Carsten Petersen

Ms. Parker 11 Grade

English
January 20 2015
Uncle Toms Cabin Final Draft
Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe stands as proof to a past set of standards
and expectations. In modern day we clearly see slavery was not wrong, but it was a much
different story for those living back then. Uncle Toms Cabin was written after the Fugitive
Slave Act of 1850. This act made it illegal for anyone in the United States to give their aid to a
runaway slave. This made it incredibly difficult for slaves to escape and even have the want to
because they know there isnt anybody who wants to take them in.
While Eliza knows the risk of this, she leaves with her son hoping to take refuge in
Canada. This conveys how bad the circumstances must have been with other slave masters back
then, and Eliza knew that. In Uncle Toms Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe uses rhetorical
questions, anaphora, and exemplum to effectively convey to her readers the racial and cultural
attitudes of that time period.
On pages one hundred fifty six and one hundred fifty seven, St. Clare is talking to Miss
Ophelia and Marie on the topic of religion and slavery. St. Clare has just arrived to the house
with Tom and Eva. Marie, St. Clares wife, is very content with slavery. The author uses
rhetorical questions to help get Augustine St. Clare point of religion across. St. Clare says,
Religion! Is what you hear at church religion? Is that which can bend and turn, and descend and
ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? Is that religion which is
less scrupulous, less generous, less just, less considerate for man, than even my own ungodly,

worldly, blinded nature? I find this a very good used of several rhetorical questions. First, St.
Clare puts this question out to the ladies, Is that which can bend and turn, and descend and
ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? He was not trying to
generate a response from them. He was using it in a mocking way putting down their so called
religion when absolute truths tell us that religion isn't supposed to sway with the wind. Religion
is meant to be absolute and whole. He repeats this first blow with an equal, more resounding
second question. This second rhetorical question he includes anaphora in using the word less
very frequently. Pulling in religion is quite clear. He asks them simple questions hoping to prove
a point of how he is in the right with not being a part of their religion and staying in the clear for
now.
Next, St. Clare uses an example of his making to convey his point about religious
inconsistency through slavery. He asks the ladies, suppose that something should bring down
the price of cotton once and forever, and make the whole slave property a drug in the market,
don't you think we should soon have another version of the scripture doctrine? What a flood of
light would pour into the church, all at once, and how immediately it would be discovered that
everything in the Bible and reason went the other way! So this passage is putting across the
point that the Bible changes with the world, it can be interpreted many ways and those ways will
all be different depending on that specific situation they are in, on that day. He includes diction
by pulling specific words like, immediately pour and flood to show how fast it would all
change. His main rhetorical tool in this would be exemplum. He makes an example using two
very hot topics in that time and makes them completely relevant with his topic by his syntax and
diction. He pulls in the religious attitude from that day by using the Bible and how easy it is to

change the meaning. Along with that, St. Clare portrays the racial attitude by talking about the
slave market.
While living back then, Harriet Beecher Stowe has a very clear sense of what slavery was
like. She was an incredible author and was able to show it through her writings using tools such
as anaphora, exemplum, rhetorical questions, and diction to clearly convey the times of slavery.
She used such precise and pristine language through her characters with such sharpness and
neatness.
Hattiet included a lot of examples throughout the book and again used a clearness of
language that I did not expect first getting into this book. Using anaphora at appropriate times
along with rhetorical questions.
Infusing anaphora, rhetorical questions, diction, and exemplum into Uncle Toms Cabin
enabled her to portray the racial and religious times properly back then.