The Irony of Justice
On page 26 of the book, the author tells a story of a girl named Ana. She is a slave and her master hired a whipper to beat her after she failed to complete a task that she had been given. The whipper had other ideas as he attempted to rape her for he knew that the law would be on his side. She reacted by hitting him with a bottle. When the case was judged, Ana was sentenced to prison and daily floggings yet the man was set free. It is a situational irony because the reader does not expect Ana to be sentenced to prison yet she was the victim of attempted rape. She injured the man in order to defend herself. It is also ironical that the man was set free instead of being sentenced to pay for his crimes.
Irony for the Reason for Denouncing Slavery
On page 27, the author tells of how white women denounced slavery because they were ashamed of the actions of white men. This is because white men had sexual liaisons with black women and bore children with them. It is therefore ironical that the white women denounced the slavery because of shame rather than of appreciation of the human rights of black people who suffered everyday due to racism. They should have denounced slavery on the grounds of the enslavement of black people cause harm to them (black people) and they deserved to be free.
Irony that the Grimke Sisters Wrote on Slavery from the Perspective of White Women
On page 27 and 28, the author shows situational irony because the Grimke sisters wrote on slavery from the perspective of white women. This is ironical because the white women were not the people suffering under the regime but rather were participants in the enslavement of black people. The Grimke sisters should have therefore written from the perspective of the black people who were slaves at the time.
Irony of the Sexual Predation of Black Women being viewed as normal
It is ironical that the author Smith considered the sexual predation of black women by white men as normal and a case of 'boys will be boys'. This is ironical because black women have human rights that should be protected despite it being the era of slavery. Human rights, especially those of defenseless women should be upheld. The author Smith should have upheld their human dignity by discouraging the sexual predation. It is also ironical to consider inhumane acts of rape as normal human behavior.
Irony of Considering people as Property
It is ironical that human beings can be sold, mistreated and denied their free will by other people. The author writes that the children that were borne by black women during the slavery era did not belong to their mothers but rather belonged to their owners who had bought them. This is ironical because people are equal and they are not property to be sold and mistreated at will. The book shows how black people who were considered slaves underwent grave mistreatment in the hands of their fellow human beings.
