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The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain

Decent Essays

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “identity” is defined as “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual,” which includes the individual’s unique qualities and beliefs. It is crucial for a person to keep his identity intact at all times, especially in times of trouble. However, those in power often seek to make those subservient to them lose their sense of identity. For instance, “white torture” is a type of psychological torture used that includes extreme sensory deprivation and isolation, making the detainee lose their personal identity through long periods of isolation. Similarly, white slave owners in the American South during the 18th and 19th centuries often attempted to make their slaves lose their identity, through a variety of means. When a slave lost his identity, he would no longer feel like a real person and did not have the urge to resist the wrongdoings that were occurring. This can be seen in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Slave Narrative by Frederick Douglass, and 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. The process of causing someone to lose his identity is quite a long and tricky one. One such tool used by white slave owners was the ingenious use of religion. When a slave owner was able to successfully use religion for their own benefit, while to the slave’s disadvantage, it had persuasive effects. The most powerful use of religion by slave owners was to convince the slaves that their own cruel actions were

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