Overwhelming Freedom

Just by delving into his commonplace life as an African America in the mid eighteen-hundreds America, the reader becomes instantly introduced to the hardships that were associated with life in slavery. Unbeknownst to his own past, Booker T. Washington shares with us his lack of ancestry and how his family members were stripped of their human value when brought to America. Since basic human rights were stolen from slaves I felt the need to relate this piece back to Blade Runner, because the replicants’ sole purpose in “life” was to work and serve. As I continued to read, I was surprised at the lack of pessimism or angst that I would expect from a slave describing his life. What shocked me most was the relationship that some owners and slaves had with each other.
The beginning of this classic highlights the genuine kind personality of Booker T. Washington and his interaction with the world of slavery. I did not expect freedom to be such an intimidating experience for those who had been enslaved for so long. We constantly learn from the factual or historical point of view when discussing such issues as slavery, in which the fight for freedom seemed to be the only desire of slaves living in this time. I found it interesting how Booker T. Washington is allowing his readers to experience this revolutionary change through the eyes and minds of those it affected the most.