Question

Read the following passage. In 4–5 sentences, identify who wrote it. Support your choice with details about the content or style of the passage. Be sure to include at least three words or phrases (in quotation marks) from the passage to support your conclusions. (4 points)

"One day, when all our people were gone out to their works as usual, and only I and my dear sister were left to mind the house, two men and a woman got over our walls, and in a moment seized us both, and, without giving us time to cry out, or make resistance, they stopped our mouths, and ran off with us into the nearest wood. Here they tied our hands, and continued to carry us as far as they could, till night came on, when we reached a small house, where the robbers halted for refreshment, and spent the night. We were then unbound, but were unable to take any food; and, being quite overpowered by fatigue and grief, our only relief was some sleep, which allayed our misfortune for a short time. The next morning we left the house, and continued travelling all the day. For a long time we had kept the woods, but at last we came into a road which I believed I knew. I had now some hopes of being delivered; for we had advanced but a little way before I discovered some people at a distance, on which I began to cry out for their assistance; but my cries had no other effect than to make them tie me faster and stop my mouth, and then they put me into a large sack."

Answer 1

This passage makes us think of the story of an African slave for several reasons:

First, the fact that the person was kidnapped ("two men and a woman got over our walls, and in a moment seized us both, and, without giving us time to cry out, or make resistance, they stopped our mouths, and ran off with us into the nearest wood"). While kidnappings occur all over the world in various circumstances, the slave trade used them systematically in order to separate families and capture people that could be sold as slaves.

Also, slaves were often forced to walk long distances after being captured ("The next morning we left the house, and continued travelling all the day") because they had to get from their native region to the coast, where they could board ships to Europe and America.

Finally, the fact that he sees people at the end of his journey, but they do not help him makes us think that the practice is normalized, which was the case with slavery ("I began to cry out for their assistance; but my cries had no other effect than to make them tie me faster and stop my mouth").