every means necessary.

All things considered, the question of Equiano’s origin is secondary to the impact his book had on the recognition and understanding of the issue of slavery and the slave trade. Regardless of his place of birth, he was a slave and went through all the hardships he depicted in his book. The passages about his home he allegedly wrote using the experience of other African slaves do not make them untrue. Moreover, he made retrospective conclusions on the dire state of the slave situation, which, illustrated by his life path, allow to look at the matter from the standpoint of humanity.

Works Cited

Carretta, Vincent. Equiano, the African: Biography of a Self-Made Man. University of Georgia Press, 2005.

—. “Response to Paul Lovejoy’s ‘Autobiography and Memory: Gustavus Vassa, alias Olaudah Equiano, the African.’” Slavery & Abolition, vol. 28, no. 1, 2007, pp. 116.

Equiano, Olaudah. “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself.” Norton Anthology of American Literature, edited by Nina Baym and Robert Levine, W.W. Norton & Company, 2012, pp. 731-769.

Lovejoy, Paul E. “Autobiography and Memory: Gustavus Vassa, alias Olaudah Equiano, the African.” Slavery & Abolition, vol. 27 no. 3, 2006, p. 318.

Introduction

In the story “The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson”, Mark Twain successfully brings out the double standards of slavery and racism of the nineteenth United States. Pudd’nhead Wilson is the ironic tale of a man who is born a slave but brought up as the heir to wealthy estate, thanks to a switch made while the babies were still in the cradle. As rightly pointed out by Rasmussen (2003), the “the novel’s central character is not the eponymous Pudd’nhead but Roxy, a mostly white slave.” Roxy is only one-sixteenth black but that is enough to make her and her son a slave in the 1830 Missouri. The novel is a detective story, where Pudd’nhead Wilson plays just one of the many characters, until the very end when he solves the murder mystery and in the process reveals a twenty three year old secret and brings doom to the central characters. Through a vehicle of a detective story, Mark Twain is able to protest racial inequalities and social inequalities while showing the importance of a person’s identity.

Discussion

The basic premise of the story is the racism and slavery of the time. Although it is debated whether Twain was Protesting against racism or was in fact prejudiced himself, “Pudd’nhead Wilson is Mark Twain’s most direct and sustained imaginative engagement with issues of slavery and race”. In this essay we shall try to establish that Twain was in fact protesting this social ill of his times through this novel.

At the very beginning we realize that neither Roxy nor her son looks black but because of the unfortunate accident of having a single black ancestor they are doomed to a life of slavery. By repeatedly pointing out the fact that the central characters are only sixteen and thirty one parts black, Mark Twain has successfully brought out the irony of their fate. The reasons which prompt Roxy to switch her seven month old child with her master’s bring out the uncertainty of a slaves life. As a slave she had no identity of her own and could be sold to anyone, anywhere at the master’s whim. The fear that a similar fate would befall her son prompts her to switch the babies. This switch forms the basis of the entire novel and was in some ways responsible for Thomas a Brackett Driscoll (Tom) growing up to be a spoilt brat.

According to Howe (1992), Twain challenges “the arbitrary racial distinctions of color by dramatizing a mulatto’s ability to live undetected as an aristocrat for twenty years”. However, Howe is of the view that far from protesting against the racism, Twain plays “right into negro phobic rhetoric of the 1890s” and reveals his own prejudices when towards the end the criminal is revealed to be a slave. This may be true, but the irony and opposition towards slavery throughout the novel is too strong to be ignored.

One of Pudd’nhead Wilson’s maxims is that “training is everything”. Yet Twain’s writing “alternates between training and race to define why people act as they do” (Mitchell, 1987). On one hand, we can attribute Tom’s spoilt brat behavior and his bad habits to the fact that he was spoilt since he was a baby by everyone including his “nanny”. Roxy, Tom’s biologically mother, was blind to her son’s defects and over-indulged him which might have led to his growing up to be a selfish individual. On the other hand, when he refuses to the duel with Luigi, Roxy is livid with him and puts the blame squarely on the “one drop of nigger blood”. Yet, at the same time, Roxy also reveals that besides that one drop of “nigger blood” he had also inherited the blood of the highest order from several other people. She is anguished that despite coming from such good ancestry, it is the one drop of “nigger blood” which has the predominant affect on his character. On the surface, this seems to support the Negro phobic logic of the times that resulted in someone who was only one in thirty two part Negro to be born a slave. But, if we delve deeper into Tom’s character we realize that it was nurture rather than nature which was responsible for turning Tom into what he was. He had inherited that one drop of “nigger blood” from Roxy, who was not only a God fearing woman but also an extremely intelligent one. This has also been pointed out by Mitchell (1987). After the babies are switched, Chambers learns to act as “meek and humble” while Tom is encouraged and indulged in all his desires. Obviously, training and not “Race” is to blame for Tom growing up to be a criminal. Thus, Twain, in his ironic style, successfully brings out the double standards regarding racism.

The racial inequalities of the time are brought into sharp focus by the problems faced by Roxy through her life. Although an extremely intelligent woman, she is forced by the unfortunate accident of birth into a life of slavery. Her one deception was to try and get her son out of this life of slavery. Yet, despite her noblest intentions, she finds herself in a position where her own son treats her with contempt and disdain. Even after she is freed of slavery by her master, it is easy for her son to sell her again into slavery. Roxy’s initial deception and her willingness to go back into slavery were all for the sake of her son so that he may not have to live the same life of misery that she had had to lead. However, in end, her son is sold in slavery “down the river”, the very fate she was trying to avoid when she had switched the babies 20 years ago. The irony of the whole situation cannot be missed. And the double standards prevailing at the time is even starker. A man who was considered an aristocrat and a “white” for over twenty years, suddenly became a slave and was sold only because of the discovery of the accident of his birth.

If racism is the main underlying theme of the novel, another important problem of the time is also successfully pointed out and protested by Twain. This is the problem of social inequality and the accompanying prejudice. The people of Dawson’s Landing are extremely prejudiced people who seem to form an idea and stick to it forever. Once they label David Wilson Pudd’nhead due to just one unfortunate remark, it takes him twenty years to sake off this prejudice. Similarly, the Italian twins are initially revered because of their supposed noble background and when it is found that they are assassins, Judge Driscoll considers below him to even get into a duel with them. When Judge Driscoll is murdered, the people of Dawson’s Landing are quick to believe that the twins must be responsible. When Wilson is fighting there case it the court, it is not enough to prove that the twins did not commit the murder but Tom did. He also goes on to prove that Tom is in fact a Negro, thus sealing his fate.

