Analysis Of Violence In Nat Turner's Confessions

Violence was an integral part of the institution of slavery as it was used to oppress slaves and instill fear into them. It was very normal for white slave owners to “punish” a slave for displeasing their master. Yet when represented in Nat Turner’s “Confessions” as part of the revolt, violence is a barbaric, uncivilized and animalistic action that has no comprehensible justification, or at least not when committed by the negro population to their beloved and caring masters. The fundamental skew in views in the document is one of white bias, of course, thanks to Thomas R. Gray, the man behind the curtain, the one who is supposedly quoting Turner’s confessions word for word, who tailors Turner’s words in a fashion that demonizes Turner and the slaves involved in the revolt more than necessary for the already heinous atrocities they’re responsible for. Most of the framing of violence in this document occurs in the foreword addressed to the public, as Gray is relentless in his use of heavily negative connotated diction to ascribe to the

In other words, the jury finds him guilty of all charges before even hearing the defendant’s censored plea. This work would be better titled “The Confessions of Thomas R. Gray for Nat Turner”. Gray concludes the introduction with what really tugs the heart strings of the audience and clearly throws Turner under the bus as he says “It will be long remembered in the annals of our country, and many a mother as she presses her infant darling to her bosom, will shudder at the recollection of Nat Turner, and his band of ferocious miscreants.”