In the novel Roots by Alex Haley, Alex Haley expresses the struggles and challenges of African American men and women. She turns bad situations into a wonderful thing by including the love everyone in the book had for their families. The challenges faced concerned the acquisition of power and freedom. Haley compares the challenges faced by his ancestors to those of Kunta Kinte. It also talks about the things women and children had to do to gain respect and freedom. Men were recognized more than women. African American women had to suffer beatings, rapes, and their children taken away at birth. Children were forced to watch their parents being beaten. It affected them mentally and physically as they aged. Both men and women had to face difficult times in the past so that we can have our freedom today. Haley wrote this book to express to people that honoring the men and women who fought for our freedom is very important. He wanted to capture the reader's attention by explaining the challenges that 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 all for the well-being of his family. He didn't want children to suffer and go through what he did just to be fed or to be cleaned. Family was very important in this novel. It 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe way you were treated depended on your skin tone. Kunta Kinte being of a darker complexion was treated differently. African Americans were forced to work in the cotton fields. About 179,000 men went to fight in the war. Nearly 40,000 died during it and others succumbed to disease. If they had lighter skin they worked at home as maids. During the wars they were injured and mistreated. Caucasians received better treatment than African Americans. Nurses believed that the lives of Caucasian people 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 care. Most of the slaves died during the journey due to disease. They were prone to infections due to wounds and open wounds. There is a huge difference between how African Americans were treated today versus how they were treated in the past. African American men and women were confused, frustrated, and hurt. They didn't understand why they were treated differently just because of the color of their skin. According to Haley "Through this flesh, which is us, we are you and you are us!" He says this to show the readers that Kunta Kinte was expressing that there was no difference between his people and the Caucasians. Many slaves suffered. They were mostly treated like animals. Beaten when they were hungry or tired. Children were forced to work in the cotton fields at a young age. Most of the children who grew up and fought in wars died of starvation and disease. The Kunta Kinte were similar to those boys who had not had to fight in the war, but fighting for his freedom was a war. He went through a lot to protect his family. His family was sold by slave owners at auctions, so he had to fight alone. It was difficult for her sisters and mother because raising women was different. In those days it was supposed that menwere stronger than women. Women have become stronger by coming together and working as one. According to Haley quote “Men are mortal”. He is trying to help the reader understand that slaves were treated like a piece of property. Women were treated differently than men. In New England, women were sold to slave owners and given to their wives as Christmas and occasional gifts. The slave population grew due to the birth of children and the slave trade. They had most of the women in the house depended 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 in the camps as followers of the campers. Women worked building roads, building fortifications, and washing uniforms. Women mostly had to do everything that men did because men had to help other soldiers in different wars. Most of the women were strong, they were simply too afraid to stand up to their owners on their own. When other women joined them they were stronger. They felt they had someone to pick them up and encourage them to move forward and fight for their freedom if they failed. Together a group of women is stronger than just one. Women not only fought for freedom, but also fought for their rights. This quote explains that a woman is more than what people see her as “We are all born sexual creatures, thank God, but it is a shame that so many people despise and destroy this natural gift.” Religion was very important during slavery. Some slaves were treated differently from other slaves because of their religion. Slaves who were in Judaism were given treatment and protection. They were treated like extended family and given privileges. They might even be freed. Religion also helped slaves around the world. In Christianity, their faith got 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 songs to God, putting their faith in Him and trusting that life would get better. Slave owners did not allow slaves to read the Bible, there was no choice but to sneak in. 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 that I know of, of any importance, that don't have , in one way or another time, has been the subject of hatred, racism or whoever has not had people against him just because they were. "Remember: This is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essayHaley was inspired by the stories he heard from his grandmother about his ancestors during slavery. He was inspired to write roots from a story detail that his grandmother told him. It was about a man they called “the African”. The name Kunta Kinte comes from the story told by his grandmother call “Kin-tay,” but the Virginia planter who purchased it renamed it “Toby” and that is where Alex Haley got the name Kunta Kinte for his novel Roots was to capture the reader's attention by explaining and creating a character and comparing him to slaves of the past. Mostly