Mary Prince Rhetorical Analysis

In the supplement, The History of Mary Prince we find the word licentious being used with a sexual connotation to describe the supposed behavior of a poor black slave named Mary Prince. Her master Mr. Woods argued how she had no value for the way she behaved under his care and found it enough reason to deny her manumission. Given the context in which the word is being used one would say the definition, “Disregarding the restraint of chastity; libertine, lascivious, lewd” (Oxford Dictionary), is the most appropriate definition of the word. Mr. Pringle, trying to shed light on this case, goes on by addressing Mr. Woods letter and saying, “He alleges that she was, before marriage, licentious, and even depraved (morally bad) in her conduct, and

unfaithful to her husband afterwards” (29). The fact that the use of the word had to do with her sexual “connexion with a white person, a Capt.---” (32) before her marriage, the sentence itself indicates this definition to be correct because it refers to marriage and Mary not practicing chastity which was frowned upon. Mr. Pringle omitted this part in the narrative because it was too indecent for woman readers but when addressing Mr. Woods and his “pretending to the pure Christian rule of morals” (32) was addressed.
The use of this specific word affects the meaning of the narrative/supplement as a whole because its use describes the character’s overall morals and gives us a negative point of view of Mary which is exactly what Mr.

Wood intended to do when his letter was being interpreted. He meant to portray her as an untraditional, unchristian like woman who was disloyal to her husband and disobedient with him. According to the Oxford English Dictionary thesaurus, the word licentious has many synonyms such as gole, light, loose, laches, libertine, prostitute, and wide to say the least neither which given the context it is used in seems to give the sentence a strong meaning and insight of the supposed unladylike, immoral, and unchristian like characteristics of Mary Prince. This sums up her actions to be negative enough to view her as a woman of no value unworthy of manumission but is also used to give Mr. Woods a bad reputation because knowing and admitting Mary behaved this way, he still kept her as his slave exposed to his family. Given many opportunities to sell her and get rid of her, if she in fact was such an unholy woman and he a “Christian” how did he “reconcile it to his conscience to keep in the bosom of his family so depraved, as well as so troublesome a character for at least thirteen years, and confide to her for long periods to the charge of his house and care of his children…” (30). Thought the word was harsh, it was a perfect choice to question Mr. Woods character as

well because he “allowed” such behavior.