A Case Against Slavery & Uncle Tom’s Cabin Essay Example for Free

A Case Against Slavery Uncle Tom’s Cabin Essay HB Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a powerfully evocative condemnation of slavery, and was famous in its own time. While many held that Stowe herself knew nothing about slavery or southern life, having never seen southern plantation life, it had its intended effect regardless: to stir up anti-slavery sentiment in the north, and to a lesser extent, in the South. Chapter VII is called â€Å"A Mother’s Struggle,† and it brings together many of the themes that dominate this book. First, the centrality of motherhood and the invincible power of a mother that is soon to be separated from her only son leads the action of this work. Second, the dominance of the Protestant Christian faith, a faith that serves to both assist slaves in tolerating their condition as well as providing them the strength to escape is the engine of the action. Since God is on the side of those who oppose slavery, ultimately, their struggle will emerge victorious and hence, the strength to persevere is present. Hence, this chapter is a central part of the work as it synthesizes the main themes of the book in rather stark terms, since this chapter is really the first â€Å"action† chapter of the book, that is, it is the beginnings of Eliza’s escape from her bondage and traces her moves northward to the Ohio river. The first real issue that drives Eliza to escape is the fact that she and her son are possibly to be sold. The Shelby family that owns them seeks to sell several slaves to pay off debts, and Eliza, who is not poorly treated by her mistress, Mrs. See more:  First Poem for You Essay Shelby, will not be separated from her only son (1-2). Here, the institution of slavery is shown in its worst aspect: the breaking up of families in the interest of the financial solvency of their masters. It was debated how often this was actually done, but this first few pages show the slave owning Shelby family as more or less humane, but forced due to circumstances to part with slaves, slaves, like Tom himself, who has befriended the son of the Shelby family. But stronger than all was maternal love, wrought into a paroxysm of frenzy by the near approach of a fearful danger. Her boy was old enough to have walked by her side, and, in an indifferent case, she would only have led him by the hand; but now the bare thought of putting him out of her arms made her shudder, and she strained him to her bosom with a convulsive grasp, as she went rapidly forward (1). This passage is an important part of the introduction to this chapter in that it places maternal power at the center of the war against slavery. It is this fear mixed with love that will keep Eliza moving forward. â€Å"Sublime is the dominion of the mind over the body, that, for a time, can make flesh and nerve impregnable, and string the sinews like steel, so that the weak become so mighty. † It is love, ths power of mind, the love for her son that keeps her moving forward, rather to face death, freezing, or torture if caught rather than be apart from her boy (2). It seems that, as Eliza continues her trek forward, that her body has become completely subsumed under her mind, and her love. Hence, she refuses to eat what she has packed for the trip North, and instead only wants her son to eat (3). But along with the power of a mother’s love, is the power of the belief in God and his Scriptures: â€Å"An hour before sunset, she entered the village of T , by the Ohio river, weary and foot-sore, but still strong in heart. Her first glance was at the river, which lay, like Jordan, between her and the Canaan of liberty on the other side. † (4). This passage is telling, in that it provides Old Testament references to the move toward liberty. The move of slaves northward to freedom is likened to the move of Israelites, themselves slaves to the Egyptians, over the Jordan river to the Canaanite valley which God has chosen for his people. For the slave treated harshly and not given even basic freedoms, the move northward was considered the promised land, the land of freedom, regardless of the hardships of slavery: this is the indictment of the institution as a whole. Slaves wold risk everything to avoid the institution, even a more or less comfortable existence that Eliza enjoyed with the Shelby’s. In this chapter, the mood is that if God closes one door, He opens another. So with Eliza gets to the river, the barrier between herself and freedom, it has been largely iced over (5). Given this, the ferry will not run. However, she is briefly taken in by a family connected with the ferry house on her side of the river. The action quickly and awkwardly shifts back to the slave quarters at Mrs. Shelby’s, where the slaves are speaking about the upcoming sale. Speaking of the slave trader, Chloe says, â€Å"He desarves it! † said Aunt Chloe, grimly; â€Å"hes broke a many, many, many hearts, I tell ye all! † she said, stopping, with a fork uplifted in her hands; â€Å"its like what Masr George reads in Ravelations, souls a callin under the altar! and a callin on the Lord for vengeance on sich! and by and by the Lord hell hear em so he will! † (7). This is very important, since it is clear that the slaves hold that God is on their side, not the other way around. On the other hand, this point of view is made more ambagious by Uncle Tom’s statement that damming people to Hell is not a very nice thing to do, and that eternal punishment is not a fit crime for selling slaves, which after all, is not eternal (7). This creates a concept of equivocalness where two factions of the slave population have two different points of view: the first, that