In Herman Melville's novella, "Benito Cereno," an American ship captain has a surprising encounter with slavery when he boards a vessel largely occupied by blacks. The captain of the Bachelor's Delight, Amasa Delano, automatically assumes that this ship's captain is Benito Cereno and the black man a...

• Word Count: 1557
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Moreover, the African American knows he is strolling a scarce difference in belligerence with the white proprietor, and he intentionally crosses that line when he says, "You ain't gonna be able to say a word/If I lay my fist on you." ...

• Word Count: 1762
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate