Cries of the Past

I was very disappointed when Tom was proven guilty, because all of the evidence and testimonies made it clear that he was innocent and what had actually happened was Mr. Ewell beating Mayella when he was drunk. I think it is awful that Mr. Ewell would blame his wrongdoings on Tom Robinson for the fact that he was a Black American who would be at a huge disadvantage in the case. I have always been interested in slavery, but this book has opened my eyes even more to the issues and evil of slavery. Just last night I was reading an article in Time Magazine, about peonage. Peonage is basically modern slavery and it told the story of a family of Black Americans in Mississippi who were forced to work on a farm for no pay throughout the fifties and sixties. They would be traded from farm to farm to work and were treated cruelly receiving severe punishments such as whippings (aftermath of years of whippings in picture to the left), beatings, and being raped which happened numerous times to the mother and daughter in the family. They only ate what they could hunt or find or eat the scraps of their owners. The most appalling thing of this was that the family did not know that this was even illegal, they thought slavery was still going on in the United States. They had no knowledge, whatsoever, that it had been abolished and they were still being treated this way when it was illegal and immoral. The family finally were relieved of their hell when they were traded to a family who treated them well and set them free. After being set free, the family then learned that slavery was abolished. This just shows the world how evil and heartless some people are and it sickens me every time I think about it.