Final answer:
Films and narratives about slavery provide insights into the brutal treatment of slaves, the complex slave-master relationships, and the ways slaves resisted and created their own communities. They reveal the different strategies used for resistance, and sometimes even show a compassionate side of slaves towards their unjust owners.
Step-by-step explanation:
The institution of slavery, as depicted in films and narratives, provides insights into the inhuman treatment of slaves, the complexity of relationships between slaves and their masters, methods of resistance, and the cultural impact of slavery. Films often explore the multifaceted experiences of enslaved people, including their suffering, community ties, and various forms of rebellion. For instance, slaves developed forms of passive resistance, such as sabotaging equipment or causing delays, as a way to communicate and unite against their oppression.
In contrast, slave narratives sometimes highlight the way that enslaved people employed strategies to resist, such as leveraging White southerners' own philosophies—paternalism and Christianity—to their advantage. Additionally, such accounts often reveal the conduct of slaveholders and the slave trade, with some narratives noting the compassion felt by slaves towards their owners, despite the ill treatment. This complicated interpersonal dynamics and created a form of empathy that aimed to appeal to the audience's moral sensibilities and potentially inspire change in attitudes towards slavery.