The prejudices and social inequalities of the time are clearly highlighted and protested by Twain in his ironic fashion through these incidents. It is further highlighted in the way Roxy brings up her two charges, Tom and Chambers. While Tom grows up to be refined gentleman with Yale education, Chambers is an uneducated “slave” who cannot even speak “proper English”. The biggest horror of slavery is not the physical abuse, which it seems is not as big a problem in Dawson’s Landing as it is “down the river”, but the complete loss of a slave’s selfhood. (Griffith, 1976). The slaves did not even have the privilege to a surname and Chambers, although born to father of high blood, is still a slave.

When Tom is considered an aristocrat, all his follies are forgiven and the worst fortune that can befall him is being disinherited from his uncle’s will. Although for a man who was into drinking and gambling, even this would have been a huge blow, this was nothing compared to the misfortune that befalls him once it is discovered that he is a Negro. Even for the salves, the worst misfortune that could befall them was being “sold down the river” and ironically, once it is discovered that Tom is a slave he is met with the same fate. This social hypocrisy and social inequality which is so pleasantly pointed out and protested by Twain makes Pudd’nhead Wilson an interesting novel on the subject of racism and social inequalities.

Works Cited

Howe, Lawrence. “Race, Genealogy, and Genre in Mark Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson.” Nineteenth-Century Literature 46.4 (1992): 495-516. University of California Press. 2008. Web.

Mitchell, Lee Clark. “’De Nigger in You’: Race or Training in Pudd’nhead Wilson.” Nineteenth-Century Literature 42.3 (1987): 295-312. University of California Press. 2008. Web.

Griffith, Clark. “Pudd’nhead Wilson as Dark Comedy.” ELH 43.2 (1976): 209-226. The john Hopkins University Press. 2008. Web.

Rasmussen, Kent. “The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson (Book).” Library Journal 128.19 (2003): 116-115. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. 2008. Web.

“The University of Virginia Library.” The Electronic text Center. Pudd’nhead’ Sources. 2008. Web.

“The University of Virginia Library.” The Electronic text Center. The Tragedy of pudd’nhead Wilson. 2008. Web.

Introduction

Beloved is the novel by Toni Morrison that is discussed as representing the genres of gothic fiction and magical realism, and the purpose of this novel is to demonstrate how slavery can be viewed as a process of dehumanization, whose lasting effects in the form of psychological traumas are observed during a long period of time, as it is in the case of Sethe. In spite of the fact that the events depicted in Beloved take place after the end of the American Civil War, Sethe, as the main character of the novel and a former slave, continues to survive the outcomes of slavery every day of her life. Sethe was dehumanized while being a slave, and she experienced the most critical effect of slavery when she had to choose the death of her children as an act of love and humanity instead of letting them become slaves.

Main body

In Beloved, slavery is depicted as the route for dehumanization because of such aspects as ownership, control over slaves, physical imprisonment, humiliation, tortures, and whipping. In the novel, Sethe and other slaves living at Sweet Home plantation become dehumanized because of the actions of the Schoolteacher, who is presented by Morrison (1987) as a cruel slaver and as the embodiment of white supremacy. Thus, the Schoolteacher complained that slaves “ate too much, rested too much, talked too much, which was certainly true compared to him, because schoolteacher ate little, spoke less and rested not at all” (Morrison, 1987, p. 220). This person’s violence made Sethe runoff, but moreover, Schoolteacher’s actions made the woman lose her sense of humanity when she became the victim of mammary rape. While talking with Paul D about that dramatic event, Sethe could only focus on the fact that Schoolteacher’s boys took her milk that belonged to her children: “They used cowhide on you?” “And they took my milk.” “They beat you and you was pregnant?” “And they took my milk!” (Morrison, 1987, p. 17). This situation was the moment when Sethe was most significantly affected by her status as a slave.

However, Sethe’s sense of dehumanization is influenced not only by her experiences while being a slave but also by her fear of losing the freedom for her children after she escaped Sweet Home plantation and thought she was safe in Cincinnati. When Sethe faced the threat for her children to be taken by Schoolteacher, she decided to kill them in a shed. Her two-year-old daughter died, and two boys survived. Explaining her act and referring to Beloved in her house as the ghost of her daughter, Sethe says, “How if I hadn’t killed her she would have died and that is something I could not bear to happen to her. When I explain it she’ll understand, because she understands everything already” (Morrison, 1987, p. 200). Thus, despite the fact that it is possible to discuss Sethe’s act as the representation of her dehumanization, it is important to note that the woman, on the one hand, sees this situation like the loss of her humanity, but on the other hand, she discusses it as the act of freeing her child because of her hatred of slavery.

Still, while explaining her choice, Sethe refers to the situation of mammary rape one more time, accentuating that the event influenced her sense of dehumanization and led to the psychological trauma. Thus, the woman states in the novel, “Nobody will ever get my milk no more except my own children. I never had to give it to nobody else—and the one time I did it was took from me—they held me down and took it” (Morrison, 1987, p. 200). Additionally, Sethe’s decision is also the result of her vision of her own mother’s actions.

Slavery impacted Sethe and caused the development of her sense of dehumanization from many perspectives, and her own mother’s abandonment affected Sethe significantly. When she recollects the fact that she was brought up by another woman, Sethe is “angry, but not certain at what” (Morrison, 1987, p. 62). Moreover, Sethe makes a choice, and she states, “No more running—from nothing. I will never run from another thing on this earth. I took one journey and I paid for the ticket” (Morrison, 1987, p. 15). Developing her story, the author tries to represent Sethe’s choice to kill her children from the perspective of the woman’s intention not to leave her children as slaves.

