Compliments In Herman Melville's Benito Cereno

Racism is not always mean. Well, it is, but it does not always appear that way. Compliments can be given, but even compliments can be ironic and sarcastic all depending on the way they are said and the contextual circumstances they are said in. In Herman Melville’s Benito Cereno, race, and slavery in particular, plays a major role throughout the course of the novel. The whole novel is a commentary on the opinions of slavery and the raises questions that make readers question their opinions about the human rights and political relationships at hand. The issue being addressed here is whether or not one character, the narrator, truly treats the slaves on the ship, and slaves in general, with respect. In the passage under examination, Melville is working to show

In other words, the narrator is stereotyping through compliments. Despite the fact that the word “compliment” has positive connotations, the narrator is still stereotyping all people with the same racial backgrounds as Babo, the character who brought out this description. Examining the diction is a good place to start here. Many of the words in the paragraph are positive adjectives, though these adjectives describe the idea that all blacks are good at something: serving others. The common words used all describe how “Most negroes are natural valets and hair-dressers.” (Melville 70). Words included are “natural,” “flourishing,” “satisfaction,” “smooth,” “marvelous,” “pleasing,” and “harmonious.” They all describe how blacks are good at serving their masters and how they appear to enjoy it as they have cheerful personalities and are seemingly happy people. This may seem like a nice thing to say, but it is generalizing a whole group of people based on the color of their skin, which is unfair. This all ties in with figurative language and sentence structure, as well as tone,