Childhood America

Fred Heath
Eng 48A
Washington Irving
October 28th 2009

Washington Irving

1783-1859

"The great error in Rip's composition was an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor." (Norton Pg. 955)

Taken from the beginning of Irving's short story, this quote paints a picture of the the main character Rip Van Winkle. A good natured man, and kind neighbor, his greatest failure is in his refusal to work, and support his family. His wife in turn berates him, as he lets his children go hungry, and his farm fall into ruins.

It is hard to gauge Van Winkle as a character. In one perspective, I see Van Winkle as a rebel of sorts. He refuses to be a subject to authority, and only does work that pleases him. It's not necessarily that he is lazy, but that he does that which he prefers to do and when his wife becomes too difficult an obstacle, he leaves to the forest. On the other hand, I find Van Winkle to be a detestable character, a lazy, apathetic, and misogynistic failure of a father, who refuses to take responsibility for his family. It's a strange clashing of ideals, and it makes it hard to pick a side. Is Van Winkle the protagonist, or the antagonist, or is he just a character that the story is built around? When looked at pragmatically, I find him to be more on the side of being an anti-hero. Although the story revolves around him, he helps no-one, and is the subject of a 20 year gap which he crosses over with nonchalance. He is weak, egocentric, lazy, and apathetic, but somehow I still relate to him.

Washington Irving's story seems simple at first, but I find that beneath the story is a commentary on the American Revolution. The story begins by describing Van Winkle's aversion to all work concerning family. His wife, who is never named, representative perhaps of Monarchy under King George III, plays the part of the tyrant, and continually reprimands him for his idleness. In return however, Van Winkle refuses to work. In effect, if his wife represents the monarchy of King George, then Van Winkle, is passively rebelling against England, and thus, represents the colonies. Upon returning to the town twenty years later, the American Revolution has ended, and Van Winkle is no longer a subject to the monarchy, but even so, Van Winkle refuses to work. In describing the sign on the Union Hotel that was once the village inn Irving gives us a hint however. A sign that had once borne the face of King George, the post revolutionary sign bears the same face, but added to it, is a sword, and a cocked hat with the title George Washington beneath it. Is this symbolic perhaps of Irving's belief that government is still government by whatever name? If not Irving's, it is certainly that of Van Winkle, who takes the change of government indifferently. In the end however, why should it affect him? Government means little to a man who refused even the authority of his own wife. To him, a government no matter the form, be it a monarchy, democracy, or matrimony, was still a means of controlling him. A means which he didn't respect.

" Critics have focused on the story's theme of change, in which the contrast between the peaceful pre-Revolutionary colony and the bustling post-Revolutionary America reinforces a simultaneous sense of nostalgia for a simpler time as well as a sense of the reality of our always-shifting American world." (NovelGuide.com)

This quote was taken from an online criticism of Rip Van Winkle, and I find that it brings an interesting perspective to Irving's tale.

In writing Rip Van Winkle, Irving may have been making a commentary on the American Revolution not only by completely omitting the event from the story, but by describing the changes it caused on the village as well. Perhaps Rip Van Winkle's twenty year disappearing act during the revolution represents the detached feelings that many of the colonials felt towards the American Revolution. If they weren't subjects of England, than what were they? Besides, although the British imposed steep taxes, and made it illegal to expand westward, what reason was there for a revolution? If one was a simple man such as Van Winkle, with little care for politics, the American Revolution may have meant very little.

Secondly, Irving describes the changes caused by the American Revolution. When Van Winkle returns home, he encounters a mob of American citizens, engaging in the chaos of the new democracy. He uses words such as 'bilious' and 'idle' to describe the public speaker at the inn. Obviously ripe with negative connotations, this perspective may not have been a commentary on the change in government, but rather a commentary on the arguments that ensued over which political party to support. After all, the first question he is asked, is whether he is a federal or democrat. Van Winkle doesn't seem to care much about the politics of the situation however, and that may be Irving's enduring message. What did it matter if you were Federal, or Democrat? They just wanted to be free.

