Black Beauty by Anne Sewell - Book Report/Review Example

Black Beauty by Anne Sewell In the first chapter, Black Beauty describes his young life in Farmer Grey’s field with his mother and other young horses. Farmer Grey is a kind person and all his horses are well taken care of, especially Black Beauty and his mother. His mother tells him that they are different from the farm horses, which are also good horses. She prepares him for his eventual task, which is to take people places through his back just like how Farmer Grey rides her and her father.

She teaches him the basic values that young horses need to know. She says to Black Beauty, “Always do your work happily. Never bite or kick. Then he’ll always be nice to you.” Here, the author depicts how animals and humans live in harmony. Farmer Grey shows how to take care of animals, especially those that are helpful to you, like horses. In return for his kindness, the horses served him well by helping him in the farm and carrying him from place to place. Apparently, the relationship between Farmer Grey and his horses is positive and becomes the foundation for the entire story.

But the last statement of Black Beauty’s mother reveals that Farmer Grey’s love for the horses is conditional. The second chapter talks about the lessons that Black Beauty has to acquire in order to become a good, useful horse. He describes how he despises the saddle and the bit because they hurt his back and mouth. But he has no choice because a horse has to use these tools in order to transport people from place to place. Yet he enjoyed carrying Farmer Grey on his back because he is a good man and gives him food.

Then Farmer Grey teaches him to pull a carriage. His mother tells him, “Always be good, so people will love you. Always work hard and do your best.” Similar to the first chapter, this chapter shows a conditional relationship Farmer Grey and his horses. He gives them food because they are useful to him. He teaches them how to become a good horse because that would be good for him and his ventures. This chapter also shows that humans make the best of what they have got by harnessing them through the application of appropriate tools, like saddle, bit, and horseshoe.

Farmer Grey puts these tools on Black Beauty to maximize his potentials and distance him from any possible injuries. But whether he wants his horses to feel comfortable, that is still questionable, because based on how Black Beauty describes his experiences with the tools it seems that their main purpose is by no means comfort.