On Booker T. Washington's Up from Slavery (1)

Yuen M. Ho
English 48B
February 7, 2007
Journal #22 Booker T. Washington

I. Quote

“One of my earliest recollections is that of my mother cooking a chicken late at night, and awakening her children for the purpose of feeding them… no one could ever make me believe that my mother was guilty of thieving. She was simply a victim of the system of slavery.”

II. Summary

Booker T. Washington recalled his childhood memories of being a slave. He revealed from various incidents the poor and shabby life of slaves. In this particular incident, he did not directly point out, but help readers to know that not just did most slaves have to do a lot of household chores for their owners, they could not even have enough food. That’s why he concluded that even if his mother stole food from the owner, “she was simply a victim of the system of slavery.”

III. Response

While the period when slavery was still around was not too distant from now, people not having directly experienced this part of history, either because they do not live in a nation/ state with slavery system, or because they were not born yet, can hardly comprehend what it is like to be a slave, and surely not how it feels.

Booker T. Washington has been able to leave a detailed account of slaves’ life for his next generations. Not just does it help us to understand more about this system, it is a good way for people nowadays to reflect on both racial and legal issues.

Racially, his writing prompts us to reconsider the question of status quo, stereotype and discrimination. While our country has made clear that all people are equal on this vast piece of land since the constitution was written, discrimination is still a miserably serious problem. Yet, what are the legitimate reasons behind such a biased, unfair way of behaviors and thinking? Can we convince ourselves God makes us different to distinguish between classes? Have we ever put ourselves into the shoes of others? Some people may be born black or brown, but no one should be born as a slave—someone who has to work diligently but does not even have enough food in return for their hard effort.

Legally, we should be aware of our established laws. While most people regard laws as holy, or, to a lesser degree, righteous, we should not forget that they were written by people, and people make mistakes. As a responsible citizen, we should evaluate warily from time to time on whether the laws should be amended, and whether all of them are relevant for the current society. Furthermore, ethic principles should always be the basis when we try to judge and refine them.