Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Blackamoor explained
A man buys an Ethiopian slave and, believing his black skin is due to neglect, tries to scrub it off with soap and hot water.
What happens
A man buys an Ethiopian slave and, believing his black skin is due to neglect, tries to scrub it off with soap and hot water. Despite his efforts, the skin remains black, and the slave nearly dies from a cold.
Themes in this chapter
Appearance vs. Reality
The master mistakes the slave's natural skin color for dirt, illustrating the folly of judging by appearances and ignoring inherent nature.
Wisdom and Foolishness
The master's misguided attempt to change what is natural shows a lack of wisdom, as he fails to recognize the futility of his actions.
Characters to notice
- The Old Man
The master who buys the Ethiopian slave and attempts to change his skin color through scrubbing.
Key passages
“A Man once bought an Ethiopian slave, who had a black skin like all Ethiopians; but his new master thought his colour was due to his late owner’s having neglected him, and that all he wanted was a good scrubbing.”
A man purchased an Ethiopian slave and assumed his dark skin was caused by poor care from his previous owner, believing a thorough cleaning would fix it.
Highlights the master's ignorance and the theme of appearance vs. reality.
“So he set to work with plenty of soap and hot water, and rubbed away at him with a will, but all to no purpose: his skin remained as black as ever, while the poor wretch all but died from the cold he caught.”
He scrubbed the slave vigorously with soap and hot water, but the skin stayed black, and the slave nearly died from a cold he developed.
Emphasizes the futility of the master's efforts and the harm caused by his foolishness.