A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

In the midst of completing the book, I read an article on BBC News entailing details of new statistics stating that black men are three times as likely to have been subjected to unfair brutality and murder than Caucasians. This in particularly is appalling given that only 14% of the US population consist of African-American males. An example of this discrimination is highlighted by the controversy surrounding the raising of the Confederate flag in several southern states.

The Fires of Jubilee, by Stephen B. Oates, tells an account of Nat Turner’s rebellion. Beginning with Nat’s early life and finally ending with the legacy his execution left the world, Oates paints a historical rending of those fateful days. The Confessions of Nat Turner by Thomas R. Gray and approved by Nat himself is among Oates’ chief sources. Oates is known as a reputable historian through his other works, and has strong credentials however, in the case of The Fires of Jubilee there are some limitations. It is, therefore, worth analyzing Oates’ interpretation for reliability. In doing so one sees that The Fires of Jubilee, because of its weak use of citations, failure to alert the audience of assumed details and the way in which

The black slaves resisted and tried to run away they wouldn’t give up. Even though there was laws in trying to stop the blacks from running away, they still ran away. There were laws made that if anyone were to find black slave they should do to them what they feel be appropriate. Man slaves were killed or burnt in the book there was a case were a black slave was burnt in a slow fire for 8-10 hours. In some cases both white and black slaves ran way together but the punishment wouldn’t be the same white would only extend there period of serving as slaves and the black salves were hanged or killed. Even then they could see racism how the whites that committed the same crime would get treated differently then the black slaves. The black salves couldn’t do anything besides being slaves, so thought the white people. Even the white servants were treated different, not only were they working for a set period of time, but they were treated as humans and they had rights, and would receive land and pay at the end of their term. The white people justified their own slave trade because in Africa slavery existed too. This was

Truly the book had shown me that African-Americans were not the only people that were oppressed by Whites, but also Mexicans as well and they lynched not as much as African-Americans and all the attention was put on the South, Honestly, I’ve known that Mexicans were discriminated not lynched, and I felt as though that indeed there was too much emphasis on African-Americans more than Mexicans, which is probably why I have never known of the lynching in the US South west. All of the severe punishments that came with the crimes remineded of Draco’s law (Draco was a Greek who wrote his laws so severe it was said that they were written in blood, sounds cliché but it’s true). Anyway, this book was excellent and I had learned a lot from it, it made feel like that I really did ignore the innocent, mostly, people that killed for crimes that they did not commit or wrongfully accused. Just comes to show me how poorly taught I was back then, but now I know and I will use this knowledge to tell others that other people were also lynched, not just one group over all. I really appreciated what the book presented to me about the misfortunates of foreigners living in another country whose people hate because they are from other places, not the native land. Truly it shed some light into my learning experience when studying the

Tom Weylin’s sexual assaults on his female slave Tess and selling out her children reflects the miseries of the helpless blacks at the hands of the white population. Though Tess has lost her children, yet she has to comply with the orders and wishes of her white master. (The Fight, X) In addition, Weylin’s consistent whipping on Dana, Tess and Alice also reveals the existence of butchery and domestic violence by the whites. Particularly stripping of the Black women and beating them brutally serve as the black mar on the very face of the white community. (The Fight, XIII) History is also replete with the examples of butchery and cruelties inflicted upon the Black slaves in the USA, northern and central Europe, Russia, Turkey (the Ottoman Empire) and other parts of the world, where sexual exploitations, whipping and torture were the orders of the day. Hence, Butler has portrayed the exact picture of the situation prevailed in the olden past in her novel.

Reading Nat Turner, Kyle Baker gives a sense of how Turner life was when he was a boy living in his village all the way up to his death. In the beginning of the book, Baker focuses on a woman and how her facial emotions changed quickly, from angry, happy and then scared (12,13). The author is showing how quick your life can change. You are living with fun and games, but then you are running into the forest to save yourself.

Books are filled with stories of colonial resistance such as the Boston Tea Party, the burning of effigies, and the Revolutionary War. There are many stories of Daniel Shay's rebellion against the young federal government. Yet one story that receives little attention is the story of Nat Turner's rebellion. This being one of the first rebellions and acts of abolition of slavery you would think that this amazing story would be in every textbook throughout the world. His story is an excellent example of how some slaves fought back and resisted their oppressors. Overall, I was extremely impressed with this work. I think Stephen Oates was truly interested in what he was researching, as this is reflected in the book. He makes important the inhumane treatment and crude conditions that a slave had to endure under their control. His skill as a writer is excellent, and he does a very good job bringing the reader into the story. Oates believes that Nat Turner's rebellion was a critical turning point in American history, especially Southern history. I was especially impressed with his ability to describe what was happening. The detail fills the mind with a well-drawn picture of the scenery, smells, attitudes, and needs of the blacks and whites of this part of the South. Lastly I would say that this book is not only enjoyable, but also an important historical work that is helpful in understanding race relations of the past and

-There is a lot of racism in the book because of the time period it takes place in

Nat Turner was a man with a vision that would change America forever. His vision may

The book educates readers on the difficult life slaves had in America during the 1800’s and the life of Nat Turner and the rebellion he lead. The book focuses on Nat’s life and the adversities as well as challenges slaves had to go through to survive. The psychological effects slaves had for the fault of the system they were unjustly born into or put in, affected their decision making every day; either by making them obey their masters or fight for their freedom and die, rather than continue living as a slave. In the case of Nat Turner, life as a slave caused him to lead a rebellion whose sole purpose was to kill all of the white people who lived in Southampton County, Virginia, and its surrounding areas. Unfortunately, Nat’s rebellion is what caused his death.

The killings made by the slaves are saddening, too. Mutilating the whites and leaving their bodies lying is inhumane. It is such a shocking story. This book was meant to teach the reader on the inhumanity of slavery. It also gives us the image of what happened during the past years when slavery was practised.

“The Book of Negroes is a master piece, daring and impressive in its geographic, historical and human reach, convincing in its narrative art and detail, necessary for imagining the real beyond the traces left by history.” I completely agree with The Globe and Mail’s interpretation of this story. One could almost see the desolate conditions of the slave boats and feel the pain of every person brought into slavery. Lawrence Hill created a compelling story that depicts the hard ships, emotional turmoil and bravery when he wrote The Book of Negroes.

By employing themes such as psychosexual fantasies, race, gender, and violence, artist Kara Walker reconstructs and explores the history and effects of American slavery on American culture. Although being called names like notorious, revolting, anti-progressive, and shameless, she continues to be a pioneer of bringing the unspeakable aspects of American slavery that are not commonly discussed and are left out of the history books to the foreground of public discussion.

Nat Turner was a man with a vision that would change America forever. His vision may

In Uncle Tom’s Children, Richard Wright presents an overwhelming number of collective and individual resistance acts by blacks against the racial violence committed by whites. Blacks face this violence everyday. Therefore, Uncle Tom’s Children can be seen as protest literature. Some of Wright’s characters like the ones in “Long Black Song” and “Bright and Morning Star,” which are short stories within Uncle Tom’s Children, overtly combat white violence even if the consequences lead to their death. In “Long Black Song” and “Bright and Morning Star,” the characters act against the society into which they have been born for the sake of their loved ones and for the sake of their black comrades. Yet, despite these horrific sacrifices Wright does not show whites recognizing they are perpetrating such violence.