"Benito Cereno," written by Herman Melville, is a novella that portrays Melville’s views on slavery during a time of great political turmoil over the issue of slavery, (six years before the Civil War). The narrator, Amasa Delano, is the captain of a Massachusetts whaling ship called the Bachelor’s Delight. Through out the story, Melville portrays certain situations, which bring attention to the ideas of slavery, and leadership. “Benito Cereno” is a story that depicts the historical incident that occurred in 1805, where black slaves had overthrown the Spanish Sailors. The film La Amistad, produced by Steven Spielberg, was based upon this historical incident. The slave owners are depicted as brutal human beings that want to sell the slaves as quickly and as effortlessly as possible. On the other hand, the slaves want to return to their homes and live the life of a regular human being. Because of the fact that many African Americans were enslaved at this time, many revolts occurred, often even under extremely difficult situations.
In the story “Benito Cereno”, Melville articulates the qualities of the slave and slavery itself throughout this novel. Melville uses ominous imagery to foreshadow the fate that Captain Delano and his crew face later on in the story. Melville produced this text in order to lead the reader away from what truly occurs on the San Dominick. He created this novel so that the readers would trust Delano’s judgment, and his observations of Don Benito and his crew. The story is written in a mysterious way so that the reader can’t conclude what will occur next. There are many different symbols and actions that take place on the boat that hint towards an overthrowing of Captain Delano, but since Delano is depicted a...
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...developed a bad fever aboard the ship and passed away. Melville depicts Captain Delano as a very naïve and innocent man, so he is quick to believe everything Cereno says. As a result, Delano constantly throws away the idea that a slave revolt could occur on the San Dominick. He is quick to give Benito Cereno his trust because the situation Cereno was in made sense to him. We see many clues that hint towards a rebellion which include the slaves working with axes while being free from their chains. This is a huge red flag that Delano continues to ignore because he believes what Cereno claimed happened to them. The biggest clue Melville provides the reader with is when Babo shaves Benito. The Razor Babo uses to shave Cereno is a very big symbol in this story because it signifies multiple themes such as power and fear, which ultimately ties this whole story together.
There are few things as brutal as the history of the institution of slavery. In his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, the aforementioned Olaudah Equiano describes the experience of his entrance into slavery.
The slave narratives written by Olaudah Equiano and Frederick Douglass, were important pieces of literature, helping to bring to the life the harsh realities of slavery. Equiano and Douglass, documented their experiences as slaves, to in hopes to connect with white audiences, showing them the immorality and hypocrisy of slavery. While both writers aimed to highlight the inhumanity of slavery, hoping it would lead to abolishment, Douglass and Equiano had different approaches. Both writers were influenced by different eras: Equiano’s writing is influenced by the Enlightenment Period, while Douglass was influenced by Romanticism. Comparing the styles, Douglass’ narratives are stinging, while Equiano’s narrative seems to be more appeasing. However, this has more to do with the influences of their time, than the character of either man. Contrasting styles of both men, echoes the contrasting philosophies of Romanticism and Enlightenment; different but one paves the way for the next.
Both, “The Interesting Narrative Life of Olaudah Equiano” and “Amistad” are important stories about slavery in pre-civil war america because they both address the issues of slavery. These gentlemen in the story made a difference in the slave trade. In “The life of Olaudah Equiano”, Olaudah was sold on a slave ship that came to the Barbados. Olaudah worked for his freedom, and in the end became efficient in American language. He worked his way to the free life and in the end it worked out for him, although it leaves scars on his soul. In “Amistad”, Cinque is a slave that leads a revolt on a slave ship after escaping. When they get to america, Baldwin, a lawyer that is representing the slave and the former president Adams helps free the slaves.
