# data[].attributes.headline
Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom's Cabin

# data[].attributes.subject
Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom's Cabin

# data[].attributes.body
The daughter of famous evangelical preacher Lyman Beecher, Uncle Tom’s Cabin author Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) herself became a national influence with her success as an author, abolitionist, and social commentator. Powerfully critiquing the hypocritical disconnect between America and both its democratic and Christian ideals. The success of Uncle Tom’s Cabin indirectly helped put the issue of slavery on the national agenda, both politically and socially. The scene below depicts how Stowe successfully addresses societal discourse about slavery using her character's conversations in Uncle Tom's Cabin.

# data[].attributes.headline
Marie preaching to non-churchgoing St. Clare

# data[].attributes.subject
Marie preaching to non-churchgoing St. Clare

# data[].attributes.body
Marie: "O, Dr. G preached a splendid sermon. It was just such a sermon as you ought to hear; it expressed all my views exactly"

St. Clare: “It must have been very improving. The subject must have been an extensive one.”

# data[].attributes.body
The dialogue between Marie and St. Clare as they are seated at the dinner table takes off to a hasty start. Marie clearly is more interested in sharing her story than St. Clare would care to hear. St. Clare's response is less than enthusiastic as he mocks Marie for having "extensive views". The meme of the Real Housewives of New York, Bethenny Frankel and Ramona Singer awkwardly staring at each other relates to the awkward tension also felt between Marie and St. Clare in during their discourse.

# data[].attributes.headline
Did she really just say that??: Marie the Racist

# data[].attributes.subject
Did she really just say that??: Marie the Racist

# data[].attributes.body
Marie: “Well, I mean all my views about society, and such things. The text was, ‘He hath made everything beautiful in its season;’ and he showed how all the orders and distinctions in society came from God; and that it was so appropriate, you know, and beautiful, that some should be high and some low, and that some were born to rule and some to serve, and all that, you know; and he applied it so well to all this ridiculous fuss that is made about slavery, and he proved distinctly that the Bible was on our side."

# data[].attributes.body
Marie openly shares Dr. G's sermon with St. Clare and Miss Ophelia which details supposedly how "the Bible was on our side". Meaning slaves were given the less fortunate choice of life by God for a purpose just like she was not given that choice for a purpose- "some should be high and some low". This is pure ignorant and racist rhetoric. The meme with a woman holding a sign displaying the word racist and saying "Don't, Don't Don't" depicts my personal reaction when reading this line in the book in complete agony and disgust. DON'T use the bible to justify slavery.

# data[].attributes.headline
St. Clare the Graceless Dog dancing around the question

# data[].attributes.subject
St. Clare the Graceless Dog dancing around the question

# data[].attributes.body
Miss Ophelia: “Don’t you believe in these views?”
St. Clare: "You know I’m such a graceless dog that these religious aspects of such subjects don’t edify me much. If I was to say anything on this slavery matter, I would say out, fair and square, ‘We’re in for it; we’ve got ‘em, and mean to keep ‘em,—it’s for our convenience and our interest;’ for that’s the long and short of it,—that’s just the whole of what all this sanctified stuff amounts to, after all; and I think that it will be intelligible to everybody, everywhere.”

# data[].attributes.body
The disagreement between Marie and St. Clare continues here when asking St. Clare if he agrees with her and Dr. G's views about slavery. St. Clare accurately calls himself a graceless dog which can be interpreted in many ways. I believe the way he is describing himself is to be a person who is not controlled by moral rules of the church. However, as observed through the meme, St. Clare is a graceless dog that is dancing around the question of the righteousness of slavery.

# data[].attributes.body
Miss Ophelia: “Well, do you think slavery is right or wrong?”

St. Clare: “I’m not going to have any of your horrid New England directness, cousin. If I answer that question, I know you’ll be at me with half a dozen others, each one harder than the last; and I’m not a going to define my position. I am one of the sort that lives by throwing stones at other people’s glass houses, but I never mean to put up one for them to stone.”

# data[].attributes.body
Boldly, Miss Ophelia ask the question directly to St. Clare without hesitation. Does he think slavery is right or wrong. It is clear he is offered as he immediately attacks her for her "New England directness". He concedes that if he answers he will not necessarily agree and will be chastised for his opinion. The meme of the many "questioning" emojis shows the confusion felt between the characters in this scene and highlights the necessary question that desires to be answered.

