MODULE 7: Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher

Stowe

Masterpieces of World Literature

MODULE 7: Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher
Stowe

"Uncle Tom's Cabin, So. Pines, N.C." by unclibraries_commons

is marked with CC PDM 1.0 retrieved September 5, 2020
LEARNING https://bit.ly/3iSiYWs

OBJECTIVES
After going through this module, you should be able
to:

a. Show interest in acquiring a deeper

understanding of the texts through discussion
and/or literary analysis to deepen awareness on
employment issues; and
b. Create a campaign supporting anti-slavery
and anti-human trafficking.
TOPIC OUTLINE
OVERVIEW
Another door of opportunity for meaningful learning
has just opened. Keep track on your journey to the
wonderful Masterpieces of World of Literature. Hi!
Welcome to module 7!
In this module, you will be investing your emotions
as you delve deeper with the story of an old man on
how he became a slave from one person to another

Module 7–Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe | Page 1 of 8

and how this novel affected the world. Also, this
module will serve as your guide to a deeper
understanding on your purposes in this world as you
will relate your ideas, prior knowledge, and/or
experiences and how you as an individual could help
in advocating the anti-slavery and anti-human
trafficking campaigns. For you to find out what your
amazing journey entails.

ACTIVATING
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
1. What comes into your mind when you hear the
word, “employment”?

___________________________________________________ About the Author

_________________________________
2. What is your take on the employment issues like
underemployment, unemployment, and the like?
___________________________________________________
_________________________________
3. Do you agree that the Philippines is losing the
skilled workers because they prefer to work abroad
for greener pastures? What else do you think their
possible reason for working overseas could be?
___________________________________________________
_________________________________
UNCLE TOM’S CABIN
BY HARRIET
BEECHER STOWE
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an author and a social
activist best known for her popular anti-slavery
novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, also known as Life among
the Lowly.
Stowe, born as Harriet Elizabeth Beecher on June 14,
1811, in Litchfield, Connecticut, was one of the 13
children of the religious leader Lyman Beecher and
his wife, Roxanna Foote Beecher. She enroled in the
school run by one of her sisters. When she was 21,
she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where her father
became the head of the Lane Theological Seminary.
Her father, Lyman Beecher took a strong abolitionist
stance following the pro-slavery Cincinnati Riots in
1836. This attitude of her father influenced her
beliefs so as her siblings’ children’s beliefs. During
this year, Stowe met friends with the same
perspectives in a local literary association called
“Semi-Colon Club” where she became friends with
Calvin Ellis Stowe, her fellow member and seminary
teacher. They were married on January 6, 1836 and
eventually moved to a cottage near Brunswick,
Maine, close to Bowdoin College.

Harriet and Calvin Stowe shared their interest and

strong belief in the abolition of slavery. This is why
Stowe decided her express her feelings through a
literary representation of slavery. Her novel, Uncle

Module 7–Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe | Page 2 of 8

Tom’s Cabin was based on the life of Josiah Henson
and on her own observations.
3. She miraculously evades the capture by crossing
In 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was first published in the the half-frozen Ohio River.
form of a book and nobody, not even Harriet Beecher
a. manages c. escapes
Stowe, had expected the novel to become a
b. disguises d. hides
sensation; however, this second best-selling book
(second only to the Bible during the 19th century)
about anti-slavery brought the hurricane in the world
which caused the Civil War in America.
4. He became very close to Eva with whom he
Stowe left a legacy in the world even up to this date shared a devout Christianity.
because of how she supplicated the abolition of
slavery from human society. She died at the age of a. significant c. eternal
85 on July 1, 1896, in Hartford, Connecticut. She was b. sincere d. dedicated
buried at Phillips Academy in Andover
Massachusetts under the epitaph, “Her Children Rise
Up and Call Her Blessed.”
5. St. Clare doesn’t have any hostility against black
http://bit.ly/2QQ15eG but tolerates slavery.

Vocabulary Build Up a. opposition c. judgment

b. kindness d. appreciation

Directions: Below are some of the sentences from

the novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which you will see on 6. St. Clare wanted to help his cousin to overcome
the next pages. Please, read and understand the her bigotry so he bought a young black girl named
sentences carefully and choose the most possible Topsy.
a. fear c. prejudice
meaning of the underlined words.
b. struggle d. anxiety

1. He sold the two slaves to the gruff slave trader.

7-8. These visions renewed his spiritual strength and
a. bad-tempered c. affectionate courage to withstand all the torments Legree would
b. indifferent d. impulsive cause him.

a. manage, sacrifices c. endure, challenges

b. endure, miseries d. manage, struggles

2. His wife was appalled because she made a

promise to her maid that they would never sell her
son.
9. Legree orders his overseers to punish Tom by
a. scared c. horrified beating.
b. serious d. angry
a. workers c. slaves

Module 7–Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe | Page 3 of 8

 b. companions d. administrators Characters:

Uncle Tom- A good and virtuous man, the main

character in the novel.

