Stoowe's Emotional Appeal

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People have claimed that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom's Cabin was responsible for the Civil War due to its powerful emotional appeal and its role in strengthening the abolitionist movement by vividly depicting the horrors of slavery. This is similar to Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, which was credited with helping to start the Revolutionary War by articulating the colonial grievances against British rule and rallying support for independence. These examples, along with other influential works such as Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, and George Orwell’s 1984, demonstrate the power of literature to shape public opinion, inspire social and political movements, and incite significant historical events by engaging readers emotionally and …show more content…

Using vivid and emotional descriptions, she depicts the harsh realities of slaves, with the intention of evoking empathy and outrage from her readers. An example of her powerful emotional appeal is when the story refers to the separation of a mother and child; “Now he was to be taken from her, and sold to cruel men, and she would never see him again. She felt she could not bear it” (Stowe 14). From reading Stowe's novel, one could take away the immorality of slavery, the humanity of enslaved people, and the moral imperative to end the practice. In the North, Uncle Tom's Cabin reinforced the abolitionist movement, with many readers being moved to take a stronger stand against slavery. In the South, the book was met with outrage and denial, with many pro-slavery advocates publishing rebuttals and defenses of the institution. One of the most famous anecdotes is the alleged remark by Abraham Lincoln when he met Stowe: “So you’re the little lady who started this great war.” While this story is likely apocryphal, it reflects the widespread belief in the book’s …show more content…

Stowe’s novel quickly sparked the attention of the abolitionist movement in the North and inspired many readers to oppose slavery more vehemently. Although, in the South, the book was met with “outrage and denial”, with many pro-slavery supporters publishing rebuttals and defenses of the institution (Wright). The book’s impact, however, can best be recounted by the remark made by the issuer of the Emancipation Proclamation himself, Abraham Lincoln, to Stowe when he said in 1862, “So you are the little women who wrote the book that started this great war.” While we may not know for sure if this instance actually happened, it does heavily underscore the belief in the book’s influence. So therefor, by humanizing enslaved people and highlighting the brutality of slavery, Uncle Tom's Cabin helped shine light on the issue, contributing to the growing tensions that eventually led to the Civil War. Similarly to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, published in January 1776, was pivotal in rallying support for American

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