# data[].attributes.body
Marie: “I do think, Augustine, you are so irreverent! I think it’s shocking to hear you talk."
St. Clare: "Shocking! it’s the truth. This religious talk on such matters,—why don’t they carry it a little further, and show the beauty, in its season, of a fellow’s taking a glass too much, and sitting a little too late over his cards, and various providential arrangements of that sort, which are pretty frequent among us young men;—we’d like to hear that those are right and godly, too.”

# data[].attributes.body
Marie is astonished that St. Clare has not agreed with her racist ideals. He explains that his belief is if religion is going to give righteousness to slavery it must also pardon alcoholism, gambling and other acts of unrighteousness. The Michelle from Full House meme where she looks shocked matches Marie's reaction to St. Clare's explanation.

# data[].attributes.body
Marie: “That’s just the way he’s always talking. You can’t get any satisfaction out of him. I believe it’s just because he don’t like religion, that he’s always running out in this way he’s been doing.”

St. Clare: “Religion! Religion! Is what you hear at church, religion? Is that which can bend and turn, and descend and ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? Is that religion which is less scrupulous, less generous, less just, less considerate for man, than even my own ungodly, worldly, blinded nature? No! When I look for a religion, I must look for something above me, and not something beneath.”

# data[].attributes.body
Marie expresses her discomfort for St. Clare's opinion. She accuses him of not liking religion instead of respecting or acknowledging his opinion. This frustrates St. Clare so much he fires back. The meme depicts St Clare's internal reaction to Marie's ignorance. He is full of fire and fury.

# data[].attributes.headline
Miss Ophelia is bored of St. Clare's dancing around the question

# data[].attributes.subject
Miss Ophelia is bored of St. Clare's dancing around the question

# data[].attributes.body
Miss Ophelia: “Then you don’t believe that the Bible justifies slavery”

St. Clare: "The Bible was my mother’s book. By it she lived and died, and I would be very sorry to think it did. I’d as soon desire to have it proved that my mother could drink brandy, chew tobacco, and swear, by way of satisfying me that I did right in doing the same. It wouldn’t make me at all more satisfied with these things in myself, and it would take from me the comfort of respecting her; and it really is a comfort, in this world, to have anything one can respect. In short, you see,” said he, suddenly resuming his gay tone, “all I want is that different things be kept in different boxes. The whole frame-work of society, both in Europe and America, is made up of various things which will not stand the scrutiny of any very ideal standard of morality. It’s pretty generally understood that men don’t aspire after the absolute right, but only to do about as well as the rest of the world. Now, when any one speaks up, like a man, and says slavery is necessary to us, we can’t get along without it, we should be beggared if we give it up, and, of course, we mean to hold on to it,—this is strong, clear, well-defined language; it has the respectability of truth to it; and, if we may judge by their practice, the majority of the world will bear us out in it. But when he begins to put on a long face, and snuffle, and quote Scripture, I incline to think he isn’t much better than he should be.”

# data[].attributes.body
St. Clare for the third time is asked about his stance on slavery by Miss Ophelia who is obviously bored of his answers. Miss Ophelia's unimpressed reaction is portrayed by Evelyn from Basketball Wives Miami . Ophelia is only looking for him to agree with her own and Marie's opinion. However, St. Clare stands his ground on the issue.

# data[].attributes.headline
For Marie sadly, the conversation went in one ear and out the other

# data[].attributes.subject
For Marie sadly, the conversation went in one ear and out the other

# data[].attributes.body
Marie: “You are very uncharitable,”

St. Clare: “Well, suppose that something should bring down the price of cotton once and forever, and make the whole slave property a drug in the market, don’t you think we should soon have another version of the Scripture doctrine? What a flood of light would pour into the church, all at once, and how immediately it would be discovered that everything in the Bible and reason went the other way!”

Marie: “Well, at any rate, I’m thankful I’m born where slavery exists; and I believe it’s right,—indeed, I feel it must be; and, at any rate, I’m sure I couldn’t get along without it.”

# data[].attributes.body
Marie has had enough of the conversation. She certainly does not agree with St. Clare and will not be changing her own opinion. This concludes the misunderstanding between Ophelia, Marie, and St. Clare- never to come to a final understanding.