Kainat Malik

The Fire of Jubilee

Stephen B. Oates

NatTurnersrebellionisjustified.TheFireofJubileeisnotjustabiography

butalsoanhistoricalnonfiction.NatTurnersslaverebellionisthelargestslave

rebellionintheUnitedStates,causingthedeathof60Whitesandover200Blacks.

Thisrebellionwasmeanttofreeslavesbutresultedintheimplementationofeven

harsherslavelaws.Itdidhowevercontributetotheabolitionistmovement.TheFires

ofJubileebyStephenBOatescanbeanalyzedonthebasisofhowwellitswritten,

howaccuratetheinformationis,andwhoitisrecommendedto.Theauthorwantsto

showthebuilduptotheTurnerRebellion.Additionally,hewantstoincludeallthe

assumptionthedebatesreasonforseveralunknownthoughts.

TheauthorhaswrittenmanybooksaboutthehistoryoftheUnitedStates,

specificallyconcerningAfricanAmericanHistory.ThebookportraysNatslifenot

fromhisperspectivebutfrommanyotherviewpoints.Thebookissaidtobeinvery

goodhistoricalandbiographicalcontext,appropriateforthetimebeingdiscussed.

Whencrosscheckedwithotherbooksandeventsofthetimeperiod,theeventsinthe

bookareverytrueandthegapsfilledinarealsoveryappropriate.Thisrevoltwasan

extremeshowoftheresistancehappeningintheblackcommunities.Therebellion

wasinspiredbytheBiblicalstoryofMoses.Thebookdealswithmanythemessuch

asthejustificationofmurderandslavery.Bothofwhicharestillproblemstoday,for

example,thejustificationofmurderbygroupssuchasISISandalsothegovernments
 Kainat Malik

ofmanynations(deathsentence),andpersistingchildslaveryinthedeveloping

world.

Howthebookiswrittentellsusalotabouthowitmightbedifferentfromhow

thingsoccurred.ThestoryisaNarrativeHistory.Itisasifyouarereadingastory

book.Therearealotoffeelingsanddifferentopinionsdiscussedtomakeupforthe

limitedinformationduetothemasskillingoftheguiltyandinnocent.Thismay

deviateitfromwhatactuallyhappenedandrenderitasenseoffakeness.Itisvery

muchlikeanormalstorybookwhichmakesiteasytoread.Thebookaccomplishesa

lotbybeingsimplistic.Forexample,thetableofcontentsorganizesthebookin

chronologicalorder.Thesedifferenttimeperiodsarealotlikethebasicplotforevery

fictionbook,startingfromtheexpositiontotherisingaction,continuingwiththe

climaxandfinishingoffwiththeresolution.Thefourmainpartsrevolvearoundthe

childhoodofNatTurner,buildinguptherebellion,therebellionandtheaftermath.

Therewasnoconclusiontothechaptersasthebooktransitionslikeastoryfromone

eventtotheother.Therewerenocliffhangersastheendingofeachsectionwasvery

abrupt.Thebookincludesamapoftherouteofthefirstpartoftherebellionanditis

veryhelpfultoseewheretheyaregoingandcompareittowheretheywillgoafter.

Otherthanthemaptherewerenoillustrationandthebookwasdescriptiveenough

withoutthem.

Theconceptsandmaterialdiscussedinthebookshowushowtheauthorfeels.

Thebookdepictsthepointofviewoftheslaves,plantationownersandreactionsof

townsmilesaway.TheauthorfeelsverypassionateabouthowNatfeelsinthestory.
 Kainat Malik

Heexplainshisopinionandbacksitupwithfactsaboutthetreatmentoftheseslaves.

Theconceptsofthejustificationofmurderandslaveryareverywelldefinedand

vivid.Theylanguagewasclearandextremelyconvincingduetothebuildupandthe

backedupopinions.Therebellionandtheaftereffectsalongwiththebuildupare

discussedinsuchdetailthattheeffectsofitacrossthenationwereanalyzed.

StephanOatesisopinionatedashefillsinalotofthegapswiththeoriesand

opinion.Thisdoesntchangethefactthatthebookisstillveryhistoricallyaccurate.

StephanB.Oateshimselfhassaidheis,determinedtoproduceabiographicaland

historicalnarrativethatwouldbeasrealisticandfairmindedashecouldmakeit.

AnotheraccusationtowardsthebooksuggeststhatOatesmighthaveover

exaggeratedthefacttheNatturnerwasareligiousfanatic.Hisknowledgeofthe

geographyfirsthandbyvisitingtheplaceandlookingthroughthedocumentsinsures

thatthebookisareliablesource.Theonlylimitationhehadwasthathewasn'tborn

andraisedwheretherebelliontookplaceandthetownwasnotveryhappyabouthim

goingthroughdocuments.Regardless,hedoesgetaccesstoallthedocuments

available.TheinformationprovidedinthebookaboutNatTurnerifdoublechecked

bysourcessuchashistory.com(http://www.history.com/topics/blackhistory/nat

turner)andbiography.com(
http://www.biography.com/people/natturner9512211)

willprovetobeaccurate.

Iwouldrecommendthisbooktomorepeoplebecauseitisaverysimpleyeta

vividbiography.Ifounditveryinterestingbecauseitdealtwithmanydifferent

themesthatevenifwedon'trealize,stillexistasproblemstoday.Anyonewhois

interestedintheslavetradeandareonlybeginnersinreadingbiographiesorfiction
 Kainat Malik

bookshoulddefinitelygiveitatry.Thisisduetothefactthattheauthor'swritingis

verysimpleandconcise,thusallowingthereadertoclearlygrasptheeventstaking

place.

TheFiresofJubileebyStephenBOatescanbeanalyzedonthebasisofhow

wellitswritten,howaccuratetheinformationis,andwhoitisrecommendedto.The

Bookiswrittenveryvividlyalongwithbeingverystraightforward.Itisalso

organizedasafictionstoryplot.Theinformationisveryreliablewhenitcomesto

factsbuttherearealotoffilledingapstomakethestoryseemmoreinteresting.This

iswhatgivesitthefictionstoryplottheme.Thisbookisrecommendedtoanyonewho

isnewtoreadingbiographies.Thisstorymakesitveryeasytofollowandkeepsyou

interested.

Ilikedthebookforhowitwaswrittenratherthanwhatitsabout.Itwasmy

firsttimereadinganonfictionbookandIfoundthisbookratherinteresting.Itdealt

withreligion,slavery,theconceptoffreedomandifthereisajustificationofmurder.

MyfavoritepartthebookwaswhenNatwasjustachild.Hewouldplaywiththe

whitechildrenandMr.Turnerwouldshowoffhowhisnegrocouldread.Hewas,to

someextent,treatedbetterthananyotherslavechildthere.Lateroninthebookits

ironichowtheonetreatedthebestwouldrebel.Myleastfavoritepartiswhenthe

rebelskillaninfantbaby.TherebellionwassupposetobesomethingGodwanted

andkillinginnocentchildrenwouldcontradictthat.IfIcouldchangesomethingI

wouldincludeNatandtalkabouthimmorewhiletheactualrebellionwastaking

placeashedidnotparticipatemuchandthereareonlytheoriestowhyhedidnt.