Abina and the important Men. William Melton

Abina and the Important Men
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Abina and the Important Men
William Melton, the judicial assessor, finds himself in a dilemma in his quest to end slavery while maintaining the colonial rule in the British colony. William Melton expresses the predicament on Abina’s case given the importance of  Eddoo to the British whereas Abina presents a watertight case whose values coincide with Melton’s. Despite his stance on slavery and a true abolitionist, commercial and political interests of the British coupled with the influence of wealth and influential member of the society, Abina’s plea remains unresolved amidst Britain’s guise of civilizing Africans.
William Melton has a practical approach that seeks to investigate cases of slavery that has been outlawed by the British. In a case presented by Abina, Melton seeks to establish quantifiable evidence such as transactions to confirm Abina sale to slavery or physical harm inflicted upon Abina as proof of her enslavement. Melton overlooks the naturally convincing qualitative evidence offered by Abina against Eddoo who describes herself as a slave with neither free will nor payment for her work. Melton is, therefore, easily convinced by lawyer James Hutton Brew, Eddoo’s powerful attorney when he claims that she got the payment. Brew argues that the payment done to Abina did not restrict payments only through money but also included being “fed and clothed for nothing and paid besides for nothing” (Getz, & Clarke, 2015; p.89). To Abina, men were paid for the duties they performed representing their freedom yet “when she went for water, or firewood [she] was not paid” (Getz, & Clarke, 2015; p 84). In a bid to employ the British judicial system, Melton is torn between the innocent plea by Abina to fight for her freedom and the political interest that benefit from influential people such as Eddoo.
William Melton consults his culture which he believes to superior to bring civilization and British influence to Africans. Melton tries to use his role as a judicial assessor to bring justice using the British judicial system which considers being superior to the local culture. Through “years of working in Africa, [Melton] had mingled this sense of superiority with respect for the rules of other cultures” (Getz, & Clarke, 2015; p. 70). Melton considers his duty important in offering justice to Africans for the better interest of the colony. The position is, however, compromised by the long-term British interests in the colony. While Melton maintains the superiority of British against other cultures, his...