To Be a SlaveJulius Lester

Sara H.6th

Context CluesWord Sentence Correct

Dictionary Definition

servitudeThey who were held as slaves looked upon themselves and the servitude in which they found themselves with the eyes and minds of human beings, conscious of all that went on around them.

Slavery or bondage of any kind

virtues The institution of slavery had no redeeming virtues for the enslaved.

A good or admirable quality or property.

unvarnished It is the literal, unvarnished truth that he crack of the lash and the shrieking of the slaves can be heard from dark till bedtime on Epp’s plantation, any day almost during the entire period of cotton picking season.

Straightforward; without vagueness or subterfuge.

insurrectionNo slave owner allowed his slaves to attend church by themselves , fearing that they would use the opportunity to plan an insurrection rather than thank god that they had such “good” masters.

An act or rising revolt, rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or characterized by excessive devotion to pleasure; intemperate

dissipatedDespite Henson’s skillful management of the plantation, the owner dissipated the profits and eventually found himself in the position where all of his slaves were going to be auctioned off to pay his debts.

Indulging in or characterized by excessive devotion to pleasure; intemperate.

Text Purpose

• Julius Lester wrote To Be a Slave to inform us about how hard it really was to be enslaved. He wanted former slaves to be able to share their stories. Lester wanted to show us that being a slave was never easy. He informed us so that we had the opportunity to understand them.

Text Structure

The author uses chronological order to organize the text in this book. This helps the reader understand the order of event in history. After each thing that happened, he also included short stories as examples that help you better understand slavery.

Text Representation Reasons Slaves Were Sold I. Slave owner in debt

a. personal reasons b. business reasons

II. Unmanageable slave a. slave who fought back b. slave who ran away

III. Owners were in breeding business a. sold newborn slaves for $.

Author’s Perspective/Point of View

Subject Author’s Feelings

Text Evidence

slavery Lester feels that slavery was harsh and unfair. He believes that former slaves deserve to have their side of the story told.

To be considered not a human but a “thing” that plowed the fields, cut the wood, cooked the food, nursed another’s child; a thing that’s sole function was determined by the one who owned you.(page 28) To be a slave was to be a human being under conditions in which that humanity was denied.(page 28) Those who were slaves tell a different story.(page 29)

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Main Idea

Paragraphs Main Idea

Beginning-Page #29 Slaves could not defend themselves or they would be killed. Today they can hit and run; before they would run to keep themselves from hitting

Middle-Page #77 Slaves didn’t their own identity or name. They were just seen as an object that belonged to someone else.

End-Page #147 After freed, the ex-slaves changed their names so that white owner couldn’t find them.

Supporting Details

Details Page # CommentsCotton was a crop that needed much care and long hours of tedious work.

65 The author included this to show an example of how hard the slaves worked. Without this the meaning would change to being only about the cotton, not the slaves who worked with it.

From the time the stars began to fade from the sky in the morning until they reappeared in the evening, the slaves worked at cotton and everything else which had to be done on the plantation.

69 If this detail was omitted, the meaning of the paragraph would be that each day on the plantation was the same. With he detail, the meaning is that everyday was long and endless.

He knew whether he admitted it to himself or not, that if he had been held as a slave , he would have done any thing to gain his freedom.

117 The author is trying to tell us that the master knew being a slave was hard, but he still continues to treat slaves terribly. If this was removed we would assume that slave owners never think about how they would feel if they were a slave.

Draw Inferences

What the Book Says Conclusions DrawnSituation: Babies trapped in a troph in the rain three miles away from the slaves.

Character Actions: The slaves hurry but can’t reach the babies in time so the babies drown.

Blackshear only hurt himself by having the babies outside. They died and he didn’t even get to use their labor, or even make money off of them.

Situation: Henson’s family is being auctioned off one-by-one.

Character Actions: The mother begs for Riley to buy her son too. Riley kicks her.

Slave owners didn’t even think about how they would feel without their families. Owners thought of slaves as objects or animals, not human beings.

Compare-Contrast

How slavery really ended in America

1.Claims that three slaves rowing across the Virginia river to a Union fort ended the war.

2. Is written in third person.

3.Is only about the end of

slavery.

4.Doesn’t discuss after slaves were freed.

5. Is only written by one person

To Be a Slave

1.Claims that the emancipation proclamation ended slavery.

2.Contains first person slave stories.

3.Is about slavery from beginning to end.

4.Discusses how hard it was for slaves even after

freedom.

5.Contains stories written by many people

Both: 1.Disscus slavery

2.Talks about runaway slaves

3.Talk about Abe Lincoln

4.Slaves seek freedom

5.Have theories about how slavery ended

FactsFacts Page # Comments

She got up and gave him something out of a bottle and pretty soon it was dead.

40 Julius wanted to give us an example of what parents would do just so their kids wouldn’t have to experience slavery.

The famous Confederate general, Nathan Bedford Forrest, was the largest slave trader in Memphis,

Tennessee, during the 1850’s and in one year, made a

profit of $96,000.

43 The author wanted us to know just how popular slaves were and how much money people made off of them.

It was a crop that needed much care and long hours of tedious work.

65 This was included to show why slaves worked such long hours.

One unusual slave owner went as far as to educate his black son against slavery.

31 Lester wanted to show us an example of an out of the ordinary owner.

The biggest parties were held however at Christmas.

110 Julius wanted to tell us about how slaves occasionally were allowed to have a good time.

Opinions

Opinions Page # CommentsThey were like children & slavery was actually a benefit to them.

29 Julius wants to know how the slave owners felt about slavery.

The selling of slaves was inhumane in itself.

43 Lester’s opinion is that selling slaves isn’t fair and he wanted to share that with us.

I knew him well because he was one of the wealthiest slave owners in the country and the meanest one.

52 The author believes that this man is mean, and he includes this to add emphasis.

And all the while they are attended to by unobtrusive, attentive, and faithful Negro slaves.

59 This is included to show the opinions of those who didn’t experience slavery.

It was a brutal, violent word that stung the soul of the slave more than the whip on his back.

85 The word was, in the author’s opinion, really bad, which is why this information is included.

Reading Response

Page 23, picture of slaves on a ship to America

I have had to sit in this position before during a tornado, and it was very uncomfortable. Just looking at this picture makes me feel pain in my back, I don’t like this picture because it makes me feel the incredible pain the slaves felt.

Page 67,picture of slaves on the plantation

I am out in the sun all the time so I know what it feels like. It must have been terrible for them everyday. Looking at this makes me feel exhausted which is why I hate this picture.

Page 41, picture of slaves on auction block

I hate this picture. The slave must have felt embarrassed standing naked in front of everyone waiting to be sold. I know I would feel uncomfortable. I can feel the shame that he feels, wishing that he was somewhere else.