Curzon As A Minor Character In Forge By Laurie Halse Anderson

Throughout the novel Chains, the character by the name of Curzon does not change a lot, but pays a significant cost for his freedom.

In these two tales of brutal bondage, Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Frederick Douglass' Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the modern reader can decipher two vastly different experiences from circumstances that were not altogether that dissimilar. Both narratives tell the story of a slave gaining his or her freedom from cruel masters, yes, but that is where the most prominent similarities end. Not only are they factually different, these stories are entirely distinct in their themes.

In Douglass’s story, he describes how his master would watch the slaves while they worked. He describes Mr. Covey, his master, was referred to as “the snake” by the slaves, as he would “crawl on his hands and knees to avoid detection, and all at once he would rise nearly in our midst, and scream out, ‘Ha, ha! Come, come! Dash on, dash on!’” This kind of treatment caused the slaves to be put into a mental state of constant fear as if they were being watched. When Jacobs’s story provides evidence of mental abuse, her topic is much more oppressive. Women in slavery are bound to have children to produce more slaves, but this is where it becomes disheartening. Eventually the slave children are taken away from the mother so that they may be sold. The last thing a parent would ever want is to be separated from their child and never be able to see them grow up or be a part of their childhood. Jacobs explains how a weeping mother that had all of her children taken away from her was in anguish, exclaiming “Gone! All gone! Why don’t God kill me?” Between the two works, a male has not felt the same way this woman has and has not been in a similar

For example, in the movie 12 Years A Slave, Solomon is freed from the plantation, but Patsey becomes despondent because Solomon was the only slave that gave her hope. Solomon was a symbol of power for Patsey and his departure meant that Patsey had to endure the ruling of Epps without him. At one point, Patsey even asked Solomon to take her life because she could not bare do it herself. Solomon did not accept this favor because he did not want her to succumb to the pain of slavery. Solomon would not accept death as a way out of slavery. Another example of unity between slaves is displayed when Solomon would purposefully miss when he is forced to whip other slaves: “If Epps was observed at a distance… I would commence plying the lash vigorously, when, according to arrangement, they would squirm and screech as if in agony, although not one of them had in fact been graze” (Northup, Solomon). Solomon did not want to inflict pain upon the other slaves because he knows what it feels like to be whipped. Because he shares this common experience, he chose to not enforce his will upon them like the slave masters continue to

He shows some emotion in the earlier accounts of his family life, but as he grows older his related memories about family grow distant. Granted, the memories of his childhood are told in the breathless and helpless remembered voice of a child, but as Douglass’s life continues the details about family relationships are less descriptive and emotional. For example, little is ever said about when he is married or about his own children. Jacobs quest is about establishing and protecting her virtuous right to womanhood through the credibility of motherhood. Whereas, Douglass is searching for the holy grail of manhood, through self-respect, education, and societal status. His lack of emotion over the natal alienation of his family relationships is not an indicator that Douglass does not care about these things. Douglass and Jacobs are simply writing from two acceptably different gender perspectives on slavery. One is archetypal of the female slave narrative, while the other is exemplary of the male slave narrative. Both are in conformity with the expected general prose narratives, and gender roles for woman and men of the time. Jacob’s publication of sexual abuse is shocking for her time, thus her voice is cloaked under the device of novelization that the Victorian moral sensibilities of her female readers find acceptable. Douglass, on the other hand, uses the voice of the enlightened self-made man –

In this work of literature, George Milton 's faced with a situation of what is right and wrong and which inner sense to listen to. George 's long time friend and mentally handicapped friend Lennie Smalls has just killed Curley 's wife, inside of a barnyard accidentally. Lennie attempts to run away from the whole situation, but George knows exactly where he will be, and that is at the exact spot he told him to go to if there was trouble. As George arrives at the river Lennie was instructed to go to, George realizes he has a great problem, should he kill his long time best friend and save him from the swarming angry mob of ranchers, or turn him in and let them have there way. As George 's inner senses battle, he realizes what he must do and that is to put Lennie out of his misery and self entrapment and set him free once and for all. George makes Lennies death quick and painless as any good friend would, but he can not seem to shake the sense of guilt and anguish he is experiencing. As George lovingly kills Lennie he portrays his bravery and sense of what is right and wrong all by listening to what his inner senses and consciousness led him towards. John Steinbecks use of literary terms enhances the sense of bravery and drama that this scene of a friend killing another brings. The mood that John Steinbeck sets for George 's attitude towards Lennie is

For instance, one night Douglass's Aunt Hester was beaten and Douglass said, “I was so terrified and horror stricken at the sight, that I hid myself in a closet, and dared not to venture out till long after the bloody transaction was over” (46). This showed that Douglass lived a life of fear, seeing his aunt being beaten and worrying everyday that, that could be him. Douglass also had an eye opening experience as to what slavery does to people, through his interaction with his master’s wife, Mrs. Auld. In the beginning, she was very nice to Douglass and began to teach him the alphabet. Then when her husband found out what she was doing, she was scolded and was told that treating and teaching slaves as they were humans is against the law.

