Underground Railroad Thesis Statement

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Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The novel, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is about slavery and freedom. The book opens with the story of Ajarry who is the grandmother of Cora and also the protagonist in the book. Ajarry took over the ownership and controlled over a small plot of land at Randall plantation in the Southern state of Georgia where she lived most of her life. Cora's mother, Mabel, and Cora inherited the land. Precisely, it talks about the quest for freedom by the slaves. The quest for freedom by the slaves has been reflected in the first instances that take place in the novel. Cora says that the life of the slaves in the plantations is way used to kill the slaves slowly. The only way that one can be able to escape this life is by running away. Even Mabel who dies after a snakebite achieves mortality by escaping the slave-catchers who attempt to track her. Her body is swallowed by the swamp and nobody knows what happened to her and they characters imagine that she is living a life of freedom. Ajarry insisted that the attempts that she made to escape were hopeless. In my paper, I agree on the way in which Colson argues that blood was spilled so that the slaves can gain freedom. However, I believe that violence is not one of the ways through which the slaves can gain their freedom. Non-violence as a means of seeking freedom creates peace and understanding in the community. As Martin Luther King wrote, “The nonviolent resister must often express his protest through noncooperation or boycotts, but he realizes that these are not ends themselves; they are merely means to awaken a sense of moral shame in the opponent. ... The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness”
The Christian teachings emphasize on the use peace, love and hope towards our neighbors. In his teaching on beatitudes, Jesus taught that blessed are the ones who preach peace for they shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9). The Bible also encourages practicing love towards our neighbors and avoiding discrimination. In Romans 12:18, St, Paul encourages the Christians to do whatever that they can to live in peace with all men. In addition, the Bible provides a procedure for solving various conflicts other than the use of violence. In Matthew 18:15-17,the Bible informs the Christians that they should approach those that they have conflicts with and solve them, If it becomes impossible, then they can use the third parties to resolve the conflict.
In his approach to non-violence, Martin Luther King said that non-violence as a way of seeking freedom is a chance for freedom and understanding among the parties involved. The concept has been well highlighted in the Chapter 4 of the novel, South Carolina. When they arrive from Georgia, Cora is given a new name, Bessie Car...