Modern slavery in America comes in many forms and affects a wide variety of people. There are hundreds of immigrants being held captive, forced to work endless hours without pay in homes all over the united states. Thousands of women and girls are forced into sex slavery every year with no way of escaping their captors, trapped in an intricate system of human trafficking that stretches across our nation. Journalist, Nicholas Kristof, in his article “Slavery Isn’t a Thing of the Past”, published in The New York Times, discusses the difference between the type of 19th century slavery that inspired Solomon Northup’s narrative and the slavery that thousands of people are currently facing in America. “These modern slaves aren’t sold in chains in
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“If you’re putting a whip on my back because I’m not picking enough cotton, or if you’re beating me because I’m not earning my quota, it’s the same thing, It’s slavery” (Kristof, A33) Greenlee recalls about being a victim of human trafficking. Her comparison of sex slavery to slavery on plantations is further proof that the connections between these two phenomenon’s are too similar to deny. Solomon’s narrative is a priceless resource in understanding the feelings and thought process of a someone who is currently or has been a victim of any kind of slavery. This work of literature creates multiple opportunities for present day people to better understand the recover and recuperation victims of slavery need. While these kinds works may need some interpretation due to time period and cultural differences that have manifested during the last few hundred years, it should not stop the work from being utilized. Such a famous first hand account of slavery should not be put aside for no other reason than the fact that it is old. If a narrative of someone’s suffering and hardship can be used to help someone in the same situation it should be given the credit it
“If you’re putting a whip on my back because I’m not picking enough cotton, or if you’re beating me because I’m not earning my quota, it’s the same thing, It’s slavery” (Kristof, A33) Greenlee recalls about being a victim of human trafficking. Her comparison of sex slavery to slavery on plantations is further proof that the connections between these two phenomenon’s are too similar to deny. Solomon’s narrative is a priceless resource in understanding the feelings and thought process of a someone who is currently or has been a victim of any kind of slavery. This work of literature creates multiple opportunities for present day people to better understand the recover and recuperation victims of slavery need. While these kinds works may need some interpretation due to time period and cultural differences that have manifested during the last few hundred years, it should not stop the work from being utilized. Such a famous first hand account of slavery should not be put aside for no other reason than the fact that it is old. If a narrative of someone’s suffering and hardship can be used to help someone in the same situation it should be given the credit it