Gusta Vassa essays

Gusta Vassa essays In a vivid recount of his travels as a slave, Gustavus Vassa enlightens us to the details of a world in which people are bought and sold as property. In his stories we can see how he interpreted his own experiences and we can also get some clues as to the nature of his character. From the very begining Vassa shows us just how much of the sights he takes in. He demonstrates this to us through his thorough descriptions of not only the people and places around him, but also by presenting us with the essence of the experience; the smells, the tastes, the horrors, the pleasentries. He seems at first to be in utter awe of the surroundings wheere we picked up. And as the exerpt contiues, he relates every experience with the appriciation of a humble man, one who takes full advantage of the opportunities he is recieved. Furthermore, all of his writings are relatively unbiased. He seems not to be looking to avenge or blame nessecarily, but to somehow find a reasoning behind the cruelty that exists. "One told me that he had sold 41,000 negroes, and that he once cut of a negro man's leg for running away. I asked him if the man had died in the operation, how he, as a Christian, could answer for the horrid act before God? and he told me... that his scheme had the desired effect-it cured that man and some others of running away." His overall interpretation is that of a highly spiritual man. His character follows that same line of a very spiritual man. He showed us how he valued kindness, justice, and fairness. He seemed to feel that even if slavery did exist, there was a way to handle it ina humane manner where all could get along. One unfortunate situation need not spawn worse. " This neglect certainly conspires with many others to cause a decrease in the births as well as in the lives of the grown negroes. I can quote many instances of gentlemen who reside on their estates in the West Indies, and then the scene is ...