of Chloe, that slavers are evil and will be punished to Hell, and the more moderate view of Uncle Tom, that slavers are victims of circumstance, who themselves, did not invent this institution. But Aunt Chloe responds, though indirectly to Uncle Tom: â€Å"Dont natur herself kinder cry out on em? † said Aunt Chloe. â€Å"Dont dey tear der suckin baby right off his mothers breast, and sell him, and der little children as is crying and holding on by her clothes, dont dey pull em off and sells em? Dont dey tear wife and husband apart? † said Aunt Chloe, beginning to cry, â€Å"when its jest takin the very life on em? and all the while does they feel one bit, dont dey drink and smoke, and take it oncommon easy? Lor, if the devil dont get them, whats he good for? † And Aunt Chloe covered her face with her checked apron, and began to sob in good earnest. (8) Again, Stowe is making another attack on slavery here, using the splitting up of families as her center line of argument. Since she is dealing with a family that treats their slaves moderately well, she cannot really rely on the physical violence argument so common in anti-slavery polemics. Since motherhood is at the center of this work, it seems that the basic argument against slavery is that since slaves have no freedom, they cannot fight back when their families are taken apart. Hence, Stowe holds that the family, especially the mother, is the institution of society that maintains moral norms and hence, will be the institution that takes slavery apart. If anything, this is the primary case against slavery being made here. Moving back to the action on the Ohio river, Eliza has been spotted by the slave trader, the very focus of evil throughout this book. It must also be pointed out that the trader and his style of life are equally repugnant to the Shelby’s (10). But as far as Liza is concerned, when she is spotted, A thousand lives seemed to be concentrated in that one moment to Eliza. Her room opened by a side door to the river. She caught her child, and sprang down the steps towards it. The trader caught a full glimpse of her just as she was disappearing down the bank; and throwing himself from his horse, and calling loudly on Sam and Andy, he was after her like a hound after a deer. In that dizzy moment her feet to her scarce seemed to touch the ground, and a moment brought her to the waters edge. Right on behind they came; and, nerved with strength such as God gives only to the desperate, with one wild cry and flying leap, she vaulted sheer over the turbid current by the shore, on to the raft of ice beyond. It was a desperate leap impossible (14). This passage is worth extended comment. First of all, as God has closed the door of the ferry, he has opened another, more dangerous door, that of skipping over the ice cakes. This seems powerfully symbolic: the ice represents the cold hearts of the slave traders and even the good slave owners. Under intense pressure, the power of family–of motherhood–takes over, what seems impossible is not so, if God is on your side. Slavery, it seems, will be defeated by slave mothers trampling on the cold hearts of the slave owners through material love and devotion to get to freedom. On the other side, Eliza meets a friendly farmer, Mr. Symmes, who assists in her escape. Stowe remarks on page 10, â€Å"So spoke this poor, heathenish Kentuckian, who had not been instructed in his constitutional relations, and consequently was betrayed into acting in a sort of Christianized manner, which, if he had been better situated and more enlightened, he would not have been left to do. † Again, a powerful statement is being made here: since slave owners were normally of the â€Å"gentlemanly† class, that is, the civilized class, civilization is equated with the dominating of slaves. Since poor whites were not slave owners (and treated only little better than the blacks) and were not part of their civilization, they had not â€Å"learned† about the inferiority of blacks and the racial and class hierarchy of the South. Therefore, their lack of civilization is a good thing, since simple common sense seems to dominate over â€Å"civilized manners. † Hence, the hero of the story (or at least of the chapter) is this simple farmer from Kentucky who does not represent civilization, but simple agrarian manners and common sense morality. Hence, in conclusion, Stowe is making several points here. First, that the real evil of slavery is the destruction of the family. If the family is the center of social life in that it is the bearer of tradition and moral values, then its destruction must lead to the beastialization of society. This might explain the evil of the slave traders, since they seem to specialize in breaking up families, and hence, are the very symbol of this beastialization. Second, a mother’s love, coupled with God’s force, will lead the southern slaves to freedom. Third, that freedom must be earned, and this is applicable to slaves and slave owners, both of which have not known freedom. Slave owners are as debased by slavery as the slave, since he is dependent upon them and hence, not free. Lastly, that nothing is impossible with God, and with a love of freedom. This is the case against slavery, in that it crushes all of these impulses, impulses that God as implanted in the human spirit and hence, are part of His creation, now enslaved by others. All quotes above are from the Virginia University edition of Uncle Toms Cabin, Published by the University of Virginia E-Text Center of the University of Virginia Library System. (http://etext. lib. virginia. edu/etcbin/toccer-new2? id=StoCabi. sgmimages=images/modengdata=/texts/english/modeng/parsedtag=publicpart=7division=div1)

