The Life of Gustavus Vassa
"'Sometimes when a white man take away my fish, I go to my maser, and he get me my right; and when my maser by strength take away my fishes, what me must do? I can't go to any body to be righted; then,' said the poor man, looking up above, I must look up to God Almighty, in the top, for right.' This artless tale moved me much, and I could not help feeling the just cause Moses had in redressing his brother against the Egyptian. I exhorted the man to look up still to the God on the top, since there was no redress below."
Diary: I have witnessed so much cruelty and have suffered much myself. How is it that men can be so cruel to one another? You are suppose to do unto others as you would have them do unto you, but why is it that this doesn't seem to apply to my people? Are we not men just the same? Actually no, we are not the same. We don't submit our brothers under God to such unspeakable treatments. In these years since I have been taken I have been taught the Christian ways. It confuses me however that it is as though Christian actions are not to be disposed upon us, although we must treat others with every kindness and respect. I have seen men beaten till dead, whipped till broken, and tortured until they long to take their last breath; even if they must take it from themselves. It is such a pitiful sad thing that such cruelty must exist!
Reflection: This selection was difficult to read. The tortures that the Africans were exposed to were to horrible to imagine. Discrimination is a dirty ugly thing and I hate that it had to exist. It was hard to read about somthing so terrible. Things like that you try not to think about, but I suppose it's good to understand what others have had to endure because it builds appriciation for what we are given. I want to know how those slave drivers could ever imagine that when they would dstand before God they could look at him with clear consious and say that they deserved to be there. They killed, raped, beat, and starved teir fellow man and still believed themselves good upstanding Christians. How does someone become that deluded?
1 comments:
I like how you expressed how you really felt in your reflection. I also like your use of retorical questions in the diary. I also like the depth you had, that was a little different than the depth I had.
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