Explain, as best as you can, what you think the most disturbing elements, attitudes or actions associated with slavery were. Do not just identify them; be sure to explain WHY they are so disturbing to you. Also, try to deal with the other side as well: why would the slave-owners have done such disturbing things; what is their rationale?
Slavery era in American history is characterized by some disturbing elements actions, and attitudes taken from the perspectives of slaves and their owners. The first disturbing element about slavery was the way slaves were obtained. Slaves were obtained from the dark continent of Africa through planned raids. During the raids, most people lost their lives as they fought to remain free in their native land. The ordeal is disturbing in the sense that crimes were committed against humanity. Even in the process of their transportation, slaves who were supposed to have equal rights to their owners underwent difficult and challenging situations. They went for several days without food or water. This is a disturbing attitude to humanity. Human beings are not supposed to be treated in the manner in which slaves were treated.
Another disturbing factor in relation to slavery is the sale of human beings. Slaves were treated as business items as auctions were conducted to obtain the slaves. This attitude by the owners undermines the worth of human beings to a lower level of business items. Human beings deserve greater level of treatment than the one provided by the owners of the slaves. The other disturbing element/action in slavery is the type and amount of work the slave performed under harsh conditions. The slaves were required to offer the labor substantial for the farms belonging to their owners. As they performed in the farms, slaves were beaten/caned by servants employed by owners to supervise the ongoing works. This action is termed as torture hence disturbing in the face of humanity. Owners of these slaves viewed them as wealth and property. This prompted the notion that slaves were to be restricted from enjoying similar rights as other individuals in the society.
Explain, as best as you can, what the early part of this novel tells you about women’s lives in the early part of the 19th century. What have you learned that you did not realize or did not quite “get” before?
From the novel entitled Ruth Hall, it is clear that women were expected to live different lives in the society. Women were to be loved for who they were in the society to help them develop as complete human beings and members of the society. Ruth missed this type of love as she developed under the influence of unappreciative father and brother. In the 19th century, women at their early age were supposed to learn domestic chores to prepare them for their future marriage lives. This included reproducing and rearing of children, taking care of the husband, preparing good meals and knowing her roles as a married woman. Since Ruth did not spend most of her time within the society, she always had trouble dealing with her marriage roles. She did not promote the discipline culture among her children thus were considered disturbing.
Women according to this novel were charged with the responsibility of taking care of their families after the death of their husbands. This is evident from the actions taken by Ruth after the death of her husband. Not even relatives want to help her meet the financial needs of her family. Women as presented in this novel were less educated than men were. They spent most of their time in the village obtaining knowledge on how to perform their roles well in the society. However, this is different when it comes to Ruth’s case. From the novel, I learnt that women after the death of their husbands are left to decide on their own fate. Even her same brother, with whom they shared a womb, is not available when called upon to assist. I also noted that women in their early age are not always their father’s favorites. This is illustrated by the despise Ruth receives from her father.
