is white, ought to be treated by her as he surely will be, viz: as a NIGER!!!!" Throughout the book he speaks of several occasions where conversation with Black folk sickens him. In one incident, he explains to a coloured man the extent (or lack thereof) of his son's education. In another, he questions the expectations of a slave who proclaims to be completely happy cleaning the boots, clothes, etc. of Whites. "...My objections are, to our glorifying and being happy in such low employments."I think Walker had a hard time relating to his brothers because his experience was very different than theirs. Because his mother was a free woman, the law freed Walker from the chains of slavery. Although he observed the brutality of slavery, he did not endure it. Very much like us, he was speaking in abstract, having no personal experience to fall back on. In class you proposed a question dealing with saving our wives from rape, or letting it happen. As the class became heating, it was apparent to me there was no right or wrong answer. Until we are put in those life or death situations, we cannot indefinitely secure a position.The tone of Walker's Appeals also have a lot to do with him not being a slave. If Walker's experience as a free black man filled him full of anger at the racism he experienced, imagine how the slaves who actually endured it felt. I'd like to crack a whip on Walker's ass 24-7 and see if he still proclaims a "Kill Whitey!/Do something you idiots." attitude.I don't have very much to say about David Walker's Appeals. However, Walker himself proves to be more important than his publication. A wise man once said "you control people in one of two ways: through fear or hope. Walker instilled hope in Blacks in a time where the plantation was the staple of America. He argued that African Americans were degraded by slavery and were kept in subjection through ignorance and through the perversion of "Christianity." He called for Blacks t...
