Ray Mitchell
Research Paper
Prof. Hatchett
11/28/17
A Mercy by Toni Morrison and the Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Summary
A Mercy is a fictional novel that centers on the lives of both slaves and the slave owners. One of the main characters that Morrison is focused on is Florens. She is a sixteen-year-old girl who is enslaved and lives on the D’Ortega plantation in Virginia. The D’Ortegas are infamous for their brutality directed toward the slaves they own. The D’Ortega family spent some time in Angola, where the Portuguese were historically known for their terrible and inhumane treatment of slaves. Morrison’s fictional narrative places itself in the accurate, historical situation surrounding the extreme violence and …show more content…
As such, she wants Florens to be given to the Vaarks based on her idea of love and relationship. This way, she hopes to protect her daughter by giving her a mercy. Florens does not at first see things this way, and struggles with family relationships in the novel, as is evident with her reaction to the blacksmith and his temporary family, including her fight with Malaik. And yet the bond that Florens and the other slaves form with the Vaarks shows that family can mean much more than blood relatives. In this sense, family can also be a symbol for protection and goodwill. Though the Vaarks still have slaves and indentured servants, they treat their slaves far better than the D’Ortegas and most other slave …show more content…
Slavery was not a practice in which slaves were treated the same way by all. Moreover, issues such as Minha mãe seemingly giving up her own child to another family show just how complicit others were in various aspects of the slave trade. Florens and Lina see how cruel the world is to slaves firsthand when searching for help. Nearly raped, the two women witness how slaves are thought of as nothing more than animals, and even less than that by many. By setting up various examples of family, and therefore, community, Morrison effectively sheds a light into one of America’s, and the world’s, darkest times, and shows hope where there is often
Research Paper
Prof. Hatchett
11/28/17
A Mercy by Toni Morrison and the Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Summary
A Mercy is a fictional novel that centers on the lives of both slaves and the slave owners. One of the main characters that Morrison is focused on is Florens. She is a sixteen-year-old girl who is enslaved and lives on the D’Ortega plantation in Virginia. The D’Ortegas are infamous for their brutality directed toward the slaves they own. The D’Ortega family spent some time in Angola, where the Portuguese were historically known for their terrible and inhumane treatment of slaves. Morrison’s fictional narrative places itself in the accurate, historical situation surrounding the extreme violence and …show more content…
As such, she wants Florens to be given to the Vaarks based on her idea of love and relationship. This way, she hopes to protect her daughter by giving her a mercy. Florens does not at first see things this way, and struggles with family relationships in the novel, as is evident with her reaction to the blacksmith and his temporary family, including her fight with Malaik. And yet the bond that Florens and the other slaves form with the Vaarks shows that family can mean much more than blood relatives. In this sense, family can also be a symbol for protection and goodwill. Though the Vaarks still have slaves and indentured servants, they treat their slaves far better than the D’Ortegas and most other slave …show more content…
Slavery was not a practice in which slaves were treated the same way by all. Moreover, issues such as Minha mãe seemingly giving up her own child to another family show just how complicit others were in various aspects of the slave trade. Florens and Lina see how cruel the world is to slaves firsthand when searching for help. Nearly raped, the two women witness how slaves are thought of as nothing more than animals, and even less than that by many. By setting up various examples of family, and therefore, community, Morrison effectively sheds a light into one of America’s, and the world’s, darkest times, and shows hope where there is often