Moral Duty

Fred Heath
Eng 48A
Journal on Henry David Thoreau
October 26th 2009

Henry David Thoreau
1817-1862

"There will never be a really free and enlightened state, until the state comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all it's own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly. (Norton Pg.1872)

Taken from the last paragraph of Thoreau's Resistance To Civil Government these final words seem to illuminate Thoreau's philosophy on government. Government, to Thoreau, had no place controlling the life of an individual. Instead, being derived from the people, and empowered by the desire for a social construct, government was made to serve, protect, and enrich the lives of the people, and it's individuals. As Thoreau says, "We should be men first, and subjects afterward." (Pg. 1858)

This seems a simple enough philosophy and one that I strongly agree with. If there is anything that should follow the path of idealism it is a system of government. Civil rights should be supported, freedom ensured, opportunity promised, and justice practiced. I should wake up every morning, and be proud to be an American, and of all the things that this country does. I should admire the wars that we wage, and the lack of educational funding at home; look up to our foreign policy and be proud of the slave labor that American companies subside on; I should be content with the sickening gap between the upper and lower classes, and respect the government in everything that I empower it to do through my taxes, but I don't. What is the problem then? As Thoreau states, government is imperfect, "The authority of government, even such as I am willing to submit to... is still an impure one." (Pg. 1872) No one can expect to agree on everything, it simply isn't possible. The closest you can get is through the act of respectful compromise, but even so, there are times when I am unwilling to compromise. Some moral boundaries should never be crossed.Unfortunately, Democracy being a government based upon popular vote is a government that succumbs to the desire of the majority, and thus, inherently forces the minority to live with and support whatever decisions are made. This is what Thoreau had so much difficulty with, especially on the moral grounds of slavery. The question that Thoreau tries to answer then, is whether or not the minority has a duty to continue to support a government that is no longer serving it. Thoreau give his answer in the form of a quote, "But if it is of such a nature that it require you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law." (Pg 1863)

Again, I agree. Unfortunately breaking the law is no simple task. Revoking support from the government can lead to prison time, and a loss of all personal property. Even so, Thoreau's words make me want to take to the streets of San Francisco, and hold marches, and rallies against the injustices of the world. I want to stop paying taxes, go live off in the woods or some anarchistic commune, and fight for that which I believe to be right. Thoreau has a way of putting this spirit into words. With his naturally rebellious voice, he invites other to join him. After all, who doesn't want to make the world a better place? An inspiration to great minds such as Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela, Thoreau embodied Civil Disobedience by provoking the rebel in all of us.

"What was central for Thoreau was neither nonviolence nor civil disobedience but direct action: the absolute demand that one practice — right now, and all alone if necessary — what one preaches." (Staughton Lynd)

An excerpt from Staughton Lynd's Henry Thoreau: The Admirable Radical, this quote illustrates the idea that Thoreau's true purpose in writing Resistance to Civil Government was not singular in it's goal, rather it was meant to inspire action, and fight the docility that has been embedded into the masses. In effect, he's telling the reader to get up out his chair, and scream, "I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

Personally, I find that this idea is just as relevant today, as it was in the 19th century. There is far too much passive acceptance of the injustices that go on today. We are all taught to be compliant to the government, taught to sit back and vote, taught that democracy is the will of the people and that fighting it is wrong. If government represents the will of the people, how can resistance be wrong? There are too many sitting behind TV screens, and computers, unwilling to stand up for what they think is right, passively supporting that which they think to be wrong. It infuriates me just thinking of all of the injustices I am forced to indirectly support through my taxes. It makes me wonder if Democracy really is the best government. Is there no way to improve upon it? Is complaisant voting, the farthest government will ever get towards representing it's people? In the end, there may never be a government that can fairly represent it's subjects. Perhaps the best form's of social structure are no longer possible with populations so vast.

Overall, Thoreau's message, is to resist that which you believe to be wrong. It is not only right to fight injustice, but man's moral duty. If nothing else, I hope that this message will endure. After all, if we don't strive to do that which is right, then it is living proof that conformity has stripped us of our humanity, and what is a human being devoid of humanity?

An Ideal World

Fred Heath

Eng 48A
Journal on Emerson
10/25/09

Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803-1882

"Nothing is at last sacred, but the integrity of our own mind." (Norton Pg. 1165)

In this quote, Emerson describes the importance of non-conformity. A recurring theme throughout self-reliance, he believed that fighting conformity was the only way to be true to one's self and, in doing so, he believed that one's 'Inner genius' would be unleashed.

