Final answer:
An enslaved person in ancient Rome starts their day working in their master's garden, reflecting on seen posters and the status of freed persons. They yearn for recognition of their humanity amid the daily reminders of their enslavement and the entertainment that gladiators provide to the Roman citizens.
Step-by-step explanation:
Imagine it is another sweltering day in ancient Rome. Enslaved people like myself commence the arduous tasks before sunrise. My hands, calloused and worn, pain me as I tend to the master’s garden, pruning and planting under the relentless Roman sun.
Today, a new poster was displayed in the forum, heralding the glory of the Roman state. Some of my fellow slaves whisper of revolt, but I think of the punishment for those who dare dream of freedom. I am conflicted—hope and fear tangle like the grapevines I carefully tend.
Whispers of what it means to be a freed person weave through our conversations. They speak of new obligations, different chains. Perhaps to be truly free in Rome is a dream far too grand for people like me.
Our masters disregard our humanity, treating us as mere tools for their comfort and wealth. Still, I cling to my innermost thoughts, yearning for a day when the Roman Empire recognizes our worth, our contributions, our shared breath under the same sky.
With each gladiator poster that graces the walls, I am reminded of where we, the disenfranchised, stand in this mighty empire. We live by their whims, die for their entertainment, and hope, fiercely, quietly, for a legacy beyond our enslavement