Describe what life was really like for the average slave on a southern plantation by focusing on: 1. Work routines; 2. Food & living conditions, 3. Family life and relations with the owner and the other slaves. Discuss how the information in the slave narratives compares to our general understanding of slavery.
Incorporate specific examples from the slave narratives that are in this module. The goal is to provide a realistic, detailed overview of the conditions experienced by those who were enslaved. Be realistic, do not exaggerate or downplay factors.
Your essay should conform to the following format:
I. Introduction:
Describe the topic and give a general description of the specific parts of slavery you will focus upon, and which of the slave narratives you are using as examples.
Give the name of the enslaved person’s narrative you are focusing on primarily.
II. Main topic 1 (Work routine): describe in depth using detailed examples.
You choose which of the conditions/experiences you want to focus on—but that should be determined to a degree by which slave narrative you used.
Describe what the slave experienced, and explain how that compared to what we commonly know about slavery (was it better or worse?)
Think outside of the box: analyze and interpret what you think this info tells us about slavery.
III. Main topic 2 (Food & living conditions): describe the types and quality of food, home, bedding, clothing, etc… in depth using detailed examples.
You choose which of the conditions/experiences you want to focus on—but that should be determined to a degree by which slave narrative you used.
Describe what the slave experienced, and explain how that compared to what we commonly know about slavery (was it better or worse?)
Think outside of the box: analyze and interpret what you think this info tells us about slavery.
IV. Main topic 3 (Family life and relations with owner and other slaves): Be sure to include discipline by master, resistance by the slaves (various forms)–discuss extended kin, family structure, how slaves interacted and any divisions within the slave community etc… use examples.
You choose which of the conditions/experiences you want to focus on—but that should be determined to a degree by which slave narrative you used.
Describe what the slave experienced, and explain how that compared to what we commonly know about slavery (was it better or worse?)
Think outside of the box: analyze and interpret what you think this info tells us about slavery.
V. Summarize the overall experience of slavery. Make sure this is realistic
This is where you provide your overall interpretation of what all of this tells us about slavery and how this particular enslaved person’s experience compared to the average slave.
