Summary Of Seneca's Letter '47 To Lucilius'

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I am arguing Seneca’s letter #47 to Lucilius, was correct in explaining to Lucilius the importance of treating slaves in a harmonic and gentle way, instead of treating them harshly. Moreover, he is pleased and content to hear that Lucilius is treating his slaves well. As evident by Seneca writing “I am glad to learn, through those who come from you, that you live on friendly terms with your slaves”, “I do not wish to delay you longer; for you need no exhortation. This, among other things, is a mark of good character.” In his letter Seneca writes that the treatment of slaves was better in the past, when slaves were treated as an integral part of the family and had a relationship with his master. This master slave relationship gave the slaves self-worth and dignity, which …show more content…

Therefore, be guarded and cautious of your slaves because just like you would not invite all freemen into your home, you need to be careful of your slaves. Seneca however, adds that some slaves can even become friends, so you need to look past the chains of slavery and value the individual not just the title that someone is given in life. Henceforth, remember that everyone is a slave to someone or something in life. Seneca wrote, “show me a man who is not a slave; one is a slave to lust, another to greed, another to ambition, and all men are slaves to fear”. In closing Seneca’s letter is a synopsis of his views on slavery and the reason why it is beneficial for a slaves to be treated with kindness and compassion, since they can be a diamond in the rough who can help their master in his time of need. Instead of mistreating and abusing slaves, which would beget the slaves to hate and be vengeful towards his master. Therefore, it is best for everyone involved in the master slave relationship to have peace and harmony in the

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