![]() Although surrounded by non-educated slaves and assumed to be inferior, he, like the curved axe handle, is at heart something much more.Īdditionally, though he views his fellow slaves with genuine fondness and even admiration, his depictions of them reinforce an unconscious attempt to distinguish himself as better, or smarter, or somehow more worthy than them. In this way, the axe handle serves as a symbol for Northup himself. He takes delight in the fact that even his white master, Edwin Epps, is “forcibly struck with the novelty of the idea” and that his master keeps it in the house as a conversation starter among his friends. In his eyes, those curved handles are superior to the rude, straight axe handles used in the South. To him, it is important that the handle he created mirrored the design of those commonly used in the North. Here in Chapter XIII, he makes a point of telling about his construction of an axe handle. This doesn’t appear to be a design for belittling his fellow slaves, but rather an unconscious reminder of his self-worth and status as a free, educated black man from the North.įor example, previously in Chapter VII, Northup highlighted his ingenuity and acclaim for devising a method of logging via waterway. The further Northup progresses in his narrative, the more frequently he finds it necessary to distinguish himself from the “common slave” with whom he has been quartered. She is also the most abused of all Epps’ slaves, a victim of her master’s frequent rapes and the hatred of her master’s wife. Patsey is given special attention, described as “a splendid animal,” skillful, industrious, and the best cotton picker of all. Northup finishes this chapter by introducing the other slaves on Epps’ plantation, including Abram, Wiley, Phebe, Bob, Henry, Edward, and Patsey. Those who danced too slowly were whipped. When drunk, Epps also had a peculiar habit of rousing his slaves at all times of the night and forcing them to dance for his entertainment. ![]() At length, Epps assigns him to other hard labors instead.Įpps is the epitome of inhumane, and on his farm, “it was rarely that a day passed without one or more whippings.” Slaves were whipped for falling short of their cotton picking quotas, for breaking a branch in the field, for appearing to be idle in the field, for quarrelling with cabin-mates, and more. After he recovers, Platt is put to work picking cotton in the field-a job to which he is poorly suited. Platt then becomes very ill and almost dies before Epps finally calls a doctor to help. Epps, used to seeing only straight handles, is surprised and impressed by Platt’s work. He makes a curved one, similar to what he’d known in the North. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here.Īny changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel.Upon arriving at Epps’ plantation, Platt is instructed to make an axe handle. ![]() You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. If you’d like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for $69 per month.įor cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here.Ĭhange the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. ![]() Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. ![]()
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