10. He still managed to bestow forgiveness to Aunt Chloe: Uncle Tom’s wife and the Shelby’s cook.
Legree and to the overseers.
Arthur Shelby- The owner of Uncle Tom in Kentucky
a. ask c. tell who sold two of his slaves, Uncle Tom and Harry to
b. show d. grant Mr. Haley to pay off his debts.

Emily Shelby- The loving and virtuous wife of Mr.

Shelby who does not believe in slavery.

George Shelby- The good-hearted son of the Shelbys

and the one who promised Uncle Tom to rescue him
from Mr. Haley’s cruelty. George Harris- The loving
husband and father to Eliza and Harry, who fights for
his freedom.

Eliza Harris- The intelligent, beautiful and brave

young maid of Mrs. Shelby, wife of George and
mother of Harry.

Harry Harris- Eliza and George’s son, a young boy

who was sold along with Uncle Tom.

Augustine St. Clare- Tom’s master in New Orleans

and Eva’s father who does not believe in God.

Evangeline (better known as Eva)- The angelic

daughter of St. Clare and Marie.

Marie St. Clare- wife of Augustine St. Clare and

mother of Eva who is an egocentric, petty, whining
and foolish woman, the very opposite of an idealized
woman figure.

Miss Ophelia- St. Clare’s cousin from Vermont who

"Uncle Tom and Aunt Sophie Campbell" by National Park Service is opposes slavery in abstract.
marked with CC PDM 1.0 retrieved September 21, 2020 from
https://bit.ly/32No68G