Equiano starting out had caring captors, “[t]he people I was sold to used to carry me very often when I was tired either on their shoulders or on their backs” (Equiano 54). Equiano’s first master lost his wife and daughter causing the mental state to be off, so Equiano was sold. Luckily Equiano was able to see his sister once again, he felt the need to be there for her and try to aid the pain she was feeling. All slave masters admired Equiano and he was still live a fair well off life but, that would soon change when boards the slave ship. Equiano finally will see the true horrors of how slaves were treated, “...and I even wished for my former slavery in preference to my present situation” (Equiano
A man named Sengbe Pieh, commonly known in the United States as Jose Cinque, was born around 1813 in Mende Country. He was rumored to be the son of a local chief and lived his days as a farmer working the fields. He was a devoted husband with two sons and a daughter. One day he woke up, kissed his wife and kids good-bye not knowing that day in late January 1839 would be different. As he entered the fields, four men jumped him and tied his right hand to his neck. When they were done beating him they dragged him to an area where they held the other slaves that were from Kono, Sherbro, Temne, Kissi, Gbandi and Loma. A man named Mayagilalo, that helped kidnap Pieh, was indebted to a man named Vai King Manna Siaka. To ensure his safety he used Sengbe Pieh to pay off his debts. Pieh stayed in Siaka's village for a month then was taken to Lomboko where he was sold to Pedro Blanco, who was a scumbag slave trader. In March the slaves boarded a schooner called Tecora and was brought to Havana in June. While there he was sold at the slave auction to Jose Ruiz, a Spanish plantation owner, for $450. Ruiz had a sugar plantation in Puerto Principe and decided to go with Pedro Montez, because he was headed in the same area. Ruiz with his forty-nine adult slaves and Montez with his four children slaves boarded the schooner c...
Melville interjected a positive feeling into the narrative, White Jacket, by introducing three humanitarians. These included: Mad Jack, Colbrook, and Jack Chase. Each of these characters spoke out against corporal punishment in the narrative; however, the ultimate decision to punish the men remained in the hands of the unforgiving captains at sea. The main character of the novel occurred as White Jacket. Unfortunately, he committed an unwitting offense and was to be subjected to flogging. In his frantic last moments prior to flogging, White Jacket envisioned himself grabbing Captain Claret and flinging them both over the side to the more forgiving sea. Fortunately, humanitarians, Colbrook and Chase, both stepped forward at great risk to themselves and saved White Jacket from humiliation and abuse. White Jacket's desperate attempt to elude punishment conveyed to society the drastic measures needed to induce change. In the end, it remained obvious that Melville likened the ship to a working model of society. He observed that naval discipline was not compatible with democratic ideology. Author Eleanor Simpson stated in her essay, "Melville and the Negro," that Melville attacks all forms of arbitrary government and legalized brutality. Though his immediate target is the military machine as codified in the Articles of War, his whole stance is one of democratic rebellion against the law or act of government, which undermines or simply ignores the dignity and rights of men.
The Black Friars, a group born out of the Spanish Inquisition, founded by Saint Dominic, traveled out among the people preaching the word of God. The Inquisition is criticized as being a low point in the history of the church. To parallel the intolerance of the Church, slavery was not fully condemned by the Church, with some Popes owning slaves. In Benito Cereno, Melville changes the name of a real slave ship from Tryal to San Dominick. This alteration is no coincidence. He modified the name to give a physical manifestation of Delano’s ignorance. Unlike monks who were very isolated, like Delano on his northern “pedestal,” friars went out to spread the teachings of God. Delano’s assumption that slaves lacked intellectual prowess buys into the evils of slavery and
"The Life of Olaudah Equiano” is a captivating story in which Equiano, the author, reflects on his life from becoming a slave to a freeman during the 19th century. Through his experiences and writing, Equiano paints a vivid picture of the atrocities and cruelties of European slavery. Ultimately through his narrative, Equiano intends to persuade his audience, the British government, to abolish the Atlantic slave trade as well as alert them of the harsh treatment of slaves. He successfully accomplishes his goal by subtly making arguments through the use of character, action, and setting.
