A Slave Narrative: Arthur - Essay Example

A Slave Narrative: Arthur A Slave Narrative: Arthur Introduction We cannot begin to understand the true plight of the slave. It is not possible to truly understand the feelings and emotions that must have go through the mind of a person who tirelessly works day after day, being told they are not a person, but rather are the property of another individual. The hardships endured and the emotional pain suffered is unthinkable. One way to begin to understand the plight of the slave, however, is to read the countless narratives that they left us with. This is their legacy, if you will, to allow future generations to understand what happened and to learn how to ensure society never sinks to these depths again. One such slave was Arthur, a Negro man who only lived to see his 21st birthday. What follows is a brief account from his perspective. Slave Master’s and Their Control Over the Institution of Slavery Arthur was born into slavery. Unlike many slaves during his time, he was allowed to learn to read and write and “was treated very kindly by [his] master” (Wright, 2001, p. 1). It was through this kindness that the master maintained control over his slaves. According to the narrative, however, the mistress was another story. Arthur was terrorized by her and, by the age of 14, could not endure it anymore. It was at that point that he ran away from the plantation on which he lived. This demonstrates that masters and their mistresses usually worked in harmony to maintain control over the institution of slavery. One way they did this was to separate the children from their parents. In so doing, the parents were bound to remain on the plantation because, if they left, they would never see their offspring again. The children, such as Arthur, were then left to endure the emotional and physical hardship of begin essentially raised by a mistress whose sole purpose was to keep the children in line so that their parents would continue working hard as a slave. In the end, Arthur realized he was about to be sold himself to another plantation, so he ran away. He was one of the few that survived that endeavor. Punishments were frequent. One such way to gain control over a slave was to give them lashings. For various offenses, that was the punishment of choice as it dehumanized the slave and made the submissive to the master. As Arthur recounts after one incident, “I was tried and sentenced to receiving twenty stripes” (Wright, 2001, p. 1). This seemed to be commonplace for Arthur, and so the reader can assume for countless other slaves as well. Tactics Employed by Slaves According to this particular narrative, one tactic employed by slaves to resist their enslavement was to plot an escape. Arthur was able to do this when he was just 14. Being 14 and black at this time in America, however, made it next to impossible for him to do anything but live a live a life of crime. In so doing, each time he was caught, he simply ended up back in some form of slave condition. This continued until he finally, and rightfully, figured the only ‘safe’ place for him was to return to his former master who always took care of him. When he returned, the master did welcome him back, but Arthur quickly terrorized a neighbor girl and ended up being executed for her rape. In reviewing some other slave narratives, it became evident that other tactics employed by slaves to resist their masters involved similar dire circumstances. Not everyone was so lucky. There was nowhere to go where they would not be caught and either returned to their master, or simply forced into slavery somewhere else. Exposing the Injustice of Slavery No child should be forced to grow up in an environment like Arthur’s. Also, his mother and father endured untold horrors just to make sure their son was kept safe. These are just a few of the injustices exposed in this particular slave narrative. There were times when Arthur was locked up for hours and days on end. He was not fed, and not provided anyway to keep warm during harsh winters. Even when a master was kindhearted toward his slaves, they were still considered property and the master usually had other motives involved. Children were kept away from the parents most of the time, only being allowed to see them, usually, on Sundays. The emotional trauma endured alone is unthinkable, but let us not forget the physical pain and suffering endured as well. According to Arthur, his ‘folks’ toiled long hours, had few if any breaks, and saw no relief in times of extreme heat or cold (Wright, 2001, p. 1). This was backbreaking work and there was no relief in sight. Rapes were common on the plantations, as well as untold other evils that crept into nearly aspect of the life of a slave. There was no escape and the injustices were unending. A further evil that was exposed in this narrative is the way in which slaves were sold to other master’s. Arthur points out that countless time we witnessed families being separated as some members would remain, while others moved onto to work for another master (Wright, 2001, p. 1). There was simply no end in sight and these emotions and factual accounts are contained in narratives, such as the one spoken by Arthur shortly before his execution at the age of 21. Conclusion To live the life of a slave is unthinkable. Yet, this period of our nation’s young life is forever bound to us. We need to learn from its history. Slavery has made us who we are today. The narratives that we have to read describe a period of time that is unimaginable, yet it is still a part of who we are. Slavery impacted nearly every member of society. Today, the institution of slavery still rings hard in hearts of African Americans. They can feel the pain of folks such as Arthur. These are their ancestors. Many live on the very plantations where relatives were beaten, nearly to death (or in some cases to death) and treated as property. The institution may be dead, but the legacy and memories of slaves, such as Arthur and countless others, lives on in the hearts and souls of all compassionate human beings. Reference Wright, Elizabeth. “The Life and Dying Speech of Arthur, a Dying Negro Man.” Documenting The American South. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2001. Web. 3 Dec 2012. http://docsouth.unc.edu.neh.arthur/arthur.html. Read More