Beloved

How has the progression of society and civilization been both a detriment and benefit to humankind?

When we began reading Beloved as a class, I had a difficult time believing that the novel was not about slavery. Toni Morrison, the author, depicts so graphically the injustices suffered by slaves and how these injustices effected their lives, even after escaping. In the current day, we reflect upon slavery as a horrid part of our country's past, with most people promoting racial equality. However, some of our founding fathers owned slaves, not realizing at the time how inhumane the ownership of other humans was. One of the benefits that the progression of society has brought to light is the inequality of a time and the amendments made to these inequalities.
Gradually, as society progresses, we alter our laws and societal expectations on behalf of the betterment of humanity. As the years progress, we have a fresh perspective of our past decisions, and continue to try to grasp insight on the improvements necessary for the present day. It is horrific, now, to consider some of the laws and behaviors that influenced our society in the past; yet it is important at the same time to reflect upon our past mistakes, in order to further improve society.
While Beloved might not primarily focus on slavery, at least according to Morrison, it definitely describes slavery in an attempt to illuminate how prevalent the past remains in a person's life. In this illumination, we find further comprehension of the lives of slaves after evasion, and can only try to imagine the horrors of living during this time as a slave or escaped slave.
The novel depicts, to an extent, how the progression of society in America, at that point in time, was detrimental to humanity. We had reached the point where it was considered acceptable to treat some people as subhuman, based merely upon the tone of their skin. Considering the idea of capturing natives from Africa and bringing them to America for our own use to be acceptable was certainly not a highpoint in the progression of our ideas as a society. However, since then, we have been able to recognize our cruelty and try to amend our societal expectations to promote equality of race, amongst other things.
Beloved displays how the progression of society has been both beneficial and detrimental in our country, and how these influences shape both people and society through the reflection of the past.