The History Of Mary Prince Analysis

The idea of publishing The History of Mary Prince came initially from herself. Prince aspired for her story to be told from her own mouth, so that “the good people in England might hear from a slave what a slave had felt and suffered” making sure to include the most heartbreaking and gruesome details (55). Her narrative was the first account of a black woman’s life to be published in Britain, debuting during a time when slavery was still legal. Prince writes to disprove the justification that many slave owners had for their actions: that slaves were with no wish to be free. This book had such an immense effect on Britain because it was written by a former slave, disproving the idea that slaves were not human or could not survive being free, …show more content…
Prince describes herself as “vexed” and “sorrowful” at the idea that people in Britain claimed that slaves were happy and had no desire to be free (93). In this passage she is using a shame tactic, directly speaking to people with these ideals, claiming that they are either ignorant or liars. She responds angrily, asking how slaves could be happy being separated from their families, sold off like beasts, and subjected to inhumane violence. She then questions how these English people could “act in such a beastly manner” when they go to the West Indies (93). She finalizes with the argument that England was managing very well without slaves, without whips, and without punishment. They hired servants instead, giving them liberty to leave a bad master. She explains that they do not mind the work, they just want “proper treatment”, “proper wages”, and “proper time” allotted for religious observance (94). Prince is very frank in her manner of portraying her motive of writing. She wants slavery to be abolished, and she injects shame into the hearts of her readers in able to accomplish her