Module 7–Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe | Page 4 of 8

The Quakers- a Christian group dedicated to
achieving an inner understanding of God without the
use of creeds, clergy or outward rites.
Tom Loker- A slave hunter hired by Mr. Haley who
appeared to be gruff and violent at first but
eventually transformed and joined the Quakers than
going back his old life.
Mr. Haley- The gruff and cruel slave trader whom
Mr. Shelby sold Uncle Tom and Harry.
Topsy- The uncivilized slave girl who was helped by
Miss Ophelia to reform through the image of Eva.
Simon Legree- The ruthlessly evil master of Unlce
Tom in Louisiana plantation who fosters violence
and hatred among his slaves.
Cassy- Legree’s (slave) mistress, Eliza’s mother. She
is a proud and intelligent woman and uses her
cleverness to escape from Legree.
Emmeline- A young beautiful slave girl Legree buys
for himself as a replacement for Cassy as his
mistress. She was raised as a pious Christian.
Reading Comprehension
A Kentucky farmer named Arthur Shelby and his wife
Emily are very kind and affectionate to all their
slaves; however, having faced with some economic
struggles, Arthur Shelby had to think of many ways
on how to generate money to pay off his debts. He
couldn’t think of any other ways to raise money, so
he made a decision on his very last resort which is to
sell two of his slaves, Uncle Tom, who had a wife
and children, and the young boy Harry, the son of
Eliza and George Harris. He sold the two to the gruff
slave trader named Mr. Haley. Eventually, Shelby told
his wife about his agreement with Mr. Haley. His
wife was appalled because she made a promise to
her maid that the Shelbys would never sell her son.
Accidentally, Eliza overheard the conversation
between Shelby and his wife that made her alarmed.
She warned Uncle Tom and his wife Aunt Chloe
about what the Shelbys talked about and she
immediately took his son with her to flee to the
North with the hope of finding freedom in Canada
wither husband George as a complete family. Mr.
Haley learned about the escape of Eliza and her son
and wanted to pursue the two but the other slaves of
the Shelbys alerted Eliza to the danger and she
miraculously evades the capture by crossing the
half-frozen Ohio River, the boundary that separates
Kentucky from the North. Mr. Haley hired a slave
hunter named Tom Loker, and his gang to search for
Eliza and he son and bring them back to Kentucky.
Fortunately, Eliza and Harry made their way to the
Quaker settlement in which the Quakers agreed to
help in transporting to safety.
Eventually, Eliza and Harry were joined by George
Harris. The family joyously reunited from one
another to their trip for Canada.
On the other hand, Uncle Tom did not resist from
being sold to the slave trader and sadly left his
family and his Mas’r George, Shelbys’ son and Tom’s
friend. Haley took him to a boat on Mississippi to be
transported to the slave market. On that boat, she
met Eva, a very angelic little white girl. Uncle Tom
and Eva quickly became friends. Unexpectedly, an
unfortunate circumstance occurred. Eva fell into the
river and without any hesitations, Tom dived into the
river to save the young girl. Gratefully, Augustine St.
Clare, Eva’s father agreed to buy Uncle Tom to be
their slave. The St. Clares brought Tom to their home
in New Orleans, where he grew increasingly
invaluable to the St. Clare households and became
Module 7–Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe | Page 5 of 8
very close to Eva with whom he shared a devout
Christianity.
Up North, George and Eliza remained in flight from
Loker and his men who attempted to capture them.
George managed to shoot Loker in the side and the
other slave hunters drew back. Despite the possible
danger the injured gruff slave hunter might bring,
Eliza was able to convince her husband and the
Quakers to take Loker and bring him to the next
settlement so he can be healed.
Meanwhile in New Orleans, St. Clare had a
discussion with his cousin, Ophelia, who opposes
slavery as an institution but harbors deep prejudices
against blacks. In contrast, St. Clare doesn’t have
any hostility against black but tolerates slavery, not
because he advocates it but because he feels
powerless to change it. St. Clare wanted to help his
cousin to overcome her bigotry so he bought a
young black girl named Topsy, who was abused by
his previous master. He arranged his cousin to begin
educating the young slave.
Tom served the St. Clares for two years. Eva’s illness
worsened and slowly weakened. She died with a
vision of heaven before her. The angelic young girl’s
death left a profound impact on everyone who knew
her. Ophelia learned to become affectionate to the
slaves, Topsy learned to trust and feel attached with
others and St. Clare decided to set Tom free for his
daughter; however, before he could act his decision,
he was stabbed to death while trying to settle a
brawl. On his death, he finally found God and went to
be reunited with his mother in heaven.
Thinking of Tom being useless, St. Clare’s cruel wife,
Marie, sold the old man to the vicious plantation
owner named Simon Legree. Tom was taken to rural
Louisiana along with the group of new slaves
including Emmeline, whom the very cruel Legree
purchased as his sex slave a replacement to his
previous sex slave, Cassy. Legree expressed a
strong dislike towards Uncle Tom when he was
ordered to whip another slave and he refused to do
so. It resulted Tom to receive severe beating and
Legree resolved to crush his faith in God. Tom met
Cassy and learned her story. She had a daughter
who got separated from her because of slavery.
When she became pregnant again, she killed the
child because she couldn’t stand losing another
child because of slavery.
Around this time, Tom Loker, now a transformed
man after being healed by the Quakers, helped Eliza,
George and Harry. The family finally reached
crossed over into Canada from Lake Erie and
obtained their freedom.
In Louisiana, Unlce Tom’s faith was put into a test
through hardships and that he nearly questioned his
beliefs. He had two visions, one of Christ and one of
