Slave Quote by Solomon Northup
““Oh! How heavily the weight of slavery pressed upon me then. I must toil day after day, endure abuse and taunts and scoffs, sleep on the hard ground, live on the coarsest fare, and not only this, but live the slave of a blood-seeking wretch, of whom I must stand henceforth in continued fear and dread. Why had I not died in my young years-before God had given me children to love and live for? What unhappiness and suffering and sorrow it would have prevented. I sighed for liberty; but the bondsman's chain was round me, and could not be shaken off. I could only gaze wistfully towards the North, and think of the thousands of miles that stretched between me and the soil of freedom, over which a black freeman may not pass.””
About This Quote
Source Narrative: Twelve Years a Slave, 1853
The narrator describes the brutal reality of slavery and his yearning for freedom.
In simple terms: Slavery brings suffering and longing for liberty.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and oppose oppression.
Themes
slavery
freedom
human suffering
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
historical
literary
When to use this quote
- historical reflection
- human rights advocacy
- education
- literary analysis
Key Concepts
oppression
resilience
hope
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this narrative teach about resilience?
- How can we honor those who suffered?
A Different Perspective
The quote reflects a personal lament, not a universal solution.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
