Final answer:
Enslaved people endured brutal physical conditions, emotional and psychological torment, and were often stripped of their personal dignity and family connections. However, they displayed resilience and cultural strength through music, oral stories, and a hopeful outlook toward eventual freedom.
Step-by-step explanation:
Throughout the folk tales and narratives provided, the conditions under which slaves lived were extremely harsh and dehumanizing. People enslaved faced separation from family, long working hours, and physical abuse. They endured emotional pain and psychological torment from being treated as property rather than as human beings. Parents taught their children to navigate this reality through caution, compliance, and teaching stories that offered veiled critiques of their circumstances. Despite this, slaves also found ways to express their resilience, humor, and aspirations for freedom through work songs with double meanings. The end of slavery brought both joy and the heavy responsibility of finding a way forward in freedom, without the necessary resources or support.