Free Beloved Essays: Sethe's Changes On Sweet Home

Moans of anguish fill the air, a man has fallen down from intense labor and is getting whipped to get back up. The man tries to get up, desperately pushing himself off the ground, yet the whip lashing into his body gives him no such opportunity. Eventually he falls flat, never to get up again. The person who was whipping him shrugged, “He was a waste of food anyways.” This was the life for a slave in the South before the Civil War. Destined to work in chains until they weren’t of use to the owner. In this essay I will prove that the North learning of the harsh treatment of slaves through the Fugitive Slave

The article draws on evidence gathered from plantation owner’s personal writings, bondwomens accounts, relatives accounts and statistics to demonstrate the everyday events and repertoires that occurred in Antebellum plantations. Using plantations accounts such as William Ervin, Camp is able to give us an insight into the formation of the plantation and the spatial borders that limit slaves. Furthermore, plantation accounts from owners gives insight into the punishment that bondpeople receive. This essential knowledge provides an understanding into the conditions that bondpeople dealt with every day and the psychological mind set of plantation owners. Camp builds on these fundamental ideals by using primary accounts from enslaved people to bring an understanding in why truancy was an everyday occurrence. Specifically, Camp uses bondwomen’s accounts to understand the gender norms that led to different acts and rates of rebellion inconsistent with men. Camp focuses on the gender issue of women and the expectations laid by other slave members as described by Patience M. Avery. The last essential primary evidence that Camp uses to form her argument is through statistics of slave women which demonstrate the lack of women escaping to the north in specific states. However, some of her statistics have the potential to limit her argument as shown in describing incidents of truancy on plantation farms in South Carolina. These statistics occur in different years, 1828 and 1831 to show the rate of women committing truancy, however the differences in years could indicate that these rates could be an anomaly. Therefore, although Camp brings in useful and relative source to build a constructive argument there are areas which could limit the article. Camps overall uses vital primary sources builds on her contention

House slaves were given nicer clothing to wear, as to be presentable in the home, while field slaves often received merely a “homespun shirt that was made on the plantation”. Clearly, a distinction can be made between then house slave and field slave and although one might conclude that the house slave was treated better it truly depended on the plantation owner and his or her treatment of the slave.

Lester Horton has been named, as one of the many founders of modern dance, whose style continues to be used in present day choreography. Although Hortons’ early technique was impacted by his interest in various cultures; his style eventually shifted towards a more theatrical technique. Horton used his versatile dance background and interests to develop the sub genre under modern dance, more formally known as choreodramas. His technique seen in earlier pieces and choreodramas such as “The Beloved” and “Salome” were effective in displaying the purpose of Horton’s style. Horton integrated his background in dance, props, costumes, and choreography to emphasize contemporary ideas and display the new genre of choreodramas.

It is shown that after the act of taking the life of Beloved and attempting the life taking of Denver, Howard, and Buglar, that Sethe truly does love her children. The way Sethe tried to go about saving her children seems unethical and horrible, but there did not seem to be all too many options for Sethe to save her children from the slave life. Howard and Buglar left Sethe and Denver to get away from Sethe, they had even warned Denver about what she had attempted to do to them. Although Howard and Buglar ran from Sethe and there was the attempted murder in the barn, Sethe still thinks of them because they are her children. Denver was tossed as an infant that day in the barn, and she clearly survives. Even after all the events and situations created from the presence of Beloved there is still a strong bond of love between Sethe and Denver. Sethe loves Denver very much, she is her one surviving child that is still with her.

As Sethe's demise and Beloved's mischief become overwhelming, Denver assumes the responsibility to assure the survival of her family. Due to Beloved's presence, Sethe loses her job and soon all of her savings is spent. There is no food, however, Beloved's demands do not cease. Sethe begins to wither away from frustration and a wounded conscience and Denver becomes "listless and sleepy with hunger" (242). Denver realizes that, "she would have to leave the yard; stop off the edge of the world, leave the two behind and go ask somebody for help" (243). Denver must face her terror of a mundane society to keep her sister and mother from starvation.

The act of violence also contributes to the dehumanization and the “breaking down” of the slaves. Slaves were beaten, and whipped daily, subjected to cruel torture. Northup describes these acts of violence in his narrative very vividly.

Issues of freedom vs being enslaved did not stop with whippings. Douglass has memories when it was time to eat, "our food was coarse corn meal boiled. This was called mush. It was put into a large wooded tray or trough, and set down upon the ground. The children were then called, like so many pigs they would come and devour the mush; some with oyster-shells, others with pieces of shingle, some with naked hands, and none with spoons. He that ate the fastest got most; he that was strongest secured the best place; and few left the trough satisfied" (Douglass 957). This moment they have of them eating a meal could be that of rats fighting over garbage. This was no way to treat hardworking people that had worked all day long. Douglass experiences the discomforts of hunger and cold during his time as a slave.