In many ways Emerson's words ring true. It is important to listen to the inner thoughts, and desires that we all have, but at the same time, I disagree. There are various repressed impulses, inherent in all of mankind, that are better off that way. Society is bound by certain laws and mannerisms, and it is necessary to conform to them because society simply cannot support it's population if the people within it act upon their every desire. The social structure that has evolved with the human race serves a purpose, and it is necessary to keep it functioning. Even in the smallest of societies, social structure is necessary. It keeps mankind civilized. In the end, I find that Emerson's philosophy is unrealistic, and one that can only be practiced either by those with absolutely nothing to lose, or those that are so well off that it doesn't quite matter. On the other hand, Emerson was an idealist surrounded by friends and intellectuals, set apart from the city life. Perhaps his philosophy expects a certain civility amongst men and women. Taken in small doses, being true to one's self can have it's benefits, leading to provocative creativity, and thought-provoking philosophies, but taken too far, it inevitably leads to chaos. After all, not everyone can live in the woods.

"Society acquires new arts, and loses old instincts." (Transcendentalists.com)

In this quote, Emerson describes the cost we pay for society: As society advances, man becomes more and more dependent upon it. By living in a society, we give up on individuality, and come to depend and rely on society as if it were a part of ourselves, necessary to our survival.

I agree with Emerson. Society dulls many of the hardships that are faced by those that live alone. One doesn't have to fight to survive in a society, rather one must work, and be productive to support the society that protects him. Society forces the individual to conform to it, and rely on it making it illegal to 'take the law into one's own hands'. Being unable to rely on one's self, man comes to rely on the laws, and protections of society. This can be crippling to those that live at the bottom of society however, that bear no advantage from society's protection. Having been born into the society, the lower class can't just hike off into the woods, and live off of the land because society has turned the land into a nature reserve with 'no camping' sign's posted all around the entrances. They have to put up with the society that they were born into. They have to pay their taxes, work, and hope that someday they will be more than the guy doing dishes for five dollars an hour. In the end, there is no escaping society for better or worse.

Chains of Fear

Fred Heath
Eng 48A
10/15/09

Harriet Jacobs
1813-1897

"Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women. Superadded to the burden common to all, they have wrongs, and sufferings, and mortification peculiarly to their own." (Norton pg 1820)

In this quote, saddened by the news of her second child being a girl, Harriet Jacobs goes on to explain that slavery carries uncommon burdens when inflicted upon a woman. Jacobs explains that although slavery is horrible for all, enslaved women carry the same burdens that men do on top of difficulties unique to their own sex. The way I think of it, an enslaved man that has lost his freedom, has nothing left to lose but his life, whereas an enslaved woman has quite a bit more to lose. Not only were women slaves subject to the inhumanity of slavery, they were subject to the unique degradation of sexual slavery. Worst of all however, was that the victims of rape had no choice but to bear the children of their rapists, furthering the cycle of slavery, and crushing any hope of attaining freedom.

"The slave girl is reared in an atmosphere of licentiousness and fear." Norton

In this quote, Jacobs describes the life of a female black slave, specifically, the life she experienced as a house slave in North Carolina. What she seems to be saying, is that there is an inherent fear in being a female slave because all slave girls are potential victims of sexual harassment and rape. Jacobs, although never physically raped, had a very real fear of being abused, causing her to become involved with Mr. Sands, and eventually to escape to New York.

A woman that didn't even realize she was a slave until she was six years old, Harriet Jacobs was not brought up as a traditional field slave. A contrast to Frederick Douglass, Jacobs did not have to experience the same atrocities that Douglass was subject to. Instead, she lead a much softer lifestyle, and with it, came a different class of inhumanity. Although just as despicable, the abuses that Jacobs suffered were rarely physical, and were instead manifested verbally. Rather than being beaten and lashed, Jacobs was the victim of verbal abuse, threats, and sickening sexual harassment instilling a fearful submission and passive rebellion in her. By describing the more subtle vices of female slavery, Jacobs gives a unique perspective on the multi-faceted subject of slavery.

