Uncle Tom's Cabin (Cliffs Notes) [Paperback]

Thomas Thornburg (Author), Mary Thornburg (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764586777 | ISBN-13: 978-0764586774 | Publication Date: December 25, 2000 | Edition: 1

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

In CliffsNotes on Uncle Tom's Cabin, you discover Harriet Beecher Stowe's most memorable and socially relevant novel -- a book that, when published in 1852, galvanized public opinion against slavery in a way never seen before. The story follows the lives of two slaves: Eliza, who escapes slavery with her son, and Tom, who must endure humiliation, abuse, and torture inflicted by his owners.

This study guide takes you though Eliza and Tom's journeys by providing summaries and commentaries on each chapter of the novel. Critical essays give you insight into the major themes of the novel, as well as the novel's structure and Gothic elements. Other features that help you study include

• Character analyses of the main characters
• A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
• A section on the life and background of Harriet Beecher Stowe
• A review section that tests your knowledge
• A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Cliffs Notes; 1 edition (December 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764586777
• ISBN-13: 978-0764586774
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.3 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #433,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Read the book too!, May 2, 2003

By 

Richard Vermillion (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uncle Tom's Cabin (Cliffs Notes) (Paperback)

I remember using Cliff Notes in my high-school days to avoid extensive reading and yet to pass the tests/write the papers. However, when it comes to this specific book, I highly recommend that you actually READ this book for the personal benefits you'll get, and use the Cliff Notes for summary and a guide only. Some of the most powerful aspects of this book cannot possibly be obtained through the Cliff Notes version alone. It will be found shocking to many African Americans (and educational for many Caucasians) to discover that Uncle Tom was the HERO of this classic novel, and not a "weakling" by any stretch of the imagination. "Uncle Tom", or its shorter form "Tom", has become a slanderous term within the African American community and implies a weak and Caucasian-controlled person, when in actuality Uncle Tom was a powerfully moral man who was willing to die for his convictions rather than succumb to the will of his worst oppressors. In fact, this book was credited by Abraham Lincoln himself as the catalyst that won his election on the abolition of slavery platform, and the resulting Civil War that followed. "Uncle Tom" became a negative slander one hundred years later only after Malcolm-X and the Black Muslims used it to slander Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who exemplified similar characteristics of strength and courage--from a similarly peaceful perspective--in his approach to the Civil Rights issue. As with the fictitious character Tom, Dr. King also died for his convictions without raising a hand against his oppressors. I highly recommend this book to people of all colors and races because of the lessons of self-sacrifice and courage it contains. Caucasian readers will hopefully learn of the pain and suffering of the slaves and gain a deeper compassion for its lingering legacy today. However, I especially recommend Uncle Tom's Cabin to African Americans, for contained in its pages are stories of love, compassion and courage--by both black & white--that will offset the painful legacy of that period caused by the suffering of so many. May the ignorance of the "Uncle Tom" slander be eradicated from their minds as they read of the courage of this fictitious character--who reminded others of Dr. King himself--and the other characters whose struggles and triumphs are contained in its pages also. I also recommend the books: No Apology Necessary, by Earl Carter, Let's Get to Know Each Other, by Tony Evans, and my own book, which is-- White Man in a Black Man's World (tm), by Richard Vermillion.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This helped me immensely in graduate school, January 13, 2005

By 

Tony Thomas (SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uncle Tom's Cabin (Cliffs Notes) (Paperback)

Even though long before I had a bachelor's degree, let alone did graduate work on Stowe, I was recognized as an authoritative writer on issues of African American politics and history, I used these Cliff notes when I studied Uncle Tom in graduate school.
Uncle Tom is designed to be read as the sentimental and womens novel of the mid-19th Century it is were meant to be read, to be read in a torrent, in as close to one sitting, to be read to produce the torrent of emotions that it is meant to unleash. A 46-year-old African American political with long experience in real danger in political struggle, I wept when Uncle Tom died in this book, even though I was reading it for graduate school.
Using the cliff notes for this book allows you to read this properly as Stowe meant it to be, as her contemporaries meant it to be read, but to keep up with the details of all the characters and plot devices that literally range all over the United States with implications and discussions going around the globe.

I would also urge you to consult Eric J. Sundquist's book New Essays on Uncle Tom's Cabin (The American Novel) and Jane Tompkin's Sensational Designs. You can find an easy way to get to them by cliquing the see my reviews link next to my name.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Huge Help, February 16, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Uncle Tom's Cabin (Cliffs Notes) (Paperback)

Cliffnotes always help you get more out of the novel, but "krazy316," I can't believe you! How dare you abuse cliffnotes! The purpose of cliffnotes is to better understand what you have READ, not a cheap way to get out of reading good literature.
Anyway, cliffnotes is a great way to broaden your "knowledge" horizon. It explains who characters are, their relationships with one another, and the basic plot of each chapter. It's very helpful.