Now, you try Detective Spade's methods. Complete the self check activity by reading the passages below, answering the questions in the text boxes that follow, and clicking on the "Answer" button to review the explanations.
"There are great plenty of Oysters all along by the sea side, as far as I Rode in the Colony, and those very good. And they Generally lived very well and comfortably in their families. But too Indulgent (especially ye farmers) to their slaves: suffering too great familiarity from them, permitting them to sit at Table and eat with them, (as they say to save time,) and into the dish goes the black hoof as freely as the white hand. They told me that there was a farmer lived near the Town where I lodged who had some difference With his slave, concerning something the master had promised him and did not punctually perform; which caused some hard words between them; But at length they put the matter to Arbitration and Bound themselves to stand to the award of such as they named–which done, the Arbitrators Having heard the Allegations of both parties, Order the master to pay 40' to black face, and acknowledge his fault. And so the matter ended: the poor master very honestly standing to the award."
(Journal of Madam Knight. An Electronic Edition. Sarah Kemble Knight 1666-1727. Original Source: Sarah Kemble Knight, "The Journal of Madam Knight." The Puritans. Ed. Perry Miller and Thomas H. Johnson. New York: American Book Company, 1938.)
Describe the audience, purpose, perspective, and tone of the passage. Justify your analysis.
This passage is from a journal and is written from the first person point of view. It tells about the author's own experiences and feelings about them, so the main purpose is expressive. Since it also provides information about how the people in the region treated their slaves as near equals, the other purpose may be informative. The audience of this journal was most likely specific to the author herself, her family, and maybe her community, people who shared her value system and viewed slaves as property rather than people. The tone of the passage is judgmental and condemning of the people's attitude. Words like “black hoof” to describe a hand, “poor master” and “too indulgent” demonstrate the author's attitude toward the subject of the practice of treating slaves fairly.
Summarize the passage in your own words.
I travelled to a colony by the sea where there were lots of oysters. The people there lived well, but they treated their slaves too much like equals. They even let them eat meals at the same table like family. They told me about a farmer who did not live up to a promise he made his slave. The slave took him to court and won. The unfortunate farmer paid the slave money and admitted his guilt.
Paraphrase the line "But too Indulgent (especially ye farmers) to their slaves: suffering too great familiarity from them, permitting them to sit at Table and eat with them, (as they say to save time,) and into the dish goes the black hoof as freely as the white hand."
But the farmers especially were too friendly with their slaves. They allowed them to eat meals at the same table and to eat the same food and as much of it as they liked.
What graphic organizer would be the best choice for deconstructing the passage? Why?
A timeline would not be appropriate, even though there is a brief story here, because there is no clear sequence of events. If we had more information about how Knight's community treated their slaves a Venn diagram would be appropriate, but we do not. In this case an illustration hierarchy or an idea web would be appropriate, because Knight gives examples of the familiarity with which the people she met treated their slaves. Each example: meals, and the court case would go in second level of the organizer and the details of each example would be put in the third level.
What is the main idea of the passage?
The main idea that Knight is showing is that the people of the colony she visited treated their slaves too fairly and it was a problem for them.
Self Check: To the Point, Part 1
