Different view

A Slaves Life
They say go and I go
They say do this and I do it
They say gather and I gather
They say sow and I sow
For I am but a common slave and
They a cruel and capricious master

Who cares nothing if I live or die
For my daughters are like sheep and goats
And my sons like camels and oxen
All my children in the fields
Are bent by this burden
And bear the rod of the taskmaster

And at night by the fires
Amid the smoke from the smoldering pots
I pray to the Lord who is my freedom
And my deliverance
Whose reach is greater than the Nile
And whose bounty flows more freely

by: Doug Tanoury (http://www.catholicplanet.com/poems/tanoury7.htm)

This is a poem written by a former slave who gained freedom after the Civil War and sought an higher education. You can clearly distinquish the tone from this writer and the tons from former slaves within the book. In the book, All former slaves seem to show signs of appreciation toward their master for providing them with shelter, food, and warmth. However, in this intricate poem, the writer shows a new prospective to slavery. She shares her feeling with her choice of words. words such as "Cruel," Capricious," and "burden." All these are very negative words that reveals how she feels about slavery. Education is important to our society. by exploring what we've done in the past, can help us avoid it in the future.