Abortion: A Growing Concern Essays -- essays research papers

Abortion The issue of abortion causes discussions about human interactions where ethics, emotions and law come together. There are many reasons why women decide to have abortions. Whatever the reasons a woman decides to have an abortion, it seems only justified that she should be able to make decisions in regards to her life and body. The decisions that she makes will be beneficial to both the woman and the foetus because it will prevent many problems from occurring in the future. If a woman were to have an unwanted baby, she may neglect or even abuse the child causing the child to go into the care of the government. The government has no valid reason in bringing an unwanted life into the world. Bringing an unwanted child into the world is not helpful to the parents, the child and the government, because if the parents cannot take care of the child, eventually, the government will be responsible for the child. The right to have an abortion is personal and essential to a woman’s life, because having a baby in one’s life causes dramatic changes. Pregnancy and childbirth can prevent women from keeping and getting jobs. When women are pregnant many employers do not want to hire them because when the woman has a baby, the company or employer must still pay her for the time that she is out of work by law. Also, raising a baby and providing for all the needs that a child has is a lot of money, which can create an insufficient income for many women. Another factor that imposes on ...

Abortion Should Not Be Banned

Abortion is a widely debated topic that has been conflicting politicians and women around the world. Abaluck’s article, â€Å"Late-Term Abortion Should Not Be Banned† did not provide half as many sources or facts as Boland’s article, â€Å"Second Trimester Abortion Laws Globally. † Boland provided more statistics and alternant resources for the reader. It can look impressive if an author throws in an extensive reference list, but if he does not persuade you in an argument, all he has done is give you a history lesson. This is a perfect example of what Boland did in his essay. Of the two articles I researched, Abaluck’s article was more argumentative and forced me to question my own morals and view-points on abortion. Abaluck stated his opinion immediately by having his argument presented in his title. I loved this about his article because when I am reading something, it is hard for me to follow only numbers. I do not want a math lesson; I want my brain and beliefs to be challenged. I believe Abaluck’s article provides the necessary evidentiary support to persuade the audience to have mutual feelings about his stance on late-term abortion. There are two completely different vibes given off in each article. Abaluck’s article, â€Å"Late-Term Abortion Should Not Be Banned† was definitely my favorite because he gave an actual argument. With all of the facts he provided, he seems to know a significant amount of information about abortion and acts so passionate about it. However, Boland’s piece is the polar opposite of an argumentative article. This is one of the most informative pieces I have ever read and I feel much more aware of how other countries view abortion. I know this is the effect Boland was going for, and the article succeeded its purpose. Boland’s article was just straight facts and kind of boring. Although I was given more information in Boland’s article, I was not persuaded either way on the argument. The credibility of each author is high, but when it comes down to who I would want on my side in an argument, it would be Abaluck. Both authors work for Harvard in different areas. Jason Abaluck is the president of the Harvard Liberal Monthly Magazine and Reed Boland is a research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health. This spikes heir credibility through the roof and gives me no doubt that they know what they are talking about when it comes to research. Since Abaluck writes for a liberal magazine, I am sure his argument is a little biased considering his political views, but unlike Boland, he actually has an opinion. I am more apt to be pulled towards something with a little bit of passion and heart. Part of human nature is forming an opinion by listening to, reading, or watching someone else’s opinion and deciding if you agree or disagree depending on your moral beliefs. I believe late-term abortion should not be banned. A woman’s health should always be taken into consideration especially when there are expected complications. During a second trimester check up, you are likely to be able to see any abnormalities developing in your child. This is the time where it is not only crucial to be able to ensure your baby’s life is developing correctly, but also that the woman is remaining healthy. Most late-term abortions are not done just because a woman changes her mind about having a child. These abortions should not be banned because a lot of times, it is crucial to the woman’s life to have this done. Not only does this affect her physical well-being, it also affects her mentally. For the rest of any woman’s life, she will remember and think about the baby she â€Å"almost† had and she will likely require therapy. Yes, there is always the chance a woman is not having an abortion for all the right reasons, but the attachment that forms between a mother and child cannot be torn so easily. If late-term abortion were to be made illegal, a woman would have no choice but to have a child and risk her own life due to the known abnormalities of her child. The claim in Boland’s article is strictly informative. His article not only provides multiple, if not too many, statistics but also gives a table showing every country’s abortion laws. Maybe his intended audience was for people who were visiting the United States and wanted to see how their country lined up next to others. Most likely, he was writing this article just to inform whoever wanted to know about all the abortion laws worldwide. Regardless of who his audience is, he provides no information on what his personal view of abortion is. This fact made it hard for me to assess which article is better all around. I decided against Boland’s article because with all of the numbers and statistics, it was hard for me to follow along. If Boland had provided a little of his own opinion to spice things up, I would have gladly and openly considered his stance. The claim in Abaluck’s article was argumentative in that he gave his opinion and allowed no room for the other option. I liked that Abaluck’s article was argumentative rather than being strictly factual because he states his opinion, but was not pushy about it. Granted he does not acknowledge the other stand-point, he does not really make it seem like you should believe his argument. It is hard for an author to persuade their point without seemingly throwing it in your face, and I believe Abaluck demonstrated this perfectly. I was definitely persuaded by his article and took all of his ideas into consideration and even adjusted my view on the idea of late-term abortion. When beginning this assignment of researching my selected topic, I was completely against all types of abortion. Now, I realize there are a couple of reasons to reconsider this because you must always take the woman’s health into consideration. By including three personal stories in his article, I was forced to put myself in another person’s shoes and asked myself, â€Å"What would I do if this were me? † During the last few months of pregnancy, if the baby shows many signs of abnormalities or is going to threaten the life of the mother, late-term abortion should definitely be considered. If the unborn child stands little to no chance of survival, is it worth putting the woman’s life at risk? If Abaluck were to read Boland’s article, I believe it would only reinforce his viewpoint by giving him more reason to pull for not banning abortion. Since Boland does not provide an argument, it is easy to state that there is no disagreement shown when comparing the articles. If I were to sit down with both authors, I would first ask both of them to state their opinions and hopefully allow them to hash it out. It would not be difficult for me to assume that it would be an interesting debate knowing both writers know so much about the topic. Not knowing Boland’s stance makes it hard to assume that the two authors would argue, however I would love to assume there are at least a few differences in their beliefs. With Abaluck being a liberal, I am sure they would disagree on something. Or else, I hope they would because that would make sitting down with both of them way more entertaining. â€Å"When asked whether abortion should be legal, 80 percent of Americans say yes. When asked the same question about so-called ‘partial-birth’ abortion, 20 percent said yes. (Abaluck, 2007) Seeing this statistic, it is proven that terminology is crucial when presenting an argument. This proves that regardless of your argument, it would be easy to persuade an audience using harsh language like â€Å"partial-birth†. Even when I read an article against abortion, they used harsh terms like this and it made me resent people who would even consider having an abortion. However, once I learned the facts, I became aware that the language you use in an article is crucial to how you may persuade your audience. Abaluck brings this quote to your attention in the first paragraph of his article and clarifies the difference between real and harsh accusations against late-term abortion. By clarifying how to identify faulty terminology, Abaluck brings it to your attention that it is easy to sway people in your favor. I would undoubtedly say that Abaluck’s article was way better in not only getting a specific point across, but also persuading me and challenging my beliefs and morals. Being informed and having an opinion always go hand in hand and Abaluck’s article depicts this fact perfectly. On the other hand, Boland’s article was informative but very boring. To keep my attention, it is important to incorporate your opinion in order to challenge my beliefs. Although I was educated thoroughly on the topic of late-term abortion, I was not able to form an accurate argument after reading Boland’s article. He did not attempt to persuade me in either direction on the topic, so it was easy for me to determine the better of the articles.

