Esther
The piece commences with a quote from the Biblical Book of Esther. Later, the story of Esther will be explained to illustrate how it was she—a woman—who became “an instrument appointed by God.” This is a persuasive essay device in which a historical antecedent is alluded to in order to become a symbol with which the target audience can identify.
The Monster
Another common tactic of persuasion is dehumanize the object being argued against. Slavery may be an institution, but it is one operated by people. Dehumanize the institution and the people running it cannot escape the taint. Thus, slavery becomes “this monster of iniquity” which can only be ended by “striking a dagger into the very heart of the monster.”
Lazarus
The resurrection of the dead, putrefying body of Lazarus by Jesus becomes a symbol of abolition through the comparison of the dead, putrefying identity of the Africans made slaves. This symbolism is raised in objection to the idea that after four-hundred years of slave trafficking, what’s done is done and cannot be undone. If the body of the African identity has lain decomposing or centuries, what good can come of resurrecting it? The story of Lazarus becomes the symbolic explanation.
The 1793 Emancipation in St. Domingo
In the transformation of this historical event into a symbol of possibilities, the author also succeeds in showing how learning history without understanding nuance can completely transform a reality. The emancipation of over half a million slaves among a white population of fewer than fifty-thousand initially result in the economic prosperity without the expected chaos. However, less than a decade later, French authorities attempted to wrestle emancipation away and return the freed slaves into bondage and it was this which resulted in the chaos and violence which would characterize the emancipation itself as a profound failure. In fixing the historical fact for many readers, the experiment becomes a symbolic hope for the how the inevitable emancipation of American slaves will turn out.
Mary Magdalene
Esther is the symbol of strong women whom the author wants her readership to identify with as they struggle with their decision to go against southern culture and support abolition. She looks to another famous female from the Bible to become her symbol of understanding the full potential awaiting those Christian women of the south who might actually choose to join her side. Mary Magdalene’s position as the only one of the named followers of Jesus in scripture not to run hiding during the crucifixion and not to turn a back on the man or her belief in him makes the perfect symbol for such women who might well hold similar opinions on the subject of slavery but would be too cowed by fear and intimidation to say it publicly.
