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The Extravagance of Trimalchio
Gaius Petronius Arbiter authored the piece, Satyricon, from which Trimalchio’s Dinner is taken from. Petronius was born in c. 27 to a wealthy family, a contemporary of Seneca, he wrote about Roman society. He preferred to satirize the pretentiousness of the rich. Serving as consul of Rome, Petronius was a well-known figure in the community. He was one of the Emperor Nero’s closest advisors. Petronius died in 66 A.D., after committing a slow suicide. Trimalchio’s Dinner is an attempt by Petronius to mock the Romans and the lifestyles they have become accustomed to. Trimalchio, a former slave himself, throws an extravagant dinner party, and we see it unfold through the eyes of Encolpius, one of the invited guests. This dinner party is full of excess, and it is Trimalchio’s attempt to entertain his guests with extreme extravagance, I see this as a grotesque and vulgar waste of wealth, which his acquaintances are already aware of, yet they continue to partake in this extraordinary consumption of this comedic experience.
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Trimalchio’s wealth, he has a huge inferiority complex, in which he compensates with flagrant displays of wealth in every aspect of his life. This lavish dinner party demonstrates filthy wealth and exhibition. The dinner menu alone is a flagrant display of his riches, with foods reflecting Zodiac signs, to an enormous stuffed hog. One hundred year old wine-jars are brought in and Trimalchio exclaims, “Oh, dear, see how much longer-lived wine is than any poor mortal! Let’s drink, then, and make merry, for wine is really life.” (539) Perhaps, this is his feeble attempt to explain how life, like aged fine wine, gets better with time. Unfortunately, he then follows with insults focused on his guests. He explains to them how people who had previously dined with him, were socially more important than they, yet he did not serve such fine wine. By focusing primarily on Trimalchio’s wealth, Encolpius overlooks the evidence of Trimalchio’s need to feel superior to those that surround him, showing his weakness and feelings of inferiority despite the position he is in. As the evening continues, most troubling is the treatment of Trimalchio’s slaves by he himself.
The entrance to his home has a sign which reads: IFANY SLAVE SHALL LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT HIS MASTER’S PERMISSION HE SHALL RECEIVED A HUNDRED LASHES. (534)What makes this most troubling is the fact that Trimalchio is a former slave himself, and he seemed to be compelled to distance himself from his own slaves. Extremely sensitive to his past and painfully aware he has risen above slave status, he constantly reminds his own slaves that he is in control. Trimalchio works at making a distinct difference between himself and his slaves in a very public manner, however he does liberate more slaves during this dinner party than he abuses. Merciful one minute and aggressive the next, Trimalchio slaves have learned to live with his extravagant lifestyle and treatment, but one wonders what will happen when Trimalchio
perishes? As the evening progressed, Encolpius and his friend have taken in enough of Trimalchio’s ignorance, vulgarity, and pompus attitude, and are looking for a way to escape. At this point in the evening, Trimalchio wants his dinner guests to imagine they have received a funeral invitation to his wake. Trimalchio then sprawls himself out on a couch and says, “Imagine that I am dead. Say something nice about me.” (563) Encolpius and his friend have had more than they can take. As horn blowers blew a funeral march, the police broke down the door, thinking the house was on fire. Seizing this opportunity, Encolpius and his friend slipped quietly away. Despite all his wealth, impressive displays, and extravagant riches, Trimalchio is painfully aware that he will never be a first class Roman citizen, and this hilarious display of unbelievable self-indulgence proves it.
Mutilating the whites and leaving their bodies lying is inhumane. It is such a shocking story! This book was meant to teach the reader about the inhumanity of slavery. It also gives us the image of what happened during the past years when slavery was practised. The book is significant in the sense that it gives even the current generation the knowledge of slavery, how it happened and the reason for slavery.
the atrocity of the slave’s punishment, analyzes the elements of coming face to face with the
The book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass can be interpreted in many ways. It is an autobiography that details Douglass’s experiences while he was enslaved. However, it is evident that he has been forced to censor the content of his narrative. Douglass mentions more than once that he is not able to say everything he desires. Moreover, on the surface the book is about the harshness of his life as a slave, but on a deeper level Douglass uses irony to give a compelling criticism of the institution of slavery. In his account he gives sarcastic descriptions of the privileges the slaves receive and what it looks like for slaves to be treated well. Nevertheless, both techniques of writing are effective
Satyricon brings to life in more ways than one, a day in the life of a Roman citizen who lives in extremes. By taking the satirized aspects of Satyricon, with the interchangeability of history and mythology, the over importance of wealth and power, and the open amount of homosexuality, and comparing them to historical records of the Romans, we can much more easily see how the common Roman may have lived. Satyricon does not lack in importance for Roman historians, and the significant amount of satire that envelops the book is not excluded from its value. In fact without the satire, it would just be another historical record that may or may not be trusted as a reliable source. Thankfully, that is not the case, and we should all be grateful for
In the well-written narrative The Life of Fredrick Douglass, the author, and former slave known as Fredrick Douglass, uses multiple examples of brutal whippings and severe punishments to describe the terrible conditions that African American slaves faced in the south. Douglass’s purpose for writing this narrative was to show the physical and emotional pain that slaves had to endure from their owners. According to Fredrick Douglass, “adopted slaveholders are the worst” and he proves his point with his anecdotes from when he was a slave; moreover, slave owners through marriage weren’t used to the rules of slaveholding so they acted tougher. He also proves that Christian slave owners weren’t always holier, they too showed no mercy towards their slaves and Douglass considered them religious hypocrites.
Trimalchio hosts’ a farewell dinner which is a dinner given to gladiators who were about to face wild beasts in the arena. Trimalchio is a Semitic name based on the word for “prince” and he is a high living individual. However, a well-born Roman reader would not approve of his attitudes and behavior. You get a good sense of what Trimalchio is like early on in the story when he is in the middle of talking to Menelaus and snaps his fingers for a slave to bring him a pot. When the slave brings the pot to Trimalchio he peed in it, asked for water and then used the slave’s hair to dry his hands. (19) Trimalchio had many slaves, some of their jobs were miniscule(petty) that it consisted of them standing near the dining room door and saying “right feet first!” as people enter. Not only do his slaves have (silly) jobs, they are repremended for the littlest of things. When a slave dropped a cup by mistake at dinner Trimalchio responded by saying “go kill yourself, you useless piece of trash.” (37) A well-born Roman wouldn’t appreciate how Trimalchio treats people, it is puzzling he treats them so poorly since he was once a slave himself.
Frederick Douglass had moved into a new mistresses home who had never known of slavery. While she had initially taught him to read, fed him well, and looked upon him like an equal human being, she eventually forbade him from reading and whipped him at her husband’s request. The kind woman he had known became inhumane and degrading because that was required to maintain the unwarranted power over slaves.
In the passage of the Narrative of Fredrick Douglass, the author masterfully conveys two complimentary tones of liberation and fear. The tones transition by the use of diction and detail. The passage is written entirely in first person, since we are witnessing the struggles of Fredrick Douglass through his eyes. Through his diction, we are able to feel the triumph that comes with freedom along with the hardships. Similarly, detail brings a picturesque view of his adversities. Since the point of view is first person, the reader is able to be a part of the Douglass’ struggles with his new freedom. With diction, detail, and point of view, the reader is able to get a rare glimpse into the past of Fredrick Douglass.Fredrick Douglass’ diction is powerful as he describes his life as a slave and with his new freedom. Fredrick Douglass calls being enslaved an act of “wretchedness,” yet he was able to remain “firm” and eventually left the “chains” of slavery. Fredrick Douglass expresses that being enslaved is a wretched act and that no man should ever deserve such treatment. Despite being a slave, he kept strong and eventually broke the chain of society. However, Fredrick Douglass experienced great “insecurity” and “loneliness” with his new freedom, and was upon a new “hunting-ground.” His new freedom brought other devastating factors, being a new state without any friends, which caused his loneliness. In this new state, he grew insecure for he was in a new danger zone where at any time his freedom could be rejected. With new freedom come new obstacles, which are described in the diction of Fredrick Douglass.
