To be a slave

I had this story read to me and the story was called "To be a slave" by Julius Lester.In this story the slave had sex with the slave owner and they had a mix baby .The slave owner was teaching his kid how to write and how to read, basically he was teaching his son how to be a man and not a slave.He told his son never let anybody take his freedom,but on the other hand the slave master still has slaves working for him. My thoughts are how could you help your son and he is black and still have slaves on your plantation? What do you think about that?

Comments

[Bronwyn G]

A slave is a man, even though he is a slave. Human dignity can never be taken away from any of us, however some of us might try to do so.

I like the way he taught his mixed-race son to read and write. How do you think mixed-race children were treated in the times of slavery? Did this come across at all in your reading?

I think I would like to help my son still. He was probably a bit of a hypocrite, but a pragmatic hypocrite. That doesn't make what he did right, only I point out he was doing the best he could.

[Lani]

Hi Justin,

Now that is a question that really makes me think! "how could you help your son and he is black and still have slaves on your plantation?" I wonder if anyone ever asked the slave owner that. I wonder if he would have been able to come up with an answer.

I believe that had I had a son whose mother was a slave and I recognized my son as my own as you have described, I would have had to change my views on slavery and fight against slavery. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't. My son would be the deciding factor in my actions.

But I wasn't living then so some would say that's easy for you to say. It's my understanding that what you describe often happened. Those actions are really incomprehensible to me.

I wonder, in our world today, are we torn between beliefs and actions, and love for family? Have you ever seen that happen?

Lani