In the novel Roots by Alex Haley, he expresses the struggles and challenges of African American men and women. He turns bad situations into a beautiful thing by including the love that everyone in the book had for their family. The challenges ahead were to gain power and freedom. Haley compares the challenges her ancestors faced to those of Kunta Kinte. It also tells the story of what women and children had to do to gain respect and freedom. Men were more recognized than women. African-American women had to endure beatings, rape, and their children taken away at birth. Children were forced to watch their parents being beaten. This affected them mentally and physically as they aged. Men and women had to go through hardships in the past so that we could have our freedom today. Haley wrote this book to express to people that it is very important to honor the men and women who fought for our freedom. He wanted to grab the reader's attention by explaining the challenges slaves faced and how they were forced to leave their families. In his novel he tells about Kunta Kinte and how he tries to escape. Kunta Kinte's suffering was solely for the well-being of his family. He didn't want the children to suffer and go through what he did just to be fed or to be clean. Family was very important in this novel. This shows how far a parent or family member would go to protect their loved ones. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay How you were treated depended on your skin tone. Kunta Kinte being a darker complexion, he was treated differently. African Americans were forced to work in the cotton fields. Around 179,000 men went to fight in the war. Nearly 40,000 people died and more died of disease. If their skin was lighter, they worked in the house as servants. During the wars, they were injured and poorly treated. Caucasians received better treatment than African Americans. Nurses believed that the lives of Caucasians were more important. African American men, women, and Indians did not have the same rights as Caucasians. When the slaves traveled on the ship to different locations, they did not receive any medical treatment. Most of the slaves died during the journey due to disease. They were prone to infections from wounds and open sores. There is a huge difference between how African Americans have been treated today and how they have been treated in the past. African American men and women were confused, frustrated, and hurt. They didn't understand why they were treated differently simply because of the color of their skin. According to Haley “Through this flesh, which is us, we are you, and you are us!” » He said this to show readers that Kunta Kinte was expressing that there was no difference between his people and the Caucasians. Many slaves suffered. They were mainly treated like animals. Beaten when they were hungry or tired. Children were forced to work in the cotton fields from a young age. Most children who grew up and fought in wars died of starvation and disease. Kunta Kinte was like those children he didn't have to fight in wars, but fighting for his freedom was war. He endured so much to protect his family. His familywas auctioned off by slave owners, so he had to fight alone. It was difficult for her sisters and mother because growing up as a woman was different. Back then, men were supposed to be stronger than women. Women became stronger by coming together and working as one. According to Haley quoting “Men are Mortal”. He tries to help the reader understand that slaves were treated as property. Women were treated differently from men. In New England, women were sold to slave owners and given to their wives as Christmas or occasional gifts. The population of enslaved women increased due to the birth of children and the slave trade. They had most of the women in the house depending on whether you were a lighter shade, and the women who were a darker shade were in the cotton fields. Most women cared for the elderly, such as the grandparents of slave owners. They made sure they were clean, shaved and fed. Other slaves helped during the Revolutionary War. Many helped at the camps as campers. Women worked building roads, building fortifications, and laundering uniforms. Women had to do basically everything that men did, as men had to help other soldiers in different wars. Most of the women were strong, they were just too scared to stand up to the owners on their own. When other women joined us, they were stronger. They felt like they had someone to pick them up and encourage them to keep going and fight for their freedom if they failed. Together, a group of women is stronger than one. Not only did women fight for freedom, but they also fought for their rights. This quote explains that a woman is more than what people see in her: “We are all born sexual creatures, thank God, but it is a shame that so many people despise and crush this natural gift. » Religion was very important during slavery. Some slaves were treated differently from other slaves because of their religion. The slaves of Judaism received treatment and protection. They were treated like extended family and given privileges. They could also be released. Religion also helped slaves around the world. In Christianity, their faith helped them through difficult times. Some slaves would sneak Bibles to teach their children and other slaves how to read and understand the Bible. They sang old slave hymns to God, putting their faith in Him and trusting that life would improve. Slave owners did not allow slaves to read the Bible, there was no choice but to sneak out. According to Alex Haley "If you think about it, there is no religious group, there is no nationalist group, there is no tribe, there is no group of people like me. knowledge, of any importance, which does not have, to one or the other "Keep in mind: this is only a sample. Get a personalized article now from our expert writers. Get a custom essay Haley was inspired by the stories his grandmother told him about his ancestors during slavery He was inspired to write Roots because of a particular story his grandmother told him. was a man they called "the African". The name Kunta Kinte comes from the story told by his grandmother. Haley's grandmother says that, according to family tradition, this African ancestor. called “Kin-tay”, but the Virginia planter who