In spite of the fact that dehumanization associated with slavery influenced the main female character of the book in many ways, it is also possible to focus on Sethe’s efforts to restore her sense of humanity with reference to the mother-and-daughter relationships. These relationships are the key motif and the theme of this novel. One of the most provocative tries to demonstrate humanity is Sethe’s attempt to commit a murder in relation to her children because of the woman’s motive to protect them. Sethe cannot forgive herself the situation when her milk was taken because she seems to perceive it as the violation of her connection with her children. As a result, being dehumanized by slavery, she cannot let her children become the victims of mistreatment, torture, and violence (Morrison, 1987). Sethe seems to receive one more chance to restore her sense of humanity when Beloved comes to her house, and the woman wants to explain her motives, and she tries to do everything to please Beloved as the soul of her dead daughter.

The finale of the novel demonstrates that Sethe still succeeds in restoring her sense of humanity when Beloved disappears, and the woman and her daughter Denver receive opportunities to live a new life. It is possible to assume that Denver will become a hope for Sethe, and the woman’s experience with Beloved as the ghost of her daughter can seem to relieve Sethe’s feeling of guilt. In this novel, Beloved can be discussed as the symbol for Sethe’s guiltiness and the representation of slavery with its pain and sufferings. In the last chapter of the novel, Morrison (1987) states referring to Sethe’s and her daughter’s memories regarding Beloved, “So they forgot her. Like an unpleasant dream during a troubling sleep” (p. 275). Therefore, it is possible to concentrate on Sethe’s sense of humanity only when Beloved disappears as the symbol that past memories cannot affect the life of this family anymore.

Conclusion

Morrison’s Beloved allows readers to focus on the problem of dehumanization of a personality associated with slavery in the most provocative and controversial manner. The novel illustrates how even the most peaceful and good feelings of people, such as the love of a mother to her children, can be reversed in the context of slavery and lead to murder. From this perspective, Morrison’s Beloved seems to pose the following question: How can the sense of dehumanization and the sense of humanity be similar or reflect each other in the context of violence and brutality associated with slavery? The possible answer can be found with reference to the analysis of Sethe’s position and feelings that seem to accentuate her nature as a mother who can forget about humanity while trying to protect her children and make them safe.

Reference

Morrison, T. (1987). Beloved. New York, NY: Vintage.

The author of The Fires of Jubilee is Stephen B. Oates. He worked as a professor teaching at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Apart from being a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst teaching history, Oates qualifies to write this book because he is one of his time’s top authors (Scythes, 2019). It is reported that he was an authority in nineteenth-century American history. The book concerns an enslaved person named Nat Turner, who organizes an uprising or revolt against their White owners (Oates, 1975). The event aided in ending the discrimination of African Americans by their White counterparts (Oates, 1975). The author argues that setting enslaved people free was always available to the White owners, who chose not to do so for economic reasons. Apart from the story being arranged in chapters, the layout and approach suggest that the author has described the area of events narrated and then given the narration.

Oates consults key sources in his work, ranging from The Richmond Enquirer to the Confessions of Nat Turner, to ensure the reader can relate. The references are helpful and act as primary sources (Oates, 1975). He follows basic citation rules and creates a complete narrative of Nat’s life and struggle. He desired to transport his audience back to the events, intending that they may understand his suffering (Oates, 1975). He even crafts Southampton in the reader’s mind through engaging and descriptive writing. In the book, he directs the audience to consult The Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the Ante-Bellum South, a secondary source (Stampp, 1956). There exists a difference between primary sources and those considered to be secondary (Scythes, 2019). The former gives direct access to the main subject of research, while the latter offers second-hand data and commentary from other scholars.

The book can be described as weak or ineffective as a historical account. Despite being a commendable historian, the text has highlighted his weaknesses. It was challenging to know and left speculation about Nat’s childhood life (Scythes, 2019). Perhaps, the motive behind the uprising will be questioned as well. The book helps to explain the significance of religion in Africa by detailing how Nat was allowed to read the Bible as part of studying his past and origin (Scythes, 2019). When he was born, it is noted that his body had birthmarks that people considered leadership marks in African society (Scythes, 2019). The privilege granted to him by his masters was something only for him and not his peers.

Since not everyone could have the privilege of reading the Bible, this shows that Christianity was essential to Africans and that the leaders or those expected to needed to understand it to guide others. With only reviews made available, out of 51 people, only 23% claim that the book deserves five stars, while 40% think four stars is a more accurate assessment of the work (Scythes, 2019). The book is in the history genre and is less trusted when compared to others in the same class (Scythes, 2019). It provides a historical account of events that happened in the past, specifically during slavery, but the information has limitations (Chhaya, 2022). Due to this, it fails to develop the readers’ understanding of history (Wiebe, 2019). It is essential when teaching such topics to leave the audience with no doubts.

The most striking statement in the book is where the author alludes that the media tried to act falsely about the matter. Oates (1975, 134) states, “Though the Northern press was more concerned with national politics than with the Turner insurrection, many papers did report the news either in brief editorials or in excerpts from Southern journals.” This is striking since it shows that a fraction of the media has always been used to further an agenda while another highlights the truth in society despite being small. The importance of this part is that it serves the book’s purpose, which was to bring to light the idea that there was always an option of setting enslaved people free. Even though the story in the book may be remembered as unreliable, it does not affect the author’s legacy as a historian.

References

Chhaya, P. (2022). How the word is passed: A reckoning with the history of slavery across America by Clint Smith.The Public Historian, 44(3), 177–178. Web.

Stampp, K. (1956). The Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the Ante-Bellum, 27-33.

Oates, S. B. (1975). The Fires of jubilee: Nat Turner’s fierce Rebellion/Nat Turner’s fierce rebellion (No. 975.555 Oa8f Ej. 1 025124). Harper & Row.

Scythes, J. (2019). Nat Turner’s revolt spurred Southern fears and sparked public debate over slavery. In The Antebellum Press (pp. 39-48). Routledge. Web.

Wiebe, D. J. (2019). Slavery in ancient Rome and the United States of America: Natural rights and their role in the brutality of slavery in America and its abolition.Crossings, (3), 197–214. Web.

The story Sweat by Hurston is probably one of the most profound works of the author. Indeed, in it, Hurston raises such issues as male dominance, the feeling of communion with one’s race, and slavery instilled into people through years of hard work and oppression. Perhaps the best-portrayed theme and the most controversial one is the recreation of slavery on the part of Afro-Americans who have just been freed of it. Hurston suggests that while some Afro-Americans were freed to lead their lives disregarding white dominance, others could not embrace freedom wholeheartedly and reproduced slavery and oppression patterns in their families, causing trouble to themselves and their kin.

The story features the family life of Delia and Sykes, two Afro-Americans who probably share the same history of oppression. However, their characters turn out to be completely different, which leads to disagreement and, in the end, a tragic final. Delia, the main protagonist, symbolizes free choice and a striving to embrace life wholeheartedly. Thus, despite her hard work, she has many concepts she cherishes and she is not ready to give up under any circumstances.

One of such object is her house, which she earned herself without any help from her husband. For Delia, the house symbolizes material freedom, and a place where she can be herself and do what she likes. Understanding that her relations with Sykes are forever spoilt, she believes she can still be happy within the walls she took so much pain to erect. Thus, Hurston says: “Too late for everything except her little home. She has built it herself […] and planted one by one the trees and the flowers. It was lovely to her, lovely. (p. 1024). The description shows that Delia, tired and life-beaten as she was, still had dreams and desires that were the embodiment of her inner world.

Another concept that shows that Delia was able to enjoy life and freedom is the fact that she sang while working. For her, work to get herself what she needed was not tiresome; instead, she took pleasure in what she had. Delia also found joy and comfort in visiting church, where she could take part in church singing. All this shows that Delia was not ready to live by the old patterns of slavery and male dominance that prevailed in Afro-American society for years. Instead, she “seems to have lived, on some level at least, purposefully framing her future” (Engle, p. 195).

Sykes, on the other hand, is the embodiment of tradition and male suppression. Thus, Engle states that “Sykes never breaks from the slavery conventions he inherited [and] remains a slaveowner in his attitude towards his wife” (p. 195). The constant beatings and humiliations he heaps upon Delia is the remnant of those times when he was a slave himself, having only his kin to pour anger on for the injustice of the world. Hurston shows that the abolition of slavery in itself has not resulted to the change in the vision of some groups who remain enslaved in their consciousness. This idea is supported by Green, who says that in Sweat “the master-slave narrative underlies the male dominance of woman, with the woman filling the role of slave to her male counterpart’s role of master” (para. 3).

This dominating attitude and anger against the world may be brought about by Sykes’ alienation from his community. Indeed, the readers see that male Afro-Americans shy away form Sykes and he has only the company of his mistress to amuse himself. Hurston illustrates this aloofness with the episode with a melon, saying that “a determined silence fell on the porch and the melon was put away” on the arrival of Sykes and Bertha (p. 1025).

The more distant Sykes becomes from the Afro-American community, the worst features he exhibits, culminating in his desire to kill Delia with the help of a snake. Charles says that the fact that “Sykes opts for adultery at the expense of male friendship implies that […] fraternal intimacy is essential for salvation” (p. 56). Thus, Hurston wanted to show that, for Afro-Americans, community support is essential to help them shake off the burden of oppression and aggression they got used to in the years of slavery.

Depicting a contrast between a freedom-loving and self-sufficient Delia and Sykes who cannot break out of the bondage of slavery, Hurston shows how the situation can be resolved. For her, the male domination and oppression practices must definitely become redundant. Those Afro-Americans who are unable to change them risk sharing the fate of Sykes who died by his own foolishness (Green). The image of a lonely and unhappy Sykes is contrasted by other Afro-American males who condemn his treatment of Delia and enjoy themselves on the porch. By painting this picture, the author shows that Afro-Americans can be happy once they get rid of slavery bondage in their minds.

Moreover, Sykes’ death serves the purpose of Delia’s final liberation. Self-sufficient as she was, she was still afraid of Sykes’ male strength and the beatings he regularly gave her. While she was ready to defy Sykes when he wanted to take away her home, she still pitied him and her moral considerations prevented her from disregarding his wishes. Delia lets him keep the snake not only because she has no way out but also out of the habit of obeying his wishes. Green rightly notices that “[Syke’s] death is required to complete her transformation” from an enslaved and obedient wife to a person who knows what she wants and is ready to fight for it (para 21).

The story Sweat by Hurston depicts domination and aggression in the family life of Afro-Americans and draws parallels between the male domination and slavery. The author claims that not all Afro-Americans are ready to discard their past and some of them still use master-slave patterns in relation to their kin. To fight these practices, a close bond with the Afro-American community must be formed. Individuals may always find support and solace within the community and finally learn to get rid of the vicious practices they use.

Works Cited

Charles, Julia S. “Fraternal Fractures: Marriage, Masculinity, and Malicious Menfolk in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” and “Magnolia Flower”.” Women’s Studies vol. 50, no. 1, 2021, pp. 48-60. Web.

Engle, Patricia McCloskey. “Bachelard’s “Discontinuous Bergsonism” in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat”: How Self-Generation of “Pure Time” Engenders Free Choice”. In Origins and Futures: Time Inflected and Reflected, edited by Steineck, Raji C., and Claudia Clausius, BRILL, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central. Web.

Green, Suzanne D. “Fear, Freedom, and the Perils of Ethnicity: Otherness in Kate Chopin’s’ Beyond the Bayou’and Zora Neale Hurston’s’ Sweat’.” Southern Studies vol 5, no. 3 1994, pp. 105-124.

Hurston, Zora Neale. “Sweat” in The Oxford Book of American Short Stories edited by Joyce Carol Oates. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992.

In his autobiography, Up From Slavery Washington depicts casualties of life and grievances experienced since childhood. The book consists of 17 chapters devoted to different periods of life and events which changed the life of Washington. The strength of this book is that it depicts the system of management on large plantations where there were three classes of slaves: field hands, house servants, and skilled laborers.

Born as a slave, Washington did not know the exact date and place of his birth. “ I pity from the bottom of my heart any nation or body of people that is so unfortunate as to get entangled in the net of slavery” (Washington). The author depicts that the field hands began their work at sunrise with the sound of the horn as each was allotted his task for the day. At noon, time was allowed for lunch, after which work was resumed until three or four when the task was completed. The slave was now free to “cultivate his garden, hire himself to his master for extra labor, or take a stroll to visit his wife or mistress on some adjoining plantation.” Each morning it was the duty of the overseer to assign the daily work for the slaves and, when the task was completed, to inspect the fields to see that the work had been done properly. At the end of the day, the owner rode his horse over the fields to inspect the day’s work and to give any necessary instructions to his overseer for the next day. This schedule was performed with regularity. The work of house servants was not as regimented as that of slaves in the field, nor was their work as routine or strenuous. It was extremely difficult for Washington to receive an education, but he did everything possible to finish New Hampton University.

I like this book because it depicts the reality faced by many slaves. Similar to millions of people, Washington did resist being enslaved. As the critics of slavery Washington blamed the South’s chronic problem of soil exhaustion upon the system of slave labor. In the relationship he constructs between narrator and reader(s), Washington necessarily focuses on what is at once the most intimate and the most public manifestation of his cultural identity. The reader, thus positioned, faces not only a discomforting choice but also the recognition that the choice is artificially restrictive. Washington is a presence both beyond and within each of these specters–a complex self-represented by neither but involved in the representation of both. Washington draws attention to the multiplicity of the enslaving world and indicates his attention to that world’s multiple discourses of brutalization. In his attraction to this world that excludes civilization but not nature, Washington emphasizes both the power of culture to shape adaptable natures and the extent to which Washington himself had internalized the larger struggle. Naturally, the changes in the narratives reflect Washington’s changing concerns as his life proceeds; his changing conception of the story he lives changes the narrative of that life, the meaning he draws from it, and the implicit philosophical and moral framework he hopes the narrative will support. The changes reflect also the changing demands Washington faced as he attempted to assert control over his life and his story. Washington is a hero who changed his life and escape slavery educating himself; he tried to change the world and life of other people who suffered.

References

Washington, B.T. Up from Slavery. Web.

Oronooko is a work of fiction written by Aphra Behn. She is an Englishwoman who became a successful writer in 17^th century England. She lived in a time when slavery was considered a major part of the Western world’s economy, specifically when it comes to Great Britain and its colonies in the American continent.

The bulk of the story is set in South America and the origin of the slave trade in the African continent. The author was able to describe the gentleness, beauty, grace, and courage of the African slaves and made a clear argument as to why no one has the right to subjugate them and treat them as nothing more than an object used for economic gain.

History of Slavery

It is impossible to shoot down every type of justification made in favour of slavery without first going through an overview of its history, particularly in the Western world, its connection with Africa and then the British colonies that can be found in the American continent. It has to be made clear that the existence of slavery as an institution is the by-product of a great need. And that is to make money at the most cost-efficient way.

Before the advent of the industrial age a nation’s strength is found in its agricultural sector. Food is the most important thing. But even the means to make clothes and other things required to experience comfortable living can be directly or indirectly acquired through farming and other agricultural pursuits. But there are many challenges to farming and other related activities such as animal husbandry and planting crops.

The first problem is arable land. For those that have no problems with land such as the farmlands that can be found in the American continent in the time of Aphra Behn, the most important limiting factor is manpower.

In the absence of powerful machines that can do the work requiring the muscle power of a hundred men there is a need to hire and train an army of workers. There is a serious problem when it comes to hiring and training people to do the necessary work to make a farm or plantation successful.

There is also the added challenge of retaining a skilled workforce. A traditional method of maintaining a steady workforce requires the utilisation of roving workers, a variety of job seekers knocking at the door of farmhouses asking for work.

There are two problems when it comes to this system and it has something to do with the consistency of the quality of work and the need for a steady supply of workers when they are needed. This method has worked well in the past because of the seasonal nature of farm work.

But someone must have thought what if there is a way to maintain a steady workforce and yet with minimal cost. The answer came readily because slavery is as ancient as some of the more established human traditions.

In ancient times the most common way to own slaves is to conquer a people group through warfare. Armies clash in the battlefield and the defeated group has to allow their conquerors to take them as slaves or die with the rest of their fallen comrades.

Slavery was the acceptable way out for many. The second way to acquire slaves is through the inability to pay loans. The one in debt had to pay off the loan through servitude. In the context of Aphra Behn’s novel however slaves were acquired through a third method and this is by purchasing them from a slave trader.

Let it be known that although there were historical facts thrown into the plot of the story, it remains a work of fiction. Thus, it was convenient for the author to insert herself in the story but more importantly it gave the narrator the freedom to travel back and forth with ease from Europe, to Africa and South America. This allowed the narrator to provide a vivid view as to the sufferings of human beings under a fellow human being.

They are human beings

The first reason why no one is allowed to subjugate a person and treat him or her as beast of burden is because of their humanity. It does not matter if they came from a remote part of the planet. It does not matter if they are uneducated.

It does not matter if they are not civilized. It does not matter if they are hunters and gathers. It does not matter if they have no table manners. These are of no consequence because just like those who wish to enslave them, they are also human beings.

In the novel Oronooko the author was able to brilliantly convey this message via a loves story. In this manner the author was able to show that they were not different from the people living in so-called civilised nations of Europe.

From a woman’s perspective the author seemed to have said that they fall in love just like the high and mighty people living in well-to-do countries of the world. They have feelings and therefore they can be hurt just like the rest of the people on the planet.

They are not sub-species of humans; they come from the same type. They too are descendants of Adam and Eve. Even before one can begin reading the story, the objection to slavery was very clear even in the cover of the book.

The title says it all: Oronooko or the Royal Slave. The author has pointed out that no one should simply judge another person through a biased standard. From the point of view of European slave masters and slave traders the protagonist is simply Oronooko with a name that suggest he is of a lower class.

But what if he is not an ordinary person? What if he is of noble birth. And yet in South America he is nothing but a slave.

The author made a succinct description of the emotions that she felt when she met men, women, and children of African descent and observed them in their natural habitat. She said that they were not only gentle and beautiful creatures but they move like they are the true masters of the land.

They are adept with their weapons and their tools and they know how to co-exist with nature and in the process demonstrated to the observers that they are at their best when they are free.

The author also highlighted the fact that she was treated with utmost respect when she interacted with them and she came very close to saying that she fell in love with the same people who in other parts of the world are treated as slaves.

And she made this emotion-filled conclusion saying, “we find it absolutely necessary to cares ’em as friends, and not to treat ’em as slaves”, but when these same people are taken by force and transported to a foreign land their precious freedom as well as their dignity evaporates quickly like smoke (Behn, p.7).

