Hop Frog Essay -- essays papers

Hop FrogSlavery was definitely adept of the major causes that led to the Civil War, the most dramatic event in the American history. many masterpieces were written to criticize slavery. Among them, we count Poes Hop-Frog, also kn induce as Eight Chained Ourang-Outans. Written in 1849, Hop-Frog delivers the message to the Southern States about indispensable tragedy that awaits the Americans as a result of slavery & the slave trade. Each element of the Poes story, including character, settings & the plot is somehow related to the historical background of the coupled States before 1865.In the first place, Poe connects his story to the notion of serfdom by careful selection of characters & the description of relation between them. In fact, from the first rendition there is not much of abnormal to remark in the characters relation a simple relation between a king & his multi-functional jester. But later on an attentive analysis of the story, it becomes obvious that the characters ar e allegorical. They, in fact, represent the relation between a master & a slave, a possession. This kind of relation characterizes slavery, where one human being possesses another one & does with him whatever is desired. Poe gives us some hints to come to this given conclusion Our king, as a matter of cause, retained his own fool. The author uses the word retained to describe kings possession of the jester, which is the key element in bondage, rather than any form of employment. As we find out later, this kind of custody leaves Hop-Frog with practically no freedom, whether it is freedom to chose or freedom to act Come here Hop-Frog, swallow this bumperIt happened to be misfortunate dwarfs birthday, and the command to drink forced tears to his eye... ...n the North & the South, which finally brought United States to the Civil War.Finally, as we reach the end of the story, we witness Hop-Frogs fierce revenge. In fact, there is something particular in the way how Hop-Frog takes rev enge on king & his seven ministers he burnt them. It is closely related to the cypher that the Southern States had after the loss in the Civil War. Everything from plantations to natural resources were put to fire by the Northern armies, as they were making their way to the Confederates capital, Richmond. Hop-frogs escape symbolizes the massive migration of slaves from the South after the end of the war. Although the serfdom was officially abolished in 1863 in the North & by the end of the war in the South, it took many more years before an Afro-American could be treated the same way as every citizen in the United States of America.