Growing up as a slave Jacobs was constantly exposed to sexual abuse from her master. She was forced to learn what it meant to be a slave that was

Douglass’s own personal experiences reveals just how quickly slavery can change a life. On January 1, 1833, Douglass was reassigned to Mr. Covey, a sadistic man who enjoyed catching slaves doing something wrong off guard. In just six months, Douglass was forced to work under all circumstances. He proclaims that “it was never too hot or too cold; it could never rain, blow, hail, or snow, too hard for us to work in the field” (pg 37). The results of this treatment were devastating. Deprived of time to rest and stripped of his dignity, Douglass was “broken in body, soul, and spirit” (pg 38). Eventually, it appears as if Douglass becomes depressed as his “intellect languished”, his “disposition to read departed”, and “the cheerful spark that lingered about his eyes died” (pg 38). From Douglass’s personal experience, readers can see how just minimal exposure to slavery can dehumanize a man into depression. Additionally, Douglass literally says that he was “a man transformed into a brute!” (pg 38). Through Douglass’s experiences, readers can certainly see that slavery dismantles the lives of its poor

Frederick Douglass’ biography revolves around the idea of freedom. After seeing a traumatizing incident as a child, Douglass slowly begins to realize that he is not a free human being, but is a slave owned by other people. He is surrounded by a society that devalues him and people like him, and systematically worked to keep them ignorant and submissive. In this society, it is made clear that no slave is special, and everyone is replaceable. Rather than accept this, Douglass struggles to maintain what little autonomy he was allowed to have. When his one of his masters, Thomas Auld, bans his mistress, Sophia, from teaching Douglass how to read, Douglass learned from the young boys on the street. His biography shows him transforming from an ignorant child into his older, more learned self.

Another very important event of the novel is Curley’s wife death. Lennie is blamed for having killed her, although she could have easily avoided this by not talking to Lennie. He speaks to him as if he were a baby, and, since he tells her that he likes to pet soft things, she asks him to touch her hair. “Feel right aroun’ there an’ see how soft it is.” Lennie cannot stop, and when she orders him to leave her he holds on.Curley’s wife starts screaming and, to make her stop and not get into trouble with Curley, Lennie puts his hand on her mouth. He doesn’t realize how strong he is, and he kills Curley’s wife by breaking her neck. “[…] her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.”

Curzon being brave and responsible changes Isabel’s thought of him. He is no fool, and knows how to combine hisself with the Lockton s’.

Slavery, Hardships, and Freedom? This book describes a day in a life of Frederick Douglass. In 2013, I saw a movie called ’12 Years A Slave’ reading this book and watching the movie was eye-opening for me. ‘My Freedom’ in this book explains that young Douglass suffered as a slave, when which he failed to flee his ‘Bondage’, then eventually he escapes that life. Douglass’s story continues to reverberate throughout his life and the American Dream that he conquered all the obstacles that he overcame and reached his goal. He shows us that you can achieve your goals if you strive for it. “My Bondage and My Freedom” is an eye-opener for your life and you can compare your life and see how you can make a change

Reading opened his eyes to his “wretched condition” (2057) and he longed for independence and freedom. He did not desire this for himself alone, but also for his fellow slaves. He “imbue[d] their minds with thoughts of freedom” and sought to “impress them with the gross fraud and inhumanity of slavery” (2077). Douglass took the lead in devising the plans of escape; his skill in reading and writing was instrumental in his plans. While at Master Hugh’s, Douglass acquired the copy-books of his master’s son, Thomas. He taught himself to write and soon “could write a hand very similar to that of Master Thomas” (2059). This ability helped Douglass to formulate the plan of escape from Mr. Hamilton. He wrote several “protections” for himself and the other runaways under the name of Mr. Hamilton’s. Though this escape attempt was unsuccessful, it is a testimony to the Douglass’ genius which would not have existed without his education. His ability to read and write planted the desire for freedom and enabled him to attempt to achieve it.

Later in the novel, after accidentally breaking Curley’s wife’s neck to get her to stop screaming and attracting attention, none of the other men, including George defend him. Curley, upon seeing his dead wife, is furious and swears to punish Lennie: “‘I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shotgun. I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself’” (Steinbeck 96). Lennie is shown absolutely no mercy after the crime, emphasizing how society treats the mentally challenged with significantly less understanding and respect. Even Crooks, the stable buck, mocks Lennie, taunting him that if George is gone, “[t]hey’ll take ya to the booby hatch. They’ll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog” (Steinbeck 72). This is proof of the unjust treatment of those with mental disabilities, as most people during this time care less about helping others and more about themselves.