Slavery degrades both master and slave

There is another reason why it is unlawful to own slaves. It is the fact that slavery as an institution can only be maintained and sustained when both master and slave have the mentality of a beast or a monster. No human can being can sustain this practice and expect to be a good father, a good husband and a role model for the next generation when it comes to patience, grace, kindness, benevolence, and gentleness.

A slave must be treated a little higher than animals working in the farm. If this is not the mindset of slave traders and slave owners then the system would not work because their so-called “property” will eventually develop the mind of a revolutionary and demand his freedom.

The institution of slavery, in conjunction with the economy related to agriculture only works if the plantation can create a system were there is zero wages and only need minimal upkeep for intelligent beings able to work the farms. If the slaves were set free, then the whole system is ruin. If they demand daily wages then the system will also be bankrupt.

It is therefore necessary to make the slaves feel that they have no rights. It is also important to keep them in a state of fear and to make them understand that they cannot survive beyond the boundaries set by his or her master. There are two things that can be done to maintain the status quo.

The first one is the effective use of punishment. The whip is a favourite tool because it delivers the maximum amount of pain and yet it does not destroy any significant part of the body that can prevent the chastised slave from working in the fields.

The only problem here is the need for the slave owner and his appointed slave master to undergo a transformation from within. A kind man cannot go on with this lifestyle forever until he is willing to change his values and beliefs.

The beaten slave on the other hand is made to believe that he or she is of little value. The slave had to undergo a transformation also because this is the only way for him or her to survive the ordeal. Thus, both are degraded mentally and spiritually speaking.

Another way to maintain the status quo is to deprive slaves their right to education. In their native lands they may have access to informal learning and are taught the skills that can make them into an artist or a talented worker paid to provide a special kind of service.

But in the plantation found in South America in the 17^th century they are not taught to read or write. They were only trained on how to work the fields.

The degradation of the values and belief system of the white slave owner and the meek acceptance of the slave is necessary to maintain the system. The slave owner is pressured to break the will of the slaves because he knows very well that they long for freedom.

He cannot relax even for a moment and this develops in him a mean-spirit. The slaves on the other hand cannot see beyond the walls of their imprisonment. Even when the time will come when they are allowed to break the chains of slavery, many of them find comfort in the cruel hands of their masters. Their self-image has been twisted and mangled beyond recognition. This is the evil of slavery.

Men were all created equal in the eyes of God

The most important argument against slavery is the assertion that all men were created equal in the eyes of God. In some parts of the novel the author referred to the creation of Adam and Eve. If one revisits that biblical account, he will discover that all men came from one stock.

It can therefore be said that there were no human sub-species, those that were created to serve others. There may be differences in the colour of the skin and the different behaviour of members of tribal groups or ethnic groups. But deep within, everyone came from the same root. Thus, everyone were created equal and have the same right to pursue life and happiness.

In the case of the slave trade, slave traders insist that there are those who were meant to live a life of servitude. All the children that came out from the wombs of women living in the plantation have the right to freedom, free speech and the right to choose the life that they want to live.

But the moment that a child from a slave woman takes its first breath, the slave master comes in and declares that this child is the property of the plantation owner. Ownership of the child has been established after the purchase of his or her mother from a slave trader.

This is difficult to understand and can be said to be the height of irony. An Englishman and even an American living in the colonies need not be told twice that he is free.

This realisation comes naturally to the members of the Caucasian race. They are acutely aware of this God-given right and yet it boggles the mind why they cannot extend the same privilege to a fellow human being.

If one takes away the economic reason for holding slaves then there is no justification for someone to subjugate another human being. But even if slave traders and plantation owners are made to feel guilty of the practise of buying and selling slaves it highly doubtful if they feel remorse.

The author provided the explanation as to why slave traders continue on with their business selling human beings to the highest bidder.

This is because slavery is not just the invention of the white man, even in Africa, the African leaders and African nobility partake in the system that they find as natural and as indispensable as the other practices in the regions. Consider the following statements made by Aphra Behn who wrote:

Coramantien, a country of blacks so called, was one of those places in which they found the most advantageous trading for slaves, and thither most of our great traders in the merchandise traffic; for that nation is very warlike and brave: and having a continual campaign, being always in hostility with one neighbouring prince or other, they had the fortune to take a great many captives: for all they took in battle were sold as slaves” (Behn, p.7).

Now it is clear why the institution of slavery could not be easily curtailed in the 17^th century until the latter part of the 19^th century. This is because there are many people who benefit from the slave trade. The hostility and constant fighting between African tribes should be blamed for the proliferation of this trade.

This explains why the practice of slavery continues even if no one can find a simple justification to allow a human being to subjugate a fellow human being.

Conclusion

There is no justification of slavery. The slaves may have black skin but deep down they are the same as the slave traders and plantation owners who treated them as nothing more than a means to an end.

The institution of slavery is destructive to both the slave owner and the slaves but it is difficult to end this practice because there are too many people making easy profit from them. Nevertheless, is clear that slavery must end because all men were created equal in the eyes of God.

Work Cited

Behn, Aphra. Oronooko or the Royal Slave. Middlesex, London: Echo Library, 2009.

Undoubtedly, slavery that thrived during the first several centuries of American history is a dark chapter, and abolishing it is celebrated as the true definition of liberty. However, how aware are we of life conditions African Americans were forced to experience? Do we understand why the modern generations protect their rights and value equality? One book written long after slavery ended reveals the hard truth about violence towards the enslaved. Kindred is a science fiction novel created in 1979 by Octavia E. Butler, an African-American female author. The book significantly impacted American literature due to the writer’s roots and the problems of slavery addressed in a detailed manner (Guo 553). This paper aims to analyze Kindred’s plot, discuss the issues raised by Bulter, and describe the book’s influence on American literature.

Kindred’s main character, Dana, was born and grew up in the United States long after abolishing slavery. However, under extraordinary circumstances, she went through the experience of being a servant on a Maryland plantation with ruthless masters. The novel’s plot takes place in two dimensions – Dana’s reality of 1976 and the period of the early 1800s, where she appears as a slave. After the two time-traveling occasions, the main character understands what was going on and involves her husband, Kevin, in the process. They lost each other in the 1800s dimension because Kevin was white and could leave the plantation. Each time she arrived at the 1800s dimension, she helped Rufus, the masters’ son, survive, and if a life threat appeared, the woman was thrown back to her reality.

