Uncle Tom's Cabin Reading Notes (1)

1. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" depicts both black slaves with different expressions and personalities, as well as the faces of different types of slave owners. It focuses on the Christian spirit instilled by the slave owners, the rebellious black slave Tom, and also portrays the rebellious black slaves who are not willing to let the slave owners decide their own lives and deaths, such as Eliza and her husband George Harris.

2. It also reveals that the inner world of various types of slave owners is not exactly the same as that of slave owners.

3. Through the description of tom and George Harris, two different personalities of black slaves, the book tells the reader: Tom, who is obedient and at the mercy of the slave owner, will inevitably die, and the George couple who dare to resist the struggle have gained a new life.

4. Achievements:

(1) This book has played a positive role in the development of society, especially the victory of the righteous side represented by Lincoln in the Abolitionist Movement in the United States and the American Civil War.

(2) As a literary work, the famous American poet Henry Longfellow called it "the greatest victory in the history of literature."

(3) In 1852, it was first serialized in the journal "National Times", which immediately aroused a strong response and received unparalleled popularity, and in the first year alone, more than 100 editions were printed in China, more than 300,000 copies were sold, and later translated into more than 20 languages and published around the world.

(4) Critics believe that the book played a major role in inspiring anti-slavery sentiment in the united states, and is regarded as one of the causes of the American Civil War.

(5) When President Lincoln later met with Mrs. Stowe, he jokingly called her "the little woman who wrote a book and caused a great war." This joke fully reflects the great influence of the novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin".

5. The story begins with a bargain between a slave owner and a slave trader:

Location: Kentucky, USA

Character: Slave owner - Shelby

Event: Failed speculation on the stock market, and in order to pay off the debt, decides to sell two slaves – Tom and Eliza and her son Harry.

6. The character of the two slaves:

(1) Tom: Born in Shelby's plantation, he was a small domestic slave who served his master in his childhood, which was quite pleasing to his master, and became the head of the house slave when he became an adult, loyal and devoted to protecting the interests of his master.

(2) Eliza (mixed black and white): Not a slave who listens intently to her master. When she overheard that her master was going to sell Tom and her son Harry, she took her son to jump off the ice-packed Ohio River with her son in the hunt of slave traders, fled to the Free State, and then to Canada. And the husband, George Harris, a slave in a nearby plantation, also waited for the opportunity to escape, joined his wife, took the child, and finally successfully arrived in Canada with the help of abolitionist organizations.

Sentiment:

The personalities between the two are different, and the encounters are also different. Because he had been indoctrinated by the slave owners from an early age into the Christian preaching of fear of God, obedience, and loyalty to the master, Tom had no complaints about the master's desire to sell him to pay off the debt, and was willing to obey the master. So, after he knew and supported Eliza to escape, but he himself did not escape.

7. Main line: Tom.

Event: Resold to New Orleans and became a slave to slave trader Hayley.

Twist: During a drowning accident, Tom saves the life of a slave owner's youngest daughter, Eva, and the child's father, St. Clay, buys Tom from Hayley. He became a domestic servant and drove a carriage for the master's family.

Passing: Tom and the little girl build up a relationship. But soon after, the little girl suddenly fell ill and died, and St. Clay decided to free Tom and the other black slaves according to the wishes of his younger daughter.

The result: Before he could complete the legal formalities for his liberation, St. Clay was killed in an accident. Instead of freeing Tom and the other slaves, St. Clay's wife sent them to the slave auction market.

Transformation: Tom then falls into the hands of a vicious "Red River" plantation slave owner, Legley.

8. The character of the new character - Legley: Treating black slaves as "talking cattle", whipping at will, and lynching indiscriminately.

(Tom endures inhuman torture, still not thinking of finding a way to survive for himself, but silently adhering to the principle of being an upright person.) It was enough to see that he was still following the rules and did not dare to resist! ）

9. New turning point:

Incident: The female slaves at this plantation decide to escape in order to survive, and they go into hiding.

Passing: Legley suspects that Tom helped them escape, binds Tom, whips him to death, and comes back to life. But Tom finally showed his defiance against the slave owners and said nothing.

The result: While Tom was dying, George Shelby, the son of his former master, shelby, the slave owner who had sold him for the first time, came to redeem Tom.

Reason: Tom was Little Shelby's childhood servant and playmate.

Ending: At this time, Tom is no longer able to receive the belated help of his former little master, and he has passed away with a full body. George Shelby punched Legley to the ground. Buried Tom on the spot.

Little Shelby freed all the black slaves under his name in the name of Uncle Tom and said to them, "Every time you see Uncle Tom's cabin, you should think of your freedom." (That's the end)

10. Excerpt:

"Uncle Tom's Cabin" depicts both black slaves with different expressions and personalities, as well as the faces of different types of slave owners. It focuses on the Christian spirit instilled by the slave owners, the rebellious black slave Tom, and also portrays the rebellious black slaves who are not willing to let the slave owners decide their own lives and deaths, such as Eliza and her husband George Harris. At the same time, it also reveals that the inner world of various types of slave owners is not exactly the same as that of slave owners. Through the description of tom and George Harris, two different personalities of black slaves, the book tells the reader that Tom, who is obedient and at the mercy of the slave owner, will inevitably die, and the Georges who dare to resist and dare to fight have a new life. Therefore, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" played a positive role in the development of society, especially the victory of the righteous side represented by Lincoln in the American AbolitionIst Movement and the American Civil War. As a literary work, the famous American poet Henry Longfellow called it "the greatest victory in the history of literature."