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Comparison Of Slavery In Harriet Tubman And The People Could Fly

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Slavery is a disappointing example of inhuman behavior, a dark past in our history books. Two stories demonstrate the cruelty of slavery while living on a plantation. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the underground railroad and “The People Could Fly” give two different encounters on the topic of slavery. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the underground railroad is a biography and “The People Could Fly” is a historical fiction. Both would make one wonder, what is there to live for when freedom does not exist in your life? The two different genres of books are able to give readers an understanding of how heart-wrenching and depressing life of a slave was. Both show the family of slaves taking care of one another. They show the fatherhood even though …show more content…
In Petry’s story they show the father showing Harriet a skill for when she escapes in the future. The father is telling Harriet about the weather and how to tell what it would be. When Harriet was learning she “stood close to him when he studied the sky….. There was something free and wild in Harriet because of Ben.” Ben is the father of Harriet. In “The People Could Fly” Toby was able to help Sarah escape with her babe. Toby was willing to help Sarah and the babe escape while he would stay on the plantation, therefore, Toby is willing to help Sarah escape even though he didn’t escape. Toby “raised his arms, holding them out to her. Kum...Yali, kum buba tambe.”
FInally, both stories show a secret language between the slaves in both stories. In Harriet Tubman: Conductor On The Underground Railroad Petry shows Harriet learning a song about Moses. They are forbidden to sing this song but they still do.This song can show a sign of hope or it reveals a way to escape slavery. Harriet “sung under the breath, almost whispered: Go down, Moses. . . .” (Petry, 37). In “The People Could Fly” the magic words is the secret language because it was able to get Sarah and the babe out of the plantation. “Kum….yali, kum buba tambe”

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