Dana was kindred with the masters’ family and with one of the enslaved women, as their child named Hagar was the character’s grandmother. The plot is based on the relationship between the Weylin family and their slaves, showing how closely tied they were in various ways and how violently the latter were treated. The African American characters, Nigel, Sarah, Carrie, and Alice, experience unreasonable punishments, and their lives depend on the masters’ moods and desires. As a female slave, Dana faced mistreatment, harassment, and emotional abuse, for example, when she was beaten for not saving Mr. Weylin’s life during the heart attack (Butler 215). Life at the plantation changed her character, as she claimed that “pain had never been a friend to me before, but now it kept me still; it forced reality on me and kept me sane” (Butler 113). Detailed descriptions of these actions provided by Butler make a reader question how people could be so cruel to one another.

Alice, a slave from Maryland’s plantation, was a significant character of Kindred because her destiny reveals the most harmful sides of slavery. Rufus, the master’s son, was in love with Alice and allowed himself to treat the young woman as his property (Butler 70). Dana witnessed the moment when Rufus found out that Alice committed suicide: “I saw that someone was hanging there. Hanging by the neck. A woman. Alice” (Butler 248). The master’s son confessed that he wanted to punish his mistress by temporarily sending their children to Baltimore, however, she thought they were sold and killed herself. Butler adds even more hideous detail in those scenes by describing Rufus’s attempt to rape Dana shortly after Alice’s suicide.

The novel’s narrative portrays slavery in its most cruel demonstration via how black women were forced to lead their lives. They were continuously threatened, raped, and literally with no rights, served the masters, and did all the dirty work. Butler emphasized the severity of female slaves’ conditions because women tend to avoid mentioning those dark sides of slavery (Guo 556). The novel loudly resonated in society as the stories of female maltreatment were revealed, highlighting that enslaved women were raped and beaten primarily because of their gender (Guo 559). Dana is an African-American woman, and being in slavery was especially harmful because she knew what it meant to be free.

Butler disclosed how severely and violently African Americans were treated during the slavery period and reminded people why equality and diversity must be praised in modern society. The author witnessed the false historical knowledge in ways slavery was being described and taught (Behrent 798). Slavery was reflected by a free woman in Kindred, providing a foundation for a reader to draw their conclusions instead of relying on plain historical facts. Butler’s own African American roots make it her duty to clarify and emphasize the cruel treatment her ancestors had to survive at.

Kindred significantly influenced American literature of the late twentieth century by being the first fiction novel written by an African American female writer and raising the sensitive topic of racism and violence towards slaves. Butler witnessed the thriving period of the Civil Rights movement, which inspired her to craft strong stories that mercilessly addressed the issues society refused to remember (Behrent 802). Indeed, the novel pointed attention to history’s truthfulness, perception of home, and gender issues, making the further American fiction authors cover these topics.

In the twenty-first century, society praises diversity and equality in most institutions. However, the mistreatment of the minority groups still occurs, leading to the appearance of protest movements like Black Lives Matter. Although slavery was abolished more than two centuries ago and many generations have already lived as free people, the harmful experience must not be forgotten. Butler’s novel prevented the facts of violence toward female slaves from being buried in history’s backyard by creating the first-person experience of living in severe conditions.

Works Cited

Behrent, Megan. “The Personal is Historical: Slavery, Black Power, and Resistance in Octavia Butler’s “Kindred.”College Literature, vol. 46, no. 4, 2019, pp. 795-828. Web.

Butler, Octavia E. Kindred. Beacon Press, 2004.

Guo, Wenwen. “Semper Shame: Reading Octavia Butler’s Kindred and Fledgling.”Science Fiction Studies, vol. 46, no. 3, 2019, pp. 551-570. Web.

The book Origins of American Slavery proposes a unique and captivating narration about the causes and factors of slavery in America. Wood states that in American history, slavery was one of the most important and controversial periods which had a great impact on the economic and social development of the nation. The book assesses the impact of slavery on economic conditions and its role in the economic development of America. The investigation evaluates the influence of slavery on agriculture and manufacturing. Economic analyses and participation of the slave labor force in economic development are used to analyze the impact and role of slave labor in the development of the American economy. The book consists of five main sections devoted to different problems and issues of slavery and the first decades of slavery.

I like the structure of the book and its approach based on historiography and primary sources analysis. The author mentions different sources of slavery and their significance for the American population. Wood underlines that slaves did resist being enslaved. Acts of insubordination, such as running away, were motivated by the slave’s desire to be with his family, to escape from the brutal treatment of overseer or owner, or to flee permanently from his bondage. His chances for successful escape from the South were remote since he had to go many miles through slave states to reach a free state. The slave knew this, but the act itself, a compelling impulse to remove himself from the impositions forced upon him in bondage, could not be contained. Wood pays special attention to relations between Native American and the Europeans, and analyses problems and wars took place between these groups.

I like the detailed analysis of causes and economic conditions in American before the period of slavery. Wood states that before the period of slavery, the American nation had slow economic growth rates in contrast to European countries. The productive capacity of the American Colonies was materially affected by the power of the labor market. Because of the scarcity of labor, particularly of skilled workmen, this market favored the laborer rather than the employer. With the development of manufacturing facilities and machinery, these industries required more labor to expand production. Slavery was the cheapest labor which allowed agriculture and manufacturing to save costs and invest them into production. Without cheap labor these industries would fail to meet changing social conditions and economic demands.

The sources used for analysis are based on theoretical background and economic data analysis. Both of them are academic sources written from historical and economic perspectives. Wood gives a substantial analysis of the causes of slavery, the lives of slaves and their role in national economic and social development. The book is based on economic data analysis which includes driven forces of economic development, changes in modes of production, new trade relations and growth of the manufacturing sector. The main limitation of this source is that it does not include a deep analysis of slavery seeing it as a part of economic development only. The main limitation of this source is the narrow scope and lack of facts, maps and figures important for research. Wood views slavery as wrong and evil; he looks optimistically for its destruction and recognized great problems in adapting the new slaves to the conditions of the American land.

