The Underground Railroad Summary

This source would be considered very reliable as it is a first-hand recount of ex-slave’s experiences. This biography was likely not written to sway the reader’s opinion on slavery, rather it was likely written in response to the many requests for Keckley to write about her life. This means that there is little bias in terms of motive. There may have been bias, however, through the editor, James Redpath. Redpath transcribed and compiled the interview. We can expect an accurate recount of events as it is a

Since Jacobs knew many of her readers would consider her account exaggerated or fictitious, she included the testimonials of two white female abolitionists and one black antislavery writer to confirm that the recorded events were true. These slave narratives were powerful in the abolitionists’ effort to spread their antislavery cause. As long as people remained ignorant about the realities of slavery, they were not motivated to action, but stories like Jacobs’ showed the need for reform.

The Underground Railroad is a figurative railroad involving hundreds of thousands of people such as slaves, free Blacks, and White abolitionists. The Underground Railroad began in the late 1700s to 1865, with the height of the railroad happening in 1850 to the 1860s, where a thousand or more slaves were able to escape per year. The name of the Underground Railroad comes from the use of railroad code and the railroad being a form of resistance to slavery at the time (Wikipedia). Following the Compromise of 1850 that strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, slave catchers were allowed to work in free states and claim free Blacks as slaves and put them back into slavery. The specifics of the railroad are unknown to keep out infiltrators, everything relied on word of mouth, and many who helped only knew their part of the trip (Wikipedia).

Unlike other authors, Colson Whitehead decided to develop his main character in a unique and complex way in his novel The Underground Railroad. Cora’s character development not only occurs with the people she meets, but also with the locations she passes through. Each station, with its own interior and setting, is what ultimately affects her character’s state of mind. Since every state has a different view on slavery, it is natural that the conditions of each station reflect that of the opinions of the outside world, hence affecting Cora herself. Her struggles she faced in order to get to freedom both built her up and tore her down; the root of this driving force can be found within the railroad’s interior.

Slavery is a disappointing example of inhuman behavior, a dark past in our history books. Two stories demonstrate the cruelty of slavery while living on a plantation. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the underground railroad and “The People Could Fly” give two different encounters on the topic of slavery. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the underground railroad is a biography and “The People Could Fly” is a historical fiction. Both would make one wonder, what is there to live for when freedom does not exist in your life? The two different genres of books are able to give readers an understanding of how heart-wrenching and depressing life of a slave was. Both show the family of slaves taking care of one another. They show the fatherhood even though the slaves are going through harsh conditions, the way the story is told and what kind of story it is, and the secret language that the slaves have.

4. The Underground Railroad was a secret system that assisted slaves in the South trying to make it to the free states in the North. Douglass was not critical of the system itself, because it has aided many slaves obtaining freedom. However, he is disapproving of openly speaking about knowledge of its existence. He claims that speaking about this system will only hinder the escape efforts of those slaves still living in captivity. Additionally, the more openly the escape method was talked about, the more closely the slave-holders monitored their slaves. The more in the dark the slave-holders remained about the escape methods used by the slaves, the better chance the slaves had of escaping. Furthermore, Douglass claims that

The writing styles of Claudine Rankine and Colson Whitehead vary significantly, but both manage to address the issue of race in America in profound ways. In Citizen: An American Lyric, the former utilizes a combination of images and poetry to convey a sense of open-endedness, while the latter follows a traditional historical fiction narrative in his novel, The Underground Railroad. The books build on historical and modern events to evoke emotion and convey criticism. *Rankine uses an experimental style to allow introspection, and Whitehead’s traditional writing blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction.

No hope, no break, very little food, inhuman treatment, this is what slaves went through everyday. Slaves desired a place where they could find freedom. The underground railroad gave slaves the most hope for freedom. The path to freedom was very hard and dangerous for most slaves. But some slaves endured the hardships and became famous abolitionist. It would have been nearly impossible for slaves to escape. If it wasn't for the help of the underground railroad and all the conductors who helped make it possible.

Harriet Ross Tubman was a spiritual woman who lived her ideals and dedicated her life to ending slavery. While Harriet 's efforts placed her in great peril, her integrity and commitment inspired others to assist in rescuing countless slaves during the Civil War.

“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.

In fact, Douglass himself benefit from the Underground Railroad when escaping. The officer of the Underground Railroad told him the best place where he would earn a living when he was very confused, which Douglass was very grateful of (9,143). After Douglass settled down, he became one of the members in the Underground Railroad with full passion. He took the risk of being caught and opened his house in Rochester, which was near the border between the United States and Canada, for the fugitives (10, 45). Later, “he became the superintendent of the entire system in his area”; he and his wife, Anna Douglass, helped hundreds of slaves who escape from the South (10, 46).

Authors often exaggerate or revise small details of their own books in order to produce an emotion in the reader instead of a factual representation. However, this does not make authors to be liers, only fabricators. In times or social unjust it is necessary for the oppressed to voice their opinions for the purpose of gaining equality. As it may seem immoral to twist truths, if done correctly it will strengthen the author's message, without compromising the authenticity of the plot. One can see this in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, along with his, My Bondage and My Freedom. Both novels are accounts of Douglass’ troublesome journey from a slave to a freeman. These heroic accounts served as prominent and respected

(2) Perhaps the most effective and dramatic aspect of The Underground Railroad was Mr. Whitehead’s decision to present characters with little or no background information and then detail that information in dramatic fashion in later chapters devoted exclusively to that character. This decision by the author to “jump around in time and space” was especially noteworthy with respect to Cora’s mother, Mabel. Throughout the novel, we are led to believe that Mabel had run away from the Randall plantation while purposely leaving her young daughter behind to suffer as a slave. Cora is portrayed repeatedly as resenting her mother for not taking her when she had escaped. “Once Mabel ran, Cora thought of her as little as possible. After landing in South Carolina, she realized that she had banished her mother not from sadness but from rage. She hated her.” (98) Further, despite extensive searches by the slave catcher, Ridgeway, no evidence of

Although the author makes emotional connection, she also presents information that you would find in a history textbook in a new light. Anderson does this by incorporating terms that may be learned in history class such as loyalist, indentured servant, and regiment into a plot. For example, Isabel was befriended by an indentured servant, she worked for a loyalist family, and her friend was apart of a rebel regiment. It’s interesting to see the author eloquently incorporate these terms into a historical fiction story. This book has increased my interest in the subject matter of slavery. The book has peaked my interest, because it just gives the reader a look at what life was like for slaves. The abuse and injustice just shows how important rights are and that they should not be taken for granted. This book ignited a fire inside of

The Underground Railroad was not a railroad or underground. The Underground Railroad was a path for slaves to escape. More than 100,000 slaves escaped through the Underground Railroad. (History.com, history.com staff, paragraphs one and two) The slaves can thank people like Harriet Tubman because she was one of the people that helped the slaves leave and be free. There were other people, like William Still, Levi Coffin, and John Fairfield. One of the paths that went through the Underground Railroad was in Cincinnati, Ohio. Different paths extended through fourteen states and including Canada. The Underground Railroad was formed during the 1700-1790s. The Underground Railroad ended in 1861 when the Civil War started. (history.net, in between paragraphs one and two)