The Slave Within

Fred Heath

Eng 48A
10/13/09

Frederick Douglass
1818-1895

"I have found that to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason. He must be able to detect no inconsistencies in slavery; he must be made to feel that slavery is right; and he can be brought to that only when he ceases to be a man." (Norton pg. 2116)

In this Quote, Frederick Douglass describes what it takes to make a slave. Requiring enslavement of the body, spirit and mind, I can think of few worse inflictions to deal upon a man, or, more often than not, an infant. Innocent and powerless to fight back, a true slave is born into slavery, and doesn't even know the wrongness of that which is forced upon him. Farmed and fed, broken and borrowed by masters, and flesh mongers alike, Douglass admits that a slave has no humanity, because he is withheld its luxury. To make a slave, Douglass says that a man must cease to be a man, stripped not only of the body, spirit, and mind, but of the soul as well. A slave must be treated as an animal, and broken as an animal, until convinced that he is as he is thought to be. Looking into the mirror of his master's eyes, he must believe that he is nothing more than a slave. Most importantly however, Douglass says that a slave must be made to feel that slavery is right. It must be made to seem as if slavery is all there ever was, and all there ever will be, and having known nothing else, it becomes inherently right for lack of comparison.


"For what this separation is done, I do not know, unless it be to hinder the development of the child's affection towards its mother, and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother from the child. This is the inevitable result." (Norton pg. 2072)

In this quote, Douglass describes the separation of slave mother from child, and the effects of the malicious segregation. Not only breaking the bonds of family, the separation in effect, makes all all the slaves foster children of the farm itself, and removes any sense of identity inherent in being part of a family. Having nothing but slavery surrounding them throughout their childhood years, most slaves grow up expecting mistreatment.

Another thing that draws my interest is the enslavement of newborn children. I feel that the only way in which it is possible to truly force a man to become a slave is by enclosing the clasps of slavery on him as a child. Doing so not only enables physical enslavement, but more importantly a mental slavery otherwise unattainable. Frederick Douglass was one such slave. Embodied by the first daring act of breathing, a newborn child has no choice but to accept that which he is given. Having never been blessed with the right to think for himself or to receive an education, a slave is not allowed to realize the morbid truths that embody the position of his servitude. As Mr. Auld says, "If you teach that nigger how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy." An intriguing quote, and perhaps one of the greatest inspirations for Douglass to learn, this quote not only illustrates the importance of attaining knowledge in order to achieve mental freedom, but highlights the implicit understanding of the slave owners, and the calculated methods which they used to enslave the minds of their slaves as well. Helplessly ignorant, and made so by the malicious treatment of their masters true slaves don't even see slavery as a bad thing, because they have known nothing else since the day they were born.

The Split Mind

Edgar Allan Poe
1809-1849

"Although as boys, we had been even intimate associates, yet I really knew little of my friend. His reserve had been always excessive and habitual. I was aware, however, that his very ancient family had been noted, time out of mind, for a peculiar sensibility of temperament"
(Norton pg 1554)

As this quote points out, Roderick, and the Ushers in general, seem to suffer from being a very reserved, and possibly repressed family, saying perhaps that the control with which the family carries it's emotions is so extreme that it verges on being awkward. In many ways, I find that this quote describes the battle between the imagination, or inner self, and reason, the veil that we wear over our true selves in order to be accepted in society.

"From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were---I have not seen
As others saw---I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I lov'd, I loved alone."
(Alone by Edgar Allan Poe)

I find that a lot of Poe's life had overtones of loneliness. As a child he was taken, but never fully adopted into a troubled family. He moved quite a bit, both into and out of England, didn't see eye to eye with his adopted father, and was most likely a misfit. In this loneliness however, he was a man who said what he felt, as can be seen in his scathing reviews, poetry, and writing. He may have been a natural rebel, but the University of Virginia, his first college experience, nurtured this internal honesty as well, having been a school based on freedom, and individuality which allowed students to choose their subjects of study, and form their own student government (no doubt a revolutionary idea at the time). Wherever it came from however, this reckless honesty, and freedom of thought defined him as a writer, but at the same time made him many enemies. Nevertheless, I think that the battles he fought over conformity, and reason, versus freedom of the imagination, and true inner emotion made him the amazing writer he became.