Amistad focuses on the aftermath of the revolt of 1839 on a Spanish slave ship called La Amistad. The slaves manage to kill many Spanish sailors and take over the ship with their leader, Cinque. Even though the slaves manage to win the uprising against the Spanish slave traders, the slaves are founded and held prisoner in Connecticut. Amistad focuses on the trials and long debates in court about the 44 slaves that take over La Amistad.
The book The Squatter and the Don was written under such a political and social background, therefore, this book is considered as one that carries political colors and that is similar to Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Actually, through reading The Squatter and the Don, it is not difficult to find out that Ruiz de Burton was trying to challenge the social borderlines of her time and place through her application of political illumination and her integration of historical
Douglass’ different portrayals of his masters provide the most significant theme of his Narrative. Douglass believed his first master Captain Aaron Anthony fathered him. He depicts Captain Anthony as a cruel man who took pleasure beating and whipping his slaves, especially his Aunt Hester. On a particular occasion, Douglass witnessed his master force his Aunt into the kitchen, strip her naked, and whip her till her blood ran thick. This marked Douglass’ introduction to slavery as a young boy and forever impacted his view towards slavery. At the age of seven, Captain Anthony sent Douglass to work for his second master, Hugh Auld, Captain Anthony’s son-in-l...
The novel The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano exists as an extremely important work in the abolitionist movement in England. As an 18th century narrative written by a former black slave, the novel provides a glimpse into the lives of the African slaves involved in the slave trade as well as the slave traders themselves. Even with the controversy over the authenticity of Equiano’s claims on his origin in Africa and his subsequent voyage through the Middle Passage, this novel serves as a powerfully instructive piece of literature. Throughout the novel, Equiano strives to impress upon the reader a certain set of moral standards or ideals that he desires to instruct the reader about. One such moral ideal that is prevalent throughout the entirety of the novel is Equiano’s construction of the idea of the value and worth of the African slaves, as opposed to the view of the African slaves as simply commodities or objects to be purchased and traded.
In the eighteenth century, the slave narrative started to emerge. During this literary period, major emphasis was placed on the values of the Enlightenment; one of these values in particular being the power of the individual. Equiano used the first person pronouns to give himself more power and more authority that way his chronicle was taken seriously. Also during this literary period, another valued Enlightenment principle is that of first person experience. By using the first person pronouns, Equiano demonstrates the events in his narrative directly through first person experience. The events that Equiano discusses relates as well back to the literary period of the book. The anecdote talks about exploration and the discovery of the new areas that Equiano sails to, which displays the idea of the exploration novel of the time
For the rioters, Coco the parrot, and Antoinette, fire offers an instrument of escape from and rebellion against the oppressive actions of their respective captors. Wide Sargasso Sea takes place shortly after the emancipation of Jamaican slaves. Annette's husbands, first Alexander Cosway and then Mr. Mason, have both profited immorally off of the exploitation of black Jamaicans. Unsurprisingly, the former slaves feel great hatred towards the Cosways--- hatred that boils over when the ex-slaves set fire to Annette's house (35). The significance of th...
The film Amistad is based on a true event that occurred in 1839. It is about a mutiny by recently captured slaves, who take over a ship known as La Amistad, and the legal battle that followed regarding their freedom. The movie begins by showing many Africans chained together on the lower deck of La Amistad. They manage to break free and go to the upper deck and attack the sailors, leading a mutiny and taking over the ship. They leave two men alive to guide them back to Africa, but they point them towards the US. When they arrive in the states, the Africans are thought to be runaway slaves, and are imprisoned. The case of their freedom is taken to court, to decide whether the Africans were originally slaves or free men. One lawyer decides to fight for them, and pleads his case that the Africans were never slaves and were indeed free men. The case eventually makes it to the Supreme Court and a translator is eventually found to communicate with the leader of the Africans, and he tells his story. He was one of many illegally captured in Africa, and sold into slavery. When the time comes for the trial, John Quincy Adams pleas for their freedom. After a grueling trial, the slaves are said to be free men, and are to be sent back to their homeland, Africa.