Giovanni Del Moral
AAS 245
Professor Spencer
2/28/12
Tayo Aluko Event Essay The way Tayo Aluko interpreted the image of the enslaved African with the scarred back was he said the African was showing that he was proud of the scars. I somewhat agree with Tayo because it does look like the African is sitting tall and strong, rather than slouched and weak. My own interpretation is that the African is showing part of all the pain he has endured. I am not sure if he is proud of the scars, but it seems like he was not afraid to show them. Today, I think the image just symbolizes the pain and suffering enslaved Africans had dealt with. It is actually quite shocking when you first see the image. There are a couple reasons why I think masters and overseers whipped their slaves. The first reason is because it allowed the masters to express their power and ownership over the slaves. It also gave the slaves a signal that they had to obey their master; otherwise they would face a torturous-like beating from them. The masters knew that whipping would not badly injure the slaves, but just cause serious pain and distress, which is enough to enforce their slaves to follow their orders. Another reason I think they whipped the slaves is because they simply wanted to be cruel and put them in continuous discomfort. I am not too sure about this reason, but I can see it as a possible one. At the Tayo Aluko event, one of the songs he sang was “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen.” The
