Notes
Pete San Pedro
Different, but How Different? From Slavery to Indentured Servitude
Written over four hundred years ago, William Shakespeare’s seminal play, The Tempest, holds a mirror to society by highlighting the extent to which humans have subjected others to injustices, chief among them one of the most well-described forms of injustices being slavery. Throughout The Tempest, the theme of servitude is illustrated by the inability of various characters to obtain personal agency and autonomy on the island that had been commandeered by Prospero, the former Duke of Milan. The Tempest, having been Shakespeare’s final play, acts as a final will and testament to his craft wherein the play’s protagonist, Prospero allegorically denotes the playwright’s own departure to the very stage he has fashioned. The play opens up with a cataclysmic and cacophonous storm that we later discover had been conjured up by Ariel, the sprightly and subservient spirit as directed by Prospero who wishes to enact revenge on his enemies by stranding them on various points of the island. The scene I have chosen to denote acts as an inaugural overview of the theme of servitude wherein we find Ariel’s service to Prospero taking the form of a series of magical responsibilities that must be performed in order to win his freedom. When challenged about the terms of their agreement, Prospero reminds Ariel that he freed him from his long imprisonment at the hands of Sycorax, before threatening to imprison him once more, “If thou more murmur’st, I will rend an oak And peg thee in his knotty entrails till Thou hast howled away twelve winters” (I.ii.349-351). Thematically, servitude is portrayed in a deeper and more complex level wherein there is evidence of slavery versus duty. The Tempest represents an allegory about institutions of learning inculcating its students to adopt the combination of submissiveness and assertiveness by mirroring the behaviors of their instructors. As noted by author Tom Lindsay, “Students were also supposed to imitate the practical authority their instructors wielded over the classroom. For instance, as tutors and classroom monitors, advanced students had to instruct, judge, and punish their classmates just as their schoolmasters instructed, judged, and punished them” (Lindsay, 407). We witness these aforementioned traits illustrated in Ariel’s audacious assertiveness when addressing the parameters of their contractual agreement with Prospero, “Since thou dost give me pains, Let me remember thee what thou hast promised, Which is not yet performed me” (I.ii.287-289). I chose to highlight the hierarchical structure that the patriarchy, namely Prospero, enforces on the island in a reimagined version of the scene where we are first introduced to Ariel. This scene illustrates how a stressful work environment can engender disagreements and conflict. It is within these conditions that we sometimes lose a sense of human connection towards those with whom we work with. This is evident in Prospero’s reluctance to honoring the countless efforts performed by Ariel, much to Ariel’s chagrin. I have chosen to reimagine the scene where we are first introduced to Ariel by following a modernized Grecian set in an office setting theme wherein the plight of the working-class hero is fully displayed as being a distressing uphill battle for their just compensations. The Grecian theme initially came about as a way to offset the usage of Roman mythology, “Jove’s lightning, the precursors O’ th’ dreadful thunderclaps, more momentary And sight-outrunning were not” (I.ii.237-239). Interestingly enough, after some research, I serendipitously come to find out that the staple to many office settings, the Xerox machine is aptly named after the Greek word for “dry writing.” Lastly, as I painstakingly piece this essay together, I am reminded of my current situation… I’m a thirty-REDACTED year-old student. A student who has accrued quite a sizable amount of debt that is menacingly awaiting for me at the finish line. Jeffrey Williams, a professor of English at Carnegie Mellon, said it best, “College student-loan debt has revived the spirit of indenture for a sizable proportion of contemporary Americans. It is not a minor threshold that young people entering adult society and work, or those returning to college seeking enhanced credentials, might pass through easily. Because of its unprecedented and escalating amounts, it is a major constraint that looms over the lives of those so contracted, binding individuals for a significant part of their future work lives.” To put it frankly, I like many students in this screwed up system will graduate and subsequently get a job… LITERALLY ANY JOB only to have their just compensation immediately allocated towards a growing debt. Use me for example (or a cautionary tale), I graduated and earned my associate’s degree in 2019, somehow, I now find myself working with children (don’t tell my boss, but … I HATE CHILDREN!) In short, the best way to describe indentured servitude is to compare it to gambling. You come in with good intentions only to give up a majority of your wealth for the vague promise of something possibly being better in the future.
Works Cited
Lindsay, Tom. ‘Which First Was Mine Own King’: Caliban and the Politics of Service and Education in ‘The Tempest.’” Studies in Philology, vol. 113, no. 2, 2016, pp. 397–423.
Shakespeare, W. and Bevington, D., 2004. The Tempest (Folger Shakespeare Library). Simon & Schuster.
Williams, Jeffrey J. ‘Academic Freedom and Indentured Students.’ AAUP. American Association of University Professors. 2012.
Reimagined version — The Xerox[1]
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
Holly, were you able to get those copies running on the Xerox, as requested?
HOLLY
To the letter.
I toggled the paper tray, and then removed the paper jams that were jutting out, to unraveling the ribbon cable, replacing the toner, a roadblock from every corner. Once sorted, I reset the machine multiple times at rapid-fire speed, a debacle that would render any novice speechless. It’s almost as if I had multiplied seeing as how I had other matters to deal with. Not even Zeus’s[2] lightning could move as fast as I did. The roaring paper feeder trembled so hard it would make Ares[3] shudder to a grinding halt.
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
Marvelous work, Holly. Did any of the documents I had sent to print survive this sudden uproar?
HOLLY
Not a single sheet was harmed. The sheets not only didn’t get stained by the malfunctioning toner, but were in fact cleaner than they were before the commotion. And as you’ve directed me, I have distributed the sheets to the mailboxes of every faculty member. I carried the adjunct’s syllabi to the very top of the pile and have distributed them as needed.
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
Tell me what you did with the paystubs, the timesheets and all the other sensitive documents that require my attention?
HOLLY
The paystubs have all been distributed to every faculty member’s mailbox. The timesheets are on your desk awaiting your signature by which time I shall deliver them to the payroll department. And all other documents have been filed away accordingly.
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
Holly, you have performed your task exactly as I requested. But there’s more work to be done. What time is it?
HOLLY
Half past noon.
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
So, at least two hours have passed. We must treat the time between now and five o’clock preciously and waste none of it.
HOLLY
Is there more work to do? Since you’re adding to my workload, let me remind you of what you have assured would happen but haven’t actually done for me yet.
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
Holly, there is no need to get sentimental. Remind me again of what I have assured you?
HOLLY
My long overdue performance review.
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
Well with everything I have going on today, I won’t have any time to sit down with you and discuss your review.
HOLLY
I implore you to remember that I have repeatedly done good for you. I’ve always been honest with you and have made no mistakes. With all that, I have served you without bitterness or complaining. You promised to deliver my performance review wherein we’d discuss the possibility for a raise.
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
Have you forgotten how unhappy you were at your last job?
HOLLY
No
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
It is abundantly clear that you have forgotten. And now you think it’s too much effort to add more paper to the copier.
HOLLY
I have no issues with my responsibilities, Chairperson Walters.
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
You’re a terrible liar, Holly. Have you forgotten how you’d painfully trundle to work as your anxiety built up to unbearable levels?
HOLLY
I have not, sir.
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
I believe you have. Tell me, where was the Xerox machine made?
HOLLY
China, sir.
CHAIRMAN WALTERS
China, was it? Well, it was also China that had introduced the world to the coronavirus thus plunging society into a pandemic resulting in millions of Americans being laid off. Do I have to recount this story to you again every week in order to remind you of how fortunate you are to still be employed?
HOLLY
No, sir.