When Sethe first meets Beloved, she welcomes her with a suspiciously large magnitude. Furthermore, it is clear that Sethe never revealed her past experiences to Denver, yet the moment Beloved asks about her lost earrings, it was “the first time she had heard anything about her(Sethe’s) mother’s mother”(61). This proves that Beloved, and not anyone else, is pulling Sethe to the past, by making her recollect of her days as a slave. In addition,“it is clear why she holds on to you(Sethe), but I just can’t see why you holding on to her,” Paul mentioned(67). This shows how Paul realizes that Sethe has taken in Beloved without much reasoning, and when Beloved hums a song that Sethe happened to make up, Sethe fully but blindly embraces Beloved as family. In fact, she “had gone to bed smiling,” anxious to “unravel the proof for the conclusion she had already leapt to”(181). This shows how consumed by Beloved she is.

In the book, Swing the Sickle: For the Harvest is Ripe, author Daina Ramey Berry talked about the different complexities of slavery as it concerned not only the institution itself, but how it affected all aspects of a particular slave based society. Much of the work appeared to based in the state of Georgia and provided several different counties as examples in the work. In addition to this, the author also said that “swing the sickle explores the ways different crops created a social hierarchy among the enslaved and the effect of such power dynamics within the quarters.”(Ramey 2). In this book report, I will discuss how the author was able to make her point throughout the work, as well as information on what were some of the most important subtopics in the work. Finally, I will conclude with how well the work was written.

Born into a life of slavery in the early 1800s, Frederick Douglass recounts the harsh treatment he experienced as a slave living on multiple plantations and constantly moving from place to place. He’s not sure of his birthday, and not knowing much about his mother, Harriet Bailey, they are separated. During his whole life, it is assumed that Douglass’s father was his first master who goes by the name of Captain Anthony. Until the age of seven, Frederick Douglass lives on a plantation owned by his slaveholder, Colonel Lloyd. The plantation is regarded as the Great House Farm and despite it being a place where cruel practices occurred, any slave working there or running errands would commend it, as it wasn’t out of the ordinary for slaves to “Fall out and quarrel among themselves about the relative goodness of their masters.”, because of worry that speaking poorly about their home could result in a severe

The story begins by Douglass being separated from his mother after he is born. Captain Anthony, who is suspected in being Frederick's father, is the clerk of an extremely wealthy man named Colonel Lloyd. The colonel owns hundreds of slaves, who call his plantation the “Great House Farm.” and the slaves that break the rules are beaten or whipped. Because Douglass is only a child, his life on the plantation isn’t as hard. When he turns seven he is given to captain Anthony’s son-in-law’s brother who has a plantation in Baltimore. In baltimore, Frederick has a more free life in general because in the city slave owners are much more conscious of appearing cruel towards their slaves. Because Sophia Auld, Hugh’s wife, has never had slaves before, she is nice to Frederick in the beginning.

The year was 1801, a 13-year girl named Mildred lived in a small empty barn in Cumberland, Kentucky. She lived with her little brother Joe, her Ma and Pa, and her Grandmother Edna. Her Pa was sold right after she was born. Her owners were Mr.and Mrs Smith. She planted , sewed, cooked,washed, and worked in the cotton fields. She was so much used to doing these back aching chores that her mind acted like she was living any normal life. Her sorrow was washed away by the love of her Ma and Brother. Mildred loved reading, whenever she had time she snuck into the parlor to sit down and read a book. She got lashed and whipped almost everyday for doing so. Mildred had scars and even had a groove on her neck from the whips. This was the hardest part

Douglass gives detailed anecdotes of his and others experience with the institution of slavery to reveal the hidden horrors. He includes personal accounts he received while under the control of multiple different masters. He analyzes the story of his wife’s cousin’s death to provide a symbol of outrage due to the unfairness of the murderer’s freedom. He states, “The offence for which this girl was thus murdered was this: She had been set that night to mind Mrs. Hicks’s baby, and during the night she fell asleep, and the baby cried.” This anecdote, among many others, is helpful in persuading the reader to understand the severity of rule slaveholders hold above their slaves. This strategy displays the idea that slaves were seen as property and could be discarded easily.

Not only was slavery divided up into different systems, but the roles of the slaves varied greatly. Field slaves were subjected to strenuous labor and strict overseers. They usually worked from dusk until dawn without receiving a day off. On the other hand, household slaves took care of the children, chores, and food and were sometimes seen as part of the family. There is a misconception that household slaves had an easier life than those working in the fields. However, regardless of whether or not someone was a household slave or a field slave, they were slaves nonetheless. The documentary fuels these misconceptions by making things seem right that Washington only worked his slaves six days a week, giving them Sunday off, and was known to have treated them well.