In Poe's "The Fall Of The House of Ushers" Roderick, can obviously be seen, as a madman. A hypochondriac, suffering from depression, paranoia, and potential schizophrenia. He is anything but mentally sound, his loneliness, and paranoia personified by the gloomy, and pervasively empty house that he lives in, and never leaves. The cause of this madness, and the ultimate fall of the house of usher remains uncertain however. There may have never meant to be a reason, but I believe Poe meant for the story go be an allegory for the isolated inner self that Roderick suppresses, and that all men suppress to a degree, painting it as a cause of madness, and depression that ultimately leads to insanity and death. Poe himself experienced isolation throughout his life, and most definitely knew what it was to be repressed, being as he spent 4 years in the military, two of which were spent in the army, and the last two at West Point. Throughout his military career however, he wrote -An outlet for the repression of his inner self?-and published two books of poetry. Perhaps this understanding of the separation between, the inner mind or ego, and the outer appearance, or super ego, is represented in Roderick a man who is a victim of repression, and unable to release his true desires. This split personality can be seen in the way Roderick speaks:

"His voice varied rapidly from a tremulous indecision (when the animal spirits seemed utterly in abeyance) to that species of energetic concision- that abrupt, weighty, unhurried, and hollow sounding enunciation- that leaden, self-balanced, and perfectly modulated guttural utterance, which may be observed in the moments of intensest excitement of the lost drunkard, or the irreclaimable eater of opium." (Norton pg 1556)

His voice, representative of his mind, goes back and forth from being fervently passionate to awkwardly reserved. Exemplifying the battle going on in his mind, Roderick is most definitely schizophrenic. Torn by this repression, Roderick becomes split between two minds. Perhaps this split is physically manifested in the fissure that runs down the house into the tarn. It may also be representative in the relationship of the twins. He may have had the carnal desire to commit incest, and in trying to destroy that desire, buries alive his sister. His sister breaking out of the Coffin then, may represent those inner feelings coming back with a vengeance.

No matter the reason, I find that 'The Fall of The House of Usher' is a story that explores the darker side of madness, humanity and insanity. Those things which are truly scary, are the things that make you fear yourself, and Poe is a writer capable of drawing out that fear.

The Monster of the Mind

Fred Heath
Eng 48A
Journal on Hawthorne
10/6/09

Nathaniel Hawthorne
1804-1864

"Why do you tremble at me alone? Tremble also at each other! Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled only for my black veil? What but the mystery which it obscurely typifies, has made this piece of crape so aweful? When the friend shows his inmost heart to his friend; the lover to his best-beloved; when men does not vainly shrink from the eye of his creator, loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived and die! I look around me and lo, on every visage a black veil!" (pg 1320 Norton)

Sitting up from his deathbed, Father Hooper thus gives his final sermon to the people of Milford. Although open to endless interpretation, as Hawthorn no doubt wanted it, I find that the preacher's words demonstrate that he had a specific purpose in wearing the ominous black veil. After declaring that all men, hide their innermost heart from friends, lovers, and even from God, he describes the veil as a symbol. Hooper, gives the readers no simple answers, withholding the meaning of the veil, but at the same time, is conscious of it's presence, implying that the symbol is meant to be understood. In doing so, he keeps the veil a mystery, forcing the people of Milford, and the readers to form their own opinion.

"In the depths of every heart there is a tomb and a dungeon, though the lights, the music, and revelry above may cause us to forget their existence, and the buried ones, or prisoners whom they hide. But sometimes, and oftenest at midnight, these dark receptacles are flung wide open. In an hour like his....pray that your griefs may slumber." (The Haunted Mind)

Exemplifying Hawthorne's interest in the darker recesses of the heart and mind, this quote shows Hawthornes opinion that all men have a dark 'tomb' hidden beneath the veil of normalcy.

Perhaps 'The Ministers Black Veil' is an allegory for mankinds inability to express it's innermost self. Throughout Hawthorne's tale, Father Hooper's veil is the subject of fear, a mystery empowered by the imaginations of the onlookers that bestow meaning to it's obscurity. In many ways, I find that it represents the dark secrets that all of man hides beneath the surface. It is only an object reflective of the 'sins' that it's audience carries within, an object that is fueled by imagination, and natural fear of the unknown. The black veil alone, is nothing more than thin cloth, but upon the face of a man, it becomes a dark mystery; an instrument used to hide the monster that lies beneath, the monster that lives in our own minds.

