Slavery is perhaps the cruelest form of treatment that one human being can inflict upon another.
Despite horrible conditions, slaves exhibited great strength and hope for their own race. Because of their hardships, slaves recognized the power of human dignity and the power of hop. While most slaves resented their masters for their cruel treatment, they did not let this rob them self-respect or their hope for freedom. Through songs, poetry, and literature, slaves expressed their angst, sorrow, and hope.
Botkin's records several slave stories that reveal how slaves dealt with their cruel masters. In the account, "Hog-Killing Time," one slave remembers how the starving slaves would trick their master into thinking some of the hogs were infected with "malitis" in order to have enough meat for themselves. The malitis was caused by striking a hog between the eyes with a mallet and was the only way the slaves could have enough food to eat. Another account mentions how the slaves were not allowed to learn to read or write because then they would become smarter than their owners if they did learn anything. That particular account is entitles "Forbidden Knowledge" because any type of knowledge the slaves could acquire would raise their awareness of how slavery was wrong. They slave owners even had a so-called preacher tell them that the Bible would say that slaves should "obey your masters and mistress, 'cause you git from them here in this world am all you ever going to git, 'cause you just like the hogs and the other animals -- when you dies you ain't no more,...
What stands out from these accounts is the sheer sense of survival the slaves had despite what their master did to them or said to them.
While the slaves might have believed this for a little while, this did not stop the slaves from learning words under the cover of darkness of night. This story is interesting because it illustrates that the slaves understood their harsh treatment, but felt trapped. This tale also echoes a similarity to Douglass' narrative about the how the slaves were kept uneducated on purpose. In the account, "Burning in Hell," one slave tells of how his master Solomon would threaten to whip slaves if he discovered they were praying. Despite this threat, the slave says, "But some the old niggers tell us we got to pray to God that He don't think no different of the blacks and the whites" (190). These accounts illustrate the inner strength the slaves had as well as their belief that something was wrong about how they were treated even though their situations seemed bleak and hopeless. They also reveal how little the slaves cared about their masters.
Gilbert Osofsky also recounts slave stories that reveal the anguish of slavery. For example, in "A Grave for Old Master," two slaves were digging a grave for their master. The hole was "six or seven feet" (191) into the earth. When questioned about why they dug it so deep, one of the slaves replied he wanted to "get the old man as near home as possible" (191). Then, the slaves covered the grave with the largest stone they could find…