The book is based on primary documentary sources and presents a unique vision of the slave revolts. On the one hand, it helped to attract the attention of the masses to social problems such as injustice and oppression. Its value is a clear and brief representation that helps to identify the main causes and consequences of economic development. The book proposes a unique interpretation of the period and shows that slavery gave rise to a new national ideology held by most American revolutionaries. The strength of agriculture was that it remained the core of the economy and wealth accumulation. In the beginning, the main advantage of the South was its developing agriculture, which supported the rapid economic growth of the country. Owners of the cotton plantations were interested in cheap labor to extend their crop areas. African slaves were the only source of cheap labor supply meeting the needs of a growing economy. For one thing, it should be noted that the spread and growth of new industrial relations, new industries were closely related to the growth of agriculture.

In sum, I like this book and would recommend it to everyone untested in the history of the USA, slavery and the formation of the American nation. The facts and economic data show that slavery was one of the most important engines which created new opportunities for agriculture and industry. The development of the Western farmlands and Southern agriculture was associated with the labor supply. The rise of the nonagricultural population established in American a new environment of a large volume of agricultural products. Without slave trade and cheap labor, America was not able to establish high rates of industrial growth in all spheres of the economy and compete with foreign suppliers from Europe.

Works Cited

Wood, B. Origins of American Slavery. Hill & Wang Pub; 1st edition, 1997.

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Stowe tells a story of the time when slavery was accepted and supported. It can be considered a historical account of events that took place in the South.

The significance of the book goes beyond mere recollection of events, as it demonstrates the qualities of people. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” represents a dark time in human history and gives factual evidence of immoral and dehumanizing actions of people towards other human beings, in contrast with strong faith and belief in goodness by those undeservingly abused.

The most shocking truth about slavery is that it was representation of the time and large amounts of people. The social beliefs have allowed people’s morals to shift as far as de-humanizing other people. The social beliefs were such that African people were thought inferior to the “white man” and this allowed degrading behavior and rights violations.

A book that contains the facts that Harriet Stowe had to collect shed some light at the hardship of writing and recounting the incidents that took place. It is said that “the book is a very inadequate representation of slavery; and it is so, necessarily, for this reason,–that slavery, in some of its workings, is too dreadful for the purposes of art” (Stowe The Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin 5). This is an exact description of the times that would allow for the whole nation to abuse so many people.

Presently, society has outlawed slavery in most countries of the world but it has not disappeared completely. It is a sad truth that slavery and human trafficking continues in the modern era and there is little that can and is being done to stop it. The accounts that Harriet Stowe gives are full of details that illustrate the horrible conditions African people had to endure. She also mentions that there were individuals who opposed slavery and were very kind and caring towards their servants.

Nonetheless, the kindness and leniency towards people who were forced to serve, does not negate the fact that they were not free and had to experience outcasting among other people. It is unbelievable that great nations like Britain and its colonies, as well as United Stated of America were the ones involved in legal sale and ownership of people. The 200 hundred years that were openly dominated by slavery, create a great dent in human justice and morality.

Not only was slavery a physical abuse of whole peoples, the morality of a person was greatly degraded and mixed with dirt. The society has allowed for such acts to be committed and this led to the ruling of evil. Kindness took on a different form that manifested itself through beneficial and less degrading attitude towards Africans.

The people seemed to have forgotten that they are a part of nature and everyone who has life on earth is equal. But those who were and are able to demoralize another person become separate from nature and kindness, raising themselves above the system (Warnock-Carman 30).

The need to acquire ruling over other people is inherent to humans while kindness, morality and justice exist for the sole purpose of rooting out evil, greed and anger towards other people. Constitutions and democracies make it their goal to abolish all violations of human rights but the process is tainted with disturbances of wars, government’s tyranny and human rights violations. Morality of a civilized human went as far as to see signs of necessity of slavery in religious texts and ancient philosophical writings.

The indifferent nature of great amounts of people does not see the damage that is done to the psyche of a person who is being owned and abused. The psychological strain that not only another individual but a whole society creates, leads to depression, lowered self-worth and misplaced personality. It takes a strong person to rebel against mistreatment and still, it is hard to fight against a whole population of abusers.

One of the most significant moments of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is when Tom is dying but is still able to forgive the people that have abused him. George says: “What a thing it is to be a Christian!” (Stowe Uncle Tom’s Cabin 272) and this summarizes the faith and moral strength that Tom has had throughout his whole life.

Even though other men and women have robbed Tom of his dignity and freedom, they were not able to break his spirit. There were several times when this almost happened but in the end, faith in God and existence of final and prevalent justice proved to be the strongest point of human character. Uncle Tom is a representation of the strong will of many people who had to suffer and live through abuse of the white race.

The character qualities described in Harrier Stowe’s book are very much attributable to the movement against slavery, discrimination and modern day hardships that people suffer. The theme transferred over to the example of African-American rebellion in the United States, which defines the fight of people who have had enough of moral and physical degrading.

The American nation and the world were shown that people who were thought of as inferior and “inhuman” can be superior in the qualities of kindness and honor. The non-violent protests that took place in the last century are an example of that. Martin Luther King and his supporters are the definition of non-violent action in the fight for human rights.

“I have lived amid threats, intimidation, physical violence, and even death, and yet I have never run from the situation. I have urged my people at all times to stand up against segregation, and even disobey the segregation laws in order to arouse and awaken the conscience of our nation” (King 1).

This is a recurring theme that it still true today. The fact that African people, who were deprived of their freedom for so long, had the ability to endure and fight for their rights deserves great respect and praise. But the formal abolishment of slavery in United States and most world countries is a small step comparing to the issues that still take place. The will power of African-Americans has proven that people are strongest when they fight for their rights and natural freedom.

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” can be thought of as a historical document that is a lesson to the present and future generations. It is an illustration of the moral spirit, belief in highest morals but also, is a reminder that sometimes people lose their way and commit acts that are evil and unacceptable. Humanity has had many examples of the horrible actions done by one human being to another but an unfortunate fact is that it keeps being repeated.

Works Cited

King , Martin. The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. Los Angeles, United States: University of California Press, 2005. Print.

Stowe, Harriet. The Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin. New York, United States: gJ. P. Jewett & Company, 1853. Print.

—. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Lepzig, Germany: B. Tauchnitz, 1852. Print.

Warnock-Carman, Krista. Slavery: Thematic Unit. Westminster, United States: Teacher Created Resources, 2000. Print.