This was my first time to read UTC and I felt very tired when I finished. I absolutely felt the book was a great book and really got the attention of people. I certainly kept my attention yet I felt so drained after reading it because of all the emotion. Several thoughts came to mind from the book.
Uncle Tom is a character that shows selflessness, love for everyone, and goodwill for all. He should be what we strive to be. It is not hard to see he was shown in the light of Jesus. It is sad to see that Uncle Tom is actually a negative term these days. People think of Uncle Tom as someone who bows down to white people. Black people use the term to describe someone who they feel is detrimental to another black person. Uncle Tom in UTC was a positive figure in the book. His deep religious values and passiveness was for the good of others.
I liked the way Stowe wrote about the evils of slavery. She showed the "good" side to slavery and then blasted the reader with the more common hideous and harsh side of slavery. It just made me want to do something about treatment of others in such a terrible way. Today, there are thousands of people who are held as slaves. It is amazing that the problems of slavery written in this book years ago have not changed today. How incredibly sad!
Then ending of the book was really fulfilling. It was a relief that Cassy was reunited with her daughter, Eliza. I was surprised about the family connection and it felt good to see the family together again. Stowe was quite creative in writing about Cassy's escape. I loved it! It was perfect revenge for Legree to be spooked into insanity and on his deathbed from drinking (p. 431).
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. It was good to jog me out of my nice little life to think about the horrors that people have even today. I have always felt compassion for fellow humans but haven't always known how to act on those feelings. My husband and I have been researching some not for profit organizations that help educate children. It is something we would like to be involved in at some point in our lives. I think education is the key to many social injustices: racism, slavery, poverty, and the list goes on and on! It will be good to read UTC when I begin to feel complacent in my life. I'll get "fired up" to do something positive in this world!
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It's really interesting how this book has seemed to spur the same "call to action" amongst so many in this class. There are so many worthy causes to be fought for and to educate others about. It always seems that as one person, we couldn't possibly make a difference on any sort of larger scale, but our actions can impact so much more than just ourselves. Tom is a prime example of how his actions and his faith were a positive impact to everyone he came into contact with.
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