Stowe 7/13/09

I agree that Harriet Beecher Stowe used various forms of emotion in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" that were heavily involved in allowing the novel to be a success worldwide as well as a strong form of social change. You see throughout the chapters we read, the Bible is referenced by both the slaves and the slave trade participants. Stowe allows the reader to identify with the slaves by using the Bible to refer to the moral wrongs being committed by tearing people away from their families to live a life of hard labor with basically very minimal freedom. I found one quote, spoken by Tom, in which he really summed up how horrible and morally low it is to be a slave trader, that really stood out to me. "'...but the Lord's grace is stronger; besides, you oughter think what an awful state a poor crittur's soul's in that'll do them ar things,-you oughter thank God that you an't like him, Chloe. I'm sure I'd rather be sold, ten thousand times over, than to have all that ar poor crittur's got to answer for.'" This quote stood out to me because of how Tom would rather be a slave for the rest of his life than have the "poor soul" of Haley, a slave trader out to get him. It shows the reader how morally wrong slave trading is by using the dialogue of characters. She uses Tom as a tool to allow the reader to identify with the slaves, because we are all humans. We can all relate to each other. But, at the time, slaves weren't treated humanely at all. Allowing us to identify with what it's like to being treated in such a way the slaves were, Stowe has created a vehicle for social change. That vehicle is "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and the emotions portrayed by the characters.