Hite of Maw and African Slavery - Essay Example

Hite of Maw and Slavery and of the 0 Introduction The narrative is about Hite of Maw, or Justarus Vassa, the Alrican. This author narrates an interesting account regarding the suffering that is associated with slavery. The author, specifically, provides an account about the regular kidnapping of young and strong boys, as well as girls in his village, and Africa. The author and his sister were unluckily kidnapped when their parents were farming at a distant farm. The author and his sister are taken to distant neighbourhoods where they are eventually separated. During the journey, they faced a number of humiliations including being tied with cords in an endeavour to prevent them from fleeing. The two siblings are rejoined later, where joy and happiness characterize their reuniting. However, sorrow and deprivation overwhelm the happiness resulting from rejoining due to oppression and separation from their parents. The author is handed in to a number of masters who take care about his wellbeing. The author experiences a long journey that is associated with the transverse of a number of countries in Africa. The author contrasts the features of various masters and countries. The characters of various masters in Africa are associated with a caring attitude in contrast to that of Whites which is characterized by brutality. The author is later handed to the Whites at the coast- the novelist is firstly scared by the looks of the whites. The author is further frightened by sailing following the witness of various oppressions, including flogging, chaining of slaves, crowding, and filthy condition among others. The death of various slaves along the journey due to malnutrition and other worse circumstances scares the writer. In summary, the writer discusses about the pain of separation from the love of a sister and parents (family members segregation). The author also explains a relatively homely treatment by the African masters. The author contrasts the moderately homely treatment by the African masters to that of brutal demonstrated by the Whites. Fourthly, the writer explains that the struggle of achieving freedom at the hands of the African and White masters was in vain. 2.0 The pain of separation from a family, friends and native country The author’s narration about the separation from the sister and parents is emotional. The author was firstly separated from the unity of the parents when he was kidnapped; the father and mother were at the moment working at a distant farm. Although the author was separated from the parents, there was a sense of relief resulting from the presence of his sister. However, the author demonstrates a sense of loneliness when he was separated from the sister. This signifies the torture of isolation suffered among the slaves. The joy of being together with a relative is displayed when the author and his sister are reunited, although in the face of unsympathetic treatment by the masters. The later separation between the author and his sister intensify the sense of distraction and isolation experienced. The author also suffers the pain of being separated from the native country. The separation is further intensified by the isolation experienced among the childhood friends, as well as fellow slaves. The author provides an account of various African slaves being sold to different masters at diverse stages. This denotes that the author was forcefully made to leave the culture learned since childhood- this was a painful experience. The author does not provide an account of reunification with the families. This made a number of slaves to suffer the pain of a permanent separation from their native countries and families (Gilmore 24). 2.1 The African masters, moderately homely treatment and shared African cultures Although the author was initially scared by the kidnapping, the writer narrates a sense of relief when handled to the first master. The master, having married to two wives, was welcoming. The author also enjoyed a slight distant freedom from the master’s house. The author was charged with a similar task that he experienced at his parental home. For instance, the author would be charged with the task of feeding chickens. The novelist was in a number of circumstances tasked with fetching water from the river in the company of the two master’s wives. The author was also fed regularly. The author was sold to a number of Africa masters who spoke languages that were similar to his native one. As a result, the masters and author would communicate effectively. This made the author to experience a homely environment despite the long distance from his native home. At one point, the author reflects about a widow master who had a son. The son, who was younger than the novelist, would wait for the author to finish eating before he begins dining- this happened on various occasions. Although this part of Africa was relatively far from the author’s native country, the novelist felt that the widow master and her son were practicing an African customary that was similar to that of his parents’ culture. 