Another perspective that may be attributed from this reading is Lincoln's Biblical reference 'Judge not, lest ye be judged.' Hooper is feared and harshly judged by a people that assume the worst of him, driven to judgment by their own imagination. They fear the mystery of what hides beneath the black crape. In Hooper's final sermon, however, he tells the people not to fear him, but to fear themselves, ending with the powerful statement: "I look around me and lo, on every visage a black veil!" Perhaps he is saying that all men hide their 'sins' beneath a mask, be it a mask of crape, or flesh, and that the true purpose of the black veil, is to remind them of the darkness that lies within. A very religious statement. In other words: Feel guilty, very guilty.

Slaves of Industry: Victims of Society

Fred D. Heath
English 48A
Journal for Davis
October 1st, 2009

Rebecca Harding Davis
1831-1910

"There is no hope that it will ever end. Think that god put into this man's soul a fierce thirst for beauty, -to know it, to create it; to be -something, he knows not what, -other than he is." (The Norton Anthology pg 2606)

"Whether Alcott, Emerson, and their disciples discussed pears or the war, their views gave you the same sense of unreality...Their theories were like beautiful bubbles blown from a child's pipe, floating overhead, with queer reflections on them of sky and earth and human beings, all in a glow of fairy color and all a little distorted." (pg 33-37 Bits of Gossip)


The first quote is selected from Davis' description of Wolfe. In it she describes a man of desperate desire. A man born with the gift of being able to see with the eyes of an artist, but condemned to a life of slavery. A man who doesn't even know what he desires, simply knowing that he wants something more, and will never be given the chance. He is a victim of society, a man born into a world of injustice, driven on by men of power, only to die having never had the chance to live.

The second quote was selected from Davis' 'Bits of Gossip', in which she describes the contemporary essayists, philosophers and poets of the time as they talk in a parlor at Hawthorne's estate. She describes the lack of actual experience that these great men base their philosophies and theories upon, finding them 'distorted', and 'unreal'. In doing so, she describes a society detached from the reality of suffering going on in the United States. Perhaps these experiences are what brought Davis to lead the realist literary movement.

A short story that Davis had obviously intended to be a narrative on social classes, 'Life In The Iron Mills' serves to describe the effects of society on a quickly growing worker class, testing the moral fiber of America's industrial future. Davis starts by describing the setting of the town of iron-works, a town of smoke and fog, burdened with so much pollution as to place it on the verge of being inhospitable. Within this town of industry Hugh Wolfe, like all the workers, is a slave, a slave made up to be a voluntary worker, and born into the lower class with no means of escaping it.

Representing the hope in all slaves, however small, and seemingly insignificant, Hugh Wolfe desires more. A man with the gift of being a great artist, Wolfe is inflicted with the desire to create beauty, in a world devoid of kindness. Unfortunately, in trying to escape his fate, society condemns him to a life in prison, and unwilling to be a slave once more, he kills himself. Is Wolfe guilty for taking the chance to escape his world of slavery? When a man is inflicted with desperation, is an attempt at escape, whatever the cost immoral? What would you do to escape a life of slavery? What would you be willing to do if your life was at stake? Davis forces the reader to confront these moral dilemmas, putting the truth in perspective.


One of the strongest points I found in her story, was the apathetic nature with which the work camps were treated. An apathy that made such slavery possible in the industrial world. Kirby, and his friends walk around the iron-mill with a detached interest. Kirby, when confronted by Mitchell says "I wash my hands of all social problems, -slavery, caste, white or black.". He knows that what he does is wrong, but denies the fact that he is the direct cause, finding no guilt in it. Mitchell goes on to say that the man who allowed Jesus to be put on the cross said the same, mocking him for the methods of his denial.

Note that the three men described all give different methods of accepting the inhumanity of slavery. Kirby, making a profit off of the work, cares not, and goes so far as to say that he doesn't even feel guilty for their fate; the Doctor wants to help, but then decides not to, saying there would be no use in helping only one man; and Mitchell finds himself to be above the workers, going so far as to say that he isn't one of 'them'. Describing the common arguments for accepting slavery, Davis plainly paints a picture of the lies people tell themselves in order to accept what they know to be wrong, and it's a powerful statement.

It seems strange indeed that with the end of the civil war, came the end an era only to give birth to a new one in which slavery was no longer a burden of race, but of an entire social class.