Charles Dickens’ excerpt from American Notes and Alexander Kinglake’s excerpt from Eothen: Or, Traces of Travel Brought Home from the East both describe slavery, yet it is depicted in very different ways. Although both authors were from England, they had very different upbringings, and this contributes to their perception of slavery. Alexander Kinglake describes slavery as a business and does not bother with the ethics. Charles Dickens sees slavery, in any form, as a repulsive institution. It is through their specific choice of wording and rhetoric that the two authors describe a similar matter differently.

Charles Dickens sailed to the American Capital, Washington in 1842 (350 years after Columbus). On his way there he stopped to dine in Baltimore, Maryland where he was served by slaves. The rhetoric and wording of the passage clearly indicate his views toward slavery. Dickens describes the slaves as “…human creatures who are bought and sold” (311). This statement puts the slaves on the same level as him and everyone else. He later ironi

Alexander Kinglake sees slavery in a very different light from Charles Dickens. To Kinglake, slavery is an accepted form of business. He is not bothered by the ethics involved with the idea of slavery. From the opening sentence, in which he describes seeing a slave-market, Kinglake has no abnormal reaction to this scene. Furthermore, he expresses disappointment that the fifty slave girls on display were “…black or invisible brown (338).” It is apparent from the beginning that Kinglake has dealt with slavery, and he not only accepts, but promotes it.

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