The Difference between Slaves and Servants Essay

The Difference between Slaves and Servants - Essay Example When it comes to putting servants to work, the nature of the work depends on the master being â€Å"merciful or cruel†. When the master shows mercy the work given to servants is light and they are well taken care of in terms of the food given to them and their lodgings. Under a cruel master, however, â€Å"servants have very wearisome and miserable lives6†. Upon arrival, many servants do not even know how to make their cabins and are at the mercy of the other servants who may choose to help them or not. Thus fresh arrivals may have to spend a few nights under the open sky before they can make their own lodgings. Their daily work schedule begins with work at 6 in the morning, a break at 11 and then back to work at 1. They will work again until six in the evening and then go back home. Living in places which provide little cover, they are exposed to the elements such as â€Å"the cold of the night†. Their situation leads Ligon to say, â€Å"Truly, I have seen such cruelty there done to servants, as I did not think one Christian could have done to another†. However, this does not make the life of the slave a bowl of cherries since they too faced cruelty and were apt to fight for their freedoms. The servants, however, decided to rebel against their masters in a bloody plot to kill the masters and overthrow the ruling of the island. Unluckily for the servants, the plot was discovered and the leaders of the plot were put to death. This method of resistance is certainly a result of the cruel treatment given to the servants. The slaves, however, seem to be more accepting of their lot in life and since they are treated somewhat better than the servants, are more apt to show their resistance in more subtle ways. They may even express their feelings with music or by looking towards the â€Å"heaven for revenge†.