By trying to persuade her readers to realize the wrongs of slavery, Stowe implements different tactics of enlightenment in order to get through to her audience in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The first example of this is using the rebellious character George, a brilliant, hard-working slave for his master, Mr. Harris. In this passage, George was harshly punished for being too smart for his own good. When describing the situation which George was wrongfully placed in, Stowe writes, “He was waited upon over the factory, shown the machinery by George, who, in high spirits, talked so fluently, held himself so erect, looked so handsome and manly, that his master began to feel an uneasy consciousness of inferiority. What business had his slave to be marching round the country, inventing machines, and holding up his head among gentlemen? He’d soon put a stop to it.” (Chapter 2) This part of Stowe’s text contributes to her attempt to prove that slavery is wrong. This is powerfully true because it shows the immoral and cruel nature some slave holders had towards their slaves. Mr. Harris simply punished George because he had the power to do so. He was jealous, and therefore enraged by his slave’s intelligence and acclimation to society. so Harris punished George the only way he knew he knew how. This passage is important because it specifically attacks the moral aspect of owning and controlling another’s life. Stowe shows why this is wrong.
Throughout chapter nine, Stowe attacks the emotions of both the characters in her story and her readers. Using emotion is a powerful form of persuasion that Stow effectively uses in this passage. This is made apparent towards the middle of the passage after Senator Byrd and his wife have a long argument about why or why not they should help fugitive slaves. Senator Byrd believes they should not help or house slaves because it is against the law and they have to consider possible punishments they would endure while Mrs. Byrd says it is their duty as humans and as Christians. An exceptionally powerful and emotional moment is when the Senator’s human nature comes out as he goes against what he says to his wife by helping a fugitive slave in need.”I say, wife!” “Well! What now?” “Why, there’s that old bombazin cloak, that you keep on purpose to put over me when I take my afternoon’s nap; you might as well give her that,—she needs clothes.” (Chapter 9) Here in this moment, the Senator becomes a conduit for helping escaped slaves and later realizes he cannot stand by the law he just voted for. He has a change of heart when confronted with a real life situation, in which many white people did not experience for themselves. Her use of dialogue between the Senator and his wife is especially impactful because it is a powerful conversation amongst opposing views over a sensitive topic. This scene makes the reader truly think about what he or she would do in this situation. Would they support the Senator or his wife in the argument? Would we help if faced with the same situation? Stowe invokes these thoughts into the minds of her readers beautifully.
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