2.2 The vicious treatment by the White masters The description about the White masters’ treatment is contrasted to that of the African masters. The author prefers death to the treatment by the White masters. The author provides that the condition worsened when they were sold to the Whites at the coast. The novelist was firstly scared by the skin complexion of the Whites. Coupled with a unique language spoken by the new masters, the author was afraid to take a cup of liquor from the hand of a White master. The author explains the torturous scene of the slaves that were on board. The slaves were chained in an attempt to ensure that any slave would not escape from the captivity. The author explains that while the extreme ill-treatment by the African masters was tying an individual with a cord, the Whites flogged the slaves in a number of circumstances. The writer and other slaves were also forced to stay in a crowded place while on board. The situation worsened following the filthy conditioned that characterized the crowd. The author expressly states that there was hardly fresh air to breathe. In contrast to the African masters’ treatment, the Whites would fish, eat and discard the remains; whilst the slaves would perish in starvation. The attempts of slaves to access food while on board were strictly punished. The condition being worsened by chains, crowd, filthy situation and close monitoring by the Whites, a number of slaves suffered deaths. A number of ‘lucky’ slaves suffered death by diving into the water. The failure of the Whites being accompanied by their women, demonstrated the level of inhuman treatment by the White masters. 2.3 The failure of securing an individual’s freedom and human rights The author demonstrates the effort of securing freedom by fleeing from the hands of both the African and White masters in vain. During the initial kidnapping, the writer attempted to escape from the masters by untangling the rope, and shouting to the familiar individuals along the way for help. The author also attempted to escape from the master who was married to two wives, but was scared by the wild animals in the bush. The handing to various masters also reduced the author’s chances of securing an individual’s freedom. The condition was worsened when he was sold to the Whites. Considering that his chances of achieving a freedom were reduced significantly, he preferred death to the ill-treatment. The author suffered the lack of human rights such as health, living in a native country, and interacting with families and friends. 3.0 Insights: The betrayal of Africans by fellow African leaders The author explains explicitly that the African masters were propelling slavery that was experienced among the Africans. The African masters were located in various parts of Africa. There is an indication that individuals, in a considerable number of countries, had to transverse various nations to arrive at the coast where they were sold to the Whites. The African masters were motivated by rewards, such as money. This implies a condition of betrayal by the African leaders. Although the African masters treated the slaves fairly, it is injustice to sell the slaves to the African and Whites’ merchants. These practices denied the slaves various rights ranging from freedom to living with a family a in a native homeland to lack of basic food and quality health. 3.1 Lack of human respect by the White masters The White masters treated the slaves in a manner that contrasted sharply with the respect for human person’s rights. There should be a respect for the rights of a human person. It should begin with the respect for God. It is stated that a human person is created in the image of God. As a result, there should be a respect as regards humanity. Lack of respect for a human person’s right by propagating oppression is similar to disrespecting God. This aspect differentiates a human person from other creatures. However, individuals are also obligated to respect animals and plants. The failure to acknowledge God and the fundamental human respects caused the humiliation and repressing of slaves by the White masters (Gilmore 17). This led to a number of slaves dying on the way. A majority of them died of illness and starvation. This indicates the high level of oppression the slaves faced as a result of human disrespect by the Whites. 4.0 Conclusion Hite of Maw experienced appalling conditions in his lifetime. This condition is a reflection of the general conditions experienced by other African slaves. There were no rules regarding slaves which heightened the practices of slavery. Unless the council of elders mediated the slavery, an individual had a few chances of escaping the slave trade. This saw a number of individuals kidnapped in the author’s locality with an intention of being sold to slavery masters. These practices encouraged the separation of individuals from their family members and native homelands. They also led to the death of innocent Africans, while others were subjected to oppressive slavery. These acts break the present laws regarding the respect of human rights. The starvation that characterized a number of slaves illustrates the lack of regard for humanity by the slavery masters. A large number of the slaves witnessed a permanent separation from their relatives and native country. These demonstrate a general betrayal by African leaders and lack of respect for humanity among the White masters. The authors’ provision of the account is consistent and as well discussed explicitly and broadly. Work Cited Gilmore, Michael. The war on words: slavery, race, and free speech in American literature. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2013. Print. Read More