Essay Sample on EWC History Assignment

Slavery is an emotive issue, especially for the nations that were greatly affected like Brazil. It is from this devastating experience that Antonio Viena scheduled a sermon that was orchestrated for both slaves and their masters (Robert, 1994). The main argument of the speaker is the slaves’ mindset about their servitude, behavior towards the masters, and how the masters should reciprocate the same.

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In the first instance, the speaker opines that slaves should see their servitude as a providence from god. Antonio Viena tells the slaves that their masters will serve them in the after-life, if in their earthly life they serve these masters diligently (Robert, 1994). He adds that god will serve the slaves himself to ensure that the slave masters identify their dishonor.

Moreover, according to Robert (1994), the speaker also beseeches the slaves to be obedient to their masters’ orders irrespective of how they are treated. However, he advocates that they reject orders that damage their souls and conscience (Robert, 1994). Viena explains to the slaves that they cannot inherit anything from their masters because they are not their heirs and supports his assertion that the masters’ inheritance will be bequeathed to their sons.

Also, Antonio observes that there are a vacation and grace in every religious order. He argues that there is a need for the slaves to endure the mistreatment from their masters (Robert, 1994). The speaker adds that they may be whipped and punished; however, they need to withstand such ordeals as a sign of imitating the patience that was displayed by Christ. Antonio also believes that if the slaves endure the suffering, they will earn a heavenly reward. Besides, according to Robert (1994), the speaker argues that the slaves need to focus on their eternal reward as their servitude is temporary.

According to Robert (1994), Viena opines that the fact that the slaves are not free under their masters does not mean they will not be free in eternal life if they understand their purpose. He argues that they will have abundant freedom in heaven by stating that their slavery, suffering, and captivity is an eternal freedom transmigration (Robert, 1994). Moreover, he urges the slaves to suffer bravely as a sign of martyrdom no matter the degree of punishment from their master.

Besides, Viena also had a strong message for the slave masters; he warned them to tread carefully even as they unleashed their tyranny upon their slaves (Robert, 1994). He observed that the masters were using very inhuman treatment to inflict pain on their slaves, which sometimes led to death. Moreover, the speaker identifies that the slaves were not allowed to attend church but did not mind when they sinned. He adds that none of the slaves were allowed to have a family, which continued to infringe their freedom further. In this regard, Antonio warned the slave masters that the same way they treat their masters is the same way their encounter in heaven will be (Robert, 1994). Viena was a Portuguese clergy who was against slave treatment. Conversely, his statement that the servitude was not complete slavery meant that they needed to le their bodies suffer for their souls to inherit eternal life.

References

Robert Edger Conrad, ed. (1994). Children of God's Fire: A Documentary History of Black Slavery in Brazil (University of Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press.