The Moral Dilemma And Hypocrisy Of Slavery Essay - 1907 Words

On May 29th, 1856, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech in which he addressed the moral dilemma and hypocrisy of slavery. â€Å"We cannot be free if this is, by our own national choice, to be a land of slavery.† President Lincoln’s rhetoric reflects the challenge to define freedom in America; moreover, it reflects his morality and commitment to upholding personal freedom. It justifies why he does not ignore slavery, as well as why he did not see slaves as property, but as a group of humans who had been abusively denied freedom, and stripped of their humanity for no reason other than avarice personal gain. Slavery was coerced labor that relied heavily on intimidation, brutality, and dehumanization. Regardless that it was once a legal and cultural institution integral to the economic development of the early American economy, slavery was and always will be one of the most horrific violations of human rights. With that in mind, slavery infected American culture in the 17th centu ry, and unfortunately lasted several hundred years. Over the course of that time, slaves produced narratives that sought to garner popular support for bringing an end to slavery. Of the prolific abolitionist narratives published, notably, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl were praised for how their rhetoric challenged slavery. These narratives, combined in Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s TheShow MoreRelatedThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mr. Mark Twain929 Words   |  4 Pagesuneducated, fourteen year old boy, with no knowledge of the â€Å"proper ways† of his society in this particular era. The idea of the narrator in local color writings is usually represented by a far more educated character, but none the less Huck gains a moral maturity throughout the novel, protecting his friend, and slave, Jim. Huck’s growth throughout the novel , in my opinion, represents the room for growth of the era Huckleberry Finn was written in. Local color literature is said to be characterizedRead More Themes of Morality and Racism in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn863 Words   |  4 Pages The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a novel full of racism and hypocrisy of the society that we know. Huck continually faces the many challenges of what to do in tough situations dealing with racism and what the society wants him to do. With the novel being written in the first person point of view gives us insightful information into the challenges the Huck is facing and gives us a look into Huck’s head. Huck uses many different techniques to deal with his problems and he getsRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Essay1055 Words   |  5 Pagesview of a young man that has an urge for freedom yet struggles to conform to society s norms due to his adolescence. Twain s ability to unmask the true identities of the characters through the diction and setting moreover displaying the hypocrisy, racism, and moral education within society is the causation that the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is originally banned. Just one month after its public ation. Not suitable for trash†,† was the opinion of the Concord, Massachusetts, librarians who bannedRead MoreHuckleberry Finn and the use of Satire Essay1109 Words   |  5 Pagesremarkably clear that Twain is satirical in his writing as he ridicules slavery and the racist attitudes prevalent in his day. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written shortly after the Civil War, in which slavery was one of the key issues. But while Mark Twains father had slaves throughout his childhood, Twain’s eyes did not always view white supremacy as wrong: In my schoolboy days, I had no aversion to slavery (Bell 126). I was not aware that there was anything wrong about it. No oneRead MoreThe Moral Compass Points North2227 Words   |  9 PagesThe Moral Compass Points North In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain explores the ephemeral nature of morality through personal and societal interpretations of ethics and their operations. Specifically, Huckleberry Finn is introduced to multiple individual renditions from Pap, the widow, Tom, and Jim. Additionally, Huck is also given an ideal seat to view the narrative of the multiple mobs and how they interact with the world. Finally, Huck is put to the test and must evaluate these interpretationsRead More Huck Finn Analysis Essay1322 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Widow Douglas and her attempts to raise him as a civilized child sets up the main theme of this book which is the struggle or quest for freedom. Huck’s struggle for freedom from civilized society is paralleled by Jim’s struggle to escape from slavery. Irony as a key literary element in this novel is apparent in this chapter and is primarily expressed through Huck’s sarcasm. A major element of superstition is introduced and con tinues throughout the entire book. This superstition is used to giveRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1255 Words   |  6 Pagesit becomes clear that in order to abolish slavery, first one must confront these two distinct roles of Christianity. So in a way, Douglass’ religion is not just an attack on the unrighteous ways of the slave-holding Christian, but it also becomes a political vessel to forward the abolitionist cause. If religion is viewed as a political vessel for Douglass, the appendix can therefore be seen as his call-to-arms against the oppressive intolerance of slavery and slaveholder religion. Before studyingRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain3807 Words   |  16 Pagesprotect Jim. In particular, slavery acts as an inhibitor to the majority of instances of racism in the novel, especially since Twain sets his novel before the American Civil War. Considering slavery in America dates back to America’s beginning years, the official slave trade beginning in 1619 and progressing to move over 12 million slaves by the time it came to an end in 1850, one cannot ignore Twain’s deliberate choice of setting (National Parks Service). Although slavery is not the sole cause of racismRead MoreHouseboy: Novel Essay969 Words   |  4 Pagestheir social norms on the colonized people who they believe have twisted or wrong social, economic and political norms. Louis J. Parascandola’s article â€Å"What are we Blackmen who are called French?: The Dilemma of Identity† emphasizes this idea of power by noting that the French â€Å"believe it is their moral obligation to assimilate their subjects† to the â€Å"superior† French language, cul ture and governmental system , thus creating â€Å" little Frenchmen†. Diary writing is a Western custom that allows theRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain2486 Words   |  10 Pagesunderstand what satire is. Satire can be defined as a literary work in which a human voice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit. Focusing on religion hypocrisy, racial inferiority, and romanticism, Mark Twain uses his enthusiastic style of writing and satirizes these three traits throughout the novel. Religious hypocrisy and its representation in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn constitute Twain s utmost satirical indictment of American society in the 1830s. During the time period in