I found the above image interestingly disturbing because not only did it show the pain and anguish of the slaves, but revealed the lack of shame slaveholders and auctioneers had in that time period. The way these slaves were showcased on a large platform so everyone could observe their agony is disgraceful. It reminded me of a passage from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass in which he and fellow slaves are evaluated and "ranked together...with horses, sheep, and swine" (Douglass 373). Douglass, like the slaves in the image above, are aware that they are being objectified like cattle or auctioned off like prizes. Additionally, the mothers desperately clutching their children appropriately portrays the feelings Douglass describes when he and his fellow slaves realize what it meant to be divided: "to sunder forever the dearest friends, dearest kindred, and strongest ties known to human beings" (374). The artist makes visible on the face of the little girl the desperation of knowing that the auctioneer is about to separate or "sunder forever" her ties with her mother.I feel the artist perfectly depicts the slaveholders and auctioneers as indifferent and apathetic towards the feelings of the slaves they are inhumanely auctioning. All the white men in the image are standing around completely at ease amidst families being ripped apart. In the background of the image, a black man, most likely a husband and father, is being whipped in order to represent the physical cruelty of slavery. The brutality and inhumanity of slaveholders and auctioneers of the time is clearly evident in this image.
This is a really eye opening photo and it is a very good reference after reading Harriet Jacobs talk about how every New Years families were torn apart. This was something every African American family had to go through and there was absolutely no way around this situation. I like all of your points, and they are all so true. The fact that the slave owners are showing no sympathy to the mother and daughter who are being separate is really sad. And from reading Jacobs we know that this is most likely the last time the two will ever see each other for the rest of their lives. I think what makes this photo really hard to look at is the fact that this kind of thing happened on a regular basis. It is as if one of the two white men just purchased either the mother or daughter and is upset at the fact that they are saying their goodbyes rather than accepting that they are no longer going to be in the same household. This is a very good photo in the sense that we are shown such a life changing event occur right before our eyes.
ReplyDeleteThat is quite disturbing. To me this pictures brings up the idea of family. Surprisingly it links strongly with ideas brought up in Harriet Jacobs' narrative. It brings to mind Jacobs grandmother having to part with her youngest son. You can see the distress of parent child seperation. Unlike what is depicted in Douglas narrative this supports Jacob's idea that family ties were difficult to maintain but non the less apparent. I feel as though the photo also helps show the brutality of the slave owners. I agree with the idea that this was anything but a rarity at the time period. Thus, it would be no surprise if the slave owners were desensitized to the disparity of the slaves. What really gets me is as stated above the background. More than anything this is a minor detail in the art work but one that speaks volumes. You can clearly see the African American man about to be hit with something, and infer he is being whipped. I honestly feel as though this sums up the dehumanization of the entire system.
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