Biology Of The Crispr Cas9 System - 866 Words

BIOLOGY OF THE CRISPR-CAS9 SYSTEM Functionality of the CRISPR system The endonuclease Cas9 is the core multifunctional protein of the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Two nuclease domains: HNH (39) and RuvC-like (40), within the Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) protein conduct the function of cleaving DNA strands. Studies have confirmed that the tracrRNA: crRNA duplex structure will lead to the sequence-specific DNA cleavage (41). PAM short sequence facilitates crRNA to recognize the targeted DNA sequence (42). Cas9 protein cuts the specific DNA strand that is complementary to the 20bp crRNA sequence via HNH domain; on the other hand, the SpCas9 RuvC-like domain cleaves the opposite targeted DNA strand (42) (Fig. 4). Mutating either of these two nucleases domains of SpCas9 will introduce a single-stranded DNA nick, while mutating both HNH and RuvC-like domains will transform SpCas9 into a RNA-guided DNA binding protein (42). X-ray crystallography and has confirm that endonuclease Cas9 undergoes a series of conformational rearrangements when it binds to the gu ide RNA and target DNA (55). With the development of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology, the duplex structure tracrRNA: crRNA has been engineered as one sgRNA retaining both tracrRNA and crRNA’s features. 20 nucleotides at the 5’ side of sgRNA will act as crRNA: recognizing and guiding SpCas9 protein to the targeted DNA sequences through Watson-Crick base pairing; whereas RNA forms a double-stranded structure at the 3’ end of sgRNAShow MoreRelatedDna Editing System For A Type II Crispr System Mechanism1295 Words   |  6 PagesCRISPR/Cas9 DNA editing system is a prokaryotic immune system that becomes resistant to foreign genetics such as plasmids. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, which are prokaryotic DNA strands that have a short repetition base sequence. 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