Eva. These visions renewed her spiritual strength
and gave him courage to withstand all the torments
Legree would cause him. He encouraged Cassy to
escape from Legree. She did it so but she took
Emmeline with her. They managed to escape after
deceiving everyone and disguised to be ghosts.
Legree found out that the two sex slaves went
missing. He asked Tom where the two have gone
but Tom refused to tell him so. Uncle Tom pushed
Legree’s buttons that resulted him to order his
overseers to punish Tom by beating. When Tom was
near death, he still managed to bestow forgiveness
to Legree and to the overseers. It was too late when
Arthur Shelby arrived with money in hand to buy his
Uncle Tom’s freedom. He could just watch his
faithful slave die a martyr’s death.
Taking a boat toward freedom, Cassy and Emmeline
met the sister of George Harris. They traveled with
her to Canada where she realized that her long-lost
daughter was Eliza. The unexpectedly newly reunited
family travelled to France and moved to Liberia, the
African nation that was created for American slaves.
On the other hand, Shelby returned to Kentucky farm
after his father’s death, he sets all his slaves free in
honor of Tom’s memory and urged them to
reminisce Tom’s sacrifice everytime they would look
Module 7–Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe | Page 6 of 8
at his cabin and to lead a virtuous Christian life just
like what Tom did.
LEARNING
ACTIVITY 1
Literary Analysis
Objective: Show interest in acquiring a deeper
understanding of the texts through discussion
and/or literary analysis to deepen awareness on
employment issues.
Task: After acquiring deeper understanding of the
literary piece, you are tasked to writing short
reflection on the on the different issues on
employment and slavery in relation to the novel. For
you to have a better paper, you may start by
summarizing the novel, stating some facts and
giving details. Always end your reflection with a
conclusion to wrap everything up.
Note: You may have your literary analysis either
written or encoded on short bond paper.
Tools and resources: paper, pen, module, News TV,
other reading materials available at home
(newspaper, magazine)
LEARNING
ACTIVITY 2
Slogan Making
(Advocating anti-slavery and anti-human trafficking
campaigns)
Objective: Create a campaign supporting anti-
slavery and anti-human trafficking.
Task: As a responsible citizen of our nation, we take
part in advocating campaigns against anti-slavery
and anti-human trafficking. For you to show your
empathy and awareness on the issue, you are tasked
to compose a slogan campaign supporting anti-
slavery and anti-human trafficking with the use of
coupon bond paper and/or through any web-based
editing tool (e.g. Canva, Adobe Photoshop). You may
also use the box provided on the right side of this
page.
Tools and resources: paper, pen, module,
newspaper at home, News TV, smartphones (for
students who may want to use available editing
tools).
SUMMARY
Let us recall the main points raised in this lesson.
Below is a summary of these points:
Slavery has become of the major issues concerning
many countries. Uncle Tom’s Cabin’s plot started
when the Selby family faced economic struggles and
was pushed to sell two of their slaves, Uncle Tom
and Harry Harris. Neither Arthur Shelby nor his wife
want to sell their slaves for different reasons. After
being sold, he encountered numerous hardships as
he was transported from different owners. He met a
lot of cruel people and some good-hearted ones
including Eva, whom he shared a devout Christianity.
Uncle Tom encouraged Cassy and Emmeline to
escape Simon Legree, his last owner. When the
incident was found out by Legree, he ordered Tom to
tell him where they have gone but Tom refused to do
so. Because of Legree takes strong dislike on Tom,
he ordered his overseers to beat him. When he was
near death, he forgave both Legree and the
overseers. It was too late when Arthur Shelby arrived
with money in hand to buy Tom’s freedom. He could
only watch his faithful slave dies martyr death.
In honor of Tom’s memory, Shelby set all his slaves
free and encouraged them to think of Tom’s
sacrifice everytime they look at his cabin to lead a
pious Christian life, just as Tom did.
Module 7–Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe | Page 7 of 8
Congratulations! You have just finished this module!
I hope the message of this novel inspired you to
keep your kindness in your heart motivated you to
Grant, G. (2016). Uncle Tom and Aunt Sophie
extend your help and lift others who are in need.
Believe that you can always make a difference even
in little ways.
https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/
26245090-d1d4-4d2e-ab25-00f9caebea91
Campbell. Retrieved September 21, 2020,
from
https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/
bc4d0cf4-bda9-47ad-88e3-333a816ac8f6

Brown, J. (2010). File:Window Light at Uncle Tom's

Cabin (5019207678).jpg. Retrieved September
21, 2020, from
https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/
8d0af199-dbbc-4f79-97df-4ff4677e9a84
READINGS AND
REFERENCES

Readings

Harriet Beecher Stowe. (n.d.). Retrieved September

15, 2020, from http://bit.ly/2QQ15eG

Harriet Beecher Stowe. (1995). The Project

Gutenberg EBook of Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
Retrieved September, 15, 2020, from
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/203/203-h/2
03-h.htm

References

Harriet Beecher Stowe. (n.d.). Retrieved September

15, 2020, from http://bit.ly/2QQ15eG

Harriet Beecher Stowe. (1995). The Project

Gutenberg EBook of Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
Retrieved September, 15, 2020, from
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/203/203-h/2
03-h.htm

Ellsworth Curtis, E. (1914). Uncle Tom's Cabin, So.

Pines, N.C. Retrieved September 21, 2020,
from https://search.creativecommons.org/
photos/c6996d8b-0c55-4eee-89b3-
95eb234eedbc

Doss, M. (2008). Harriet Beecher Stowe. Retrieved

September 21, 2020, from

Module 7–Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe | Page 8 of 8