| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass: oppression. The slave's happiness is not the end sought, but,
rather, the master's <197 A DEVICE OF SLAVERY>safety. It is not
from a generous unconcern for the slave's labor that this
cessation from labor is allowed, but from a prudent regard to the
safety of the slave system. I am strengthened in this opinion,
by the fact, that most slaveholders like to have their slaves
spend the holidays in such a manner as to be of no real benefit
to the slaves. It is plain, that everything like rational
enjoyment among the slaves, is frowned upon; and only those wild
and low sports, peculiar to semi-civilized people, are
encouraged. All the license allowed, appears to have no other
My Bondage and My Freedom |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Damaged Goods by Upton Sinclair: are saying? You want to return to your home?"
"Yes, ma'am," was the answer.
"But," cried George, "only ten minutes ago you were not thinking
of it."
"What has happened since then?" demanded Madame Dupont.
"I have thought it over."
"Thought it over?"
"Well, I am getting lonesome for my little one and for my
husband."
"In the last ten minutes?" exclaimed George.
"There must be something else," his mother added. "Evidently
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Secrets of the Princesse de Cadignan by Honore de Balzac: princess; she whose past had given rise to so many anecdotes could
very well stand that lesser calumny. Together they began to relate to
d'Arthez the adventures of the Duchesse de Maufrigneuse: her first
affair with de Marsay; her second with d'Ajuda, whom she had, they
said, distracted from his wife, thus avenging Madame de Beausant; also
her later connection with young d'Esgrignon, who had travelled with
her in Italy, and had horribly compromised himself on her account;
after that they told him how unhappy she had been with a certain
celebrated ambassador, how happy with a Russian general, besides
becoming the Egeria of two ministers of Foreign affairs, and various
other anecdotes. D'Arthez replied that he knew a great deal more than
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