I was in complete and utter shock when I began to read Disposable People. The heart-wrenching tale of Seba, a newly freed slave, shook my understanding of people in today’s society, as well as their interactions with each other. I sat in silence as I read Seba’s story. “There they [Seba’s French mistress and husband] stripped me naked, tied my hands behind my back, and began to whip me with a wire attached to a broomstick (Bales 2).” I tried to grasp the magnitude of the situation.
Douglass describes two stable men, old Barney and young Barney, who never know when to expect a beating from their master, "They never knew when they were safe from punishment. They were frequently whipped when least deserving" (32). Douglass explains one of his own experience's of the beatings which he received as a slave. He told us how "he rushed at me with the fierceness of ... ... middle of paper ... ...
Douglass's narrative is, on one surface, intended to show the barbarity and injustice of slavery. However, the underlying argument is that freedom is not simply attained through a physical escape from forced labor, but through a mental liberation from the attitude created by Southern slavery. The slaves of the South were psychologically oppressed by the slaveholders' disrespect for a slave’s family and for their education, as well as by the slaves' acceptance of their own subordination. Additionally, the slaveholders were trapped by a mentality that allowed them to justify behavior towards human beings that would normally not be acceptable. In this manner, both slaveholder and slave are corrupted by slavery.
Douglass’s first encounter with a slave owner’s violence occurred on Captain Anthony’s farm. He frequently found himself woken by the agonizing screams of his own aunt being brutally whipped for her wrongdoings. He describes Captain Anthony as ruthless, brutal and taking “great pleasure in whipping a slave” (Douglass 3). Captain Anthony reveled in the idea of complete dominance over his slaves. He lived under an overseer, named Mr. Plummer. The slaves living on the farms were not fully under his control, so he took advantage of every opportunity to feel powerful and domineering. In addition, Douglass also describes an encounter involving Aunt Hester seeing another man. Captain Anthony did not approve of this and exclaims “I’ll learn you how to disobey my orders!” (Douglass 4), then proceeded to whip her. Douglass hints towards the sexual tension between Anthony and Hester. Not only did he own her for work, but also to satisfy his sexual desires.
The cook laughed at his simplicity, and told him there were not above twelve to sup, but that every dish was to be served up just roasted to a turn, and if anything was but one minute ill-timed, it was spoiled. And maybe Antony will sup just now, maybe not this hour, maybe he will call for wine, or begin to talk, and will put eating off. So that, it is not one, but many suppers must be had in readiness, as it is impossible to guess at this hour.’” In conclusion, this book presented interesting information on a more interesting historic
Moore presents his own view that, “Too much cannot be said, written or published, on the horrible system of slavery” (Biography of Mahommah G. Baquaqua 6) and “This system of slavery causes much bloodshed and consequent misery” (Biography of Mahommah G. Baquaqua 25). To show those who might have been ignorant to the injustices that slavery caused, Baquaqua describes some of his own experiences and the effect it had on his state of mind, which reinforces Moore’s statements about the horrific state of the current system. After being consistently beaten badly, Baquaqua told Moore that, “I told him he must not whip me any more, and got quite angry, for the thought came into my head that I would kill him, and afterwards destroy myself. I at last made up my mind to drown myself; I would rather die than live to be a slave” (Biography of Mahommah G. Baquaqua 46). Moore additionally addresses the hypocrisy of slave
This paper explores the relations that existed between slaves and their masters as portrayed by Jaco...