Compare Gore and Severe as overseers.
Gore and Severe were both very cruel overseers. They would beat and kill slaves and not think twice about it. Severe was more vocal than Gore was though. He would use profanities and get pleasure out of beating the slaves. Gore was a man of few words, which is probably why he was feared more than Severe because they never knew what he was feeling or what he was going to do next. Severe came off as being more of a loudmouth. A "look at me" type man where Gore was very stern and more of a "military" man. I say this because in Chapter Two, the book says, "I have seen him whip a woman, causing the blood to run half an hour at a time; and this,too, in the midst of her crying children, pleading for their mother's release. he seemed to take pleasure in manifesting his fiendish barbarity."(P.935) Severe likes to make a scene. In Chapter Four, the book talks about Gore and a slave named Demby. Demby ran into the creek to cool himself after a whipping. The book says the following about Gore's response to Demby being in the water, "Mr. Gore told him (Demby) that he would give him three calls, and that, if he did not come out at the third call, he would shoot him. The fist call was given. Demby made no response. The second and third calls were given with the same result. Mr. Gore then, without consultation or deliberation with anyone, not even giving Demby as additional call, raised his musket to his face, taking deadly aim at his standing victim, and in an instant poor Demby was no more."(P.941) Mr. Gore told Demby what he was going to do and he did it without any sign of emotion. Both Gore and Severe were considered good overseers because of this type of cruel behavior. Both had the ability to torture and kill another person and not have any feelings of regret.
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I agree your opinion that both Severe and Gore “kill another person and not have any feelings of regret.” Gore must have had no guilt in killing innocent people; he killed Demby without feeling any emotion. Slavery must dehumanize overseers as well as slaves. According to Douglass, slavery can also drastically alter slaveholders’ personality. At first, his new mistress, Sophia Auld, was very kindhearted. However, “this kind heart had but a short time to remain such.” “That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon” (945). Sadly, slave trade still seems to exist today.
ReplyDelete"Mr. Severe, the overseer used to stand by the door of the quarter,armed with a large hickory stick and heavy cow skin, ready to whip any one who was so unfortunate as not to hear or from any other cause."Adding to his cruelty he was a profane swearer. It was enough to chill the blood and stiffen the hair of an ordinary man to hear him talk."(935) Mr.Severe fitted him perfectly I agree he was loud and this proves his voice was a tool to put fear into the slaves. Mr.Gore was not loud and was hard for the slaves to know what he was going to do next."He was one of those who could torture the slightest look, word ro gesture, on the part of the slave, into impudence, and treat it accordingly."(940)
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting that these two men who were considered to be great overseers because of their cruel nature had the names Severe and Gore. Their names seemed to work as labels for the reader to show what roles they played in the narrative. With names like that they were the perfect men for the job. When Douglass is describing Mr. Gore he writes, "He was artful, cruel, and obdurate. He was just the man for such a place, and it was just the place for such a man." (Pg. 940). When talking about Mr. Severe he writes, "Mr. Severe was rightly named: he was a cruel man." (Pg. 935).
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