Black Beauty
About Author
Anna Sewell (30 March 1820 – 25 April 1878) was an English
novelist. She is well known as the author of the 1877 novel Black Beauty, which
is now considered one of the top ten bestselling novels for children ever
written, although it was intended at the time for an adult audience. Sewell was
born on 30 March 1820 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, into a devout Quaker family.
Her father was Isaac Phillip Sewell (1793–1879), and her mother, Mary Wright
Sewell (1798–1884), was a successful author of children's books. She had one
sibling, a younger brother named Philip. The children were largely educated at
home by their mother due to a lack of money for schooling.
Summary of Book
This book teaches us the basic human values of kindness
sympathy and respect towards everybody, be it a human or an animal. Black
beauty was the only book written by this author though she had been helping in
editing her mother's works since her childhood. Her mother Mary Right Sewell
was a popular author back then. Anna Sewell wrote this book between 1871 to
1877, she loved animals most of all she loved horses. She once said that she
wrote this novel to induce kindness sympathy and an understanding treatment of
horses. In her times there were no cars or buses horses were used to pull the
carts or the vans that used to carry the loads or the humans. Thousands of
horses were used as means of transportation throughout Europe, America and
other parts of the world. Some owners were nice to the horses but some were
very cruel towards them it was because of the bad treatment towards the horses
that Anna Seville wrote this book. It hurt her to see people being unkind towards
a horse, her novel was kind of an eye-opener for many and played an important
role in abolishing of the cruel practice of using a Check rein or the bearing
rein, bearing rein is a kind of strap used to prevent the horse from lowering
its head beyond a particular point. This rein was fashionable in Victorian
England but it was very painful for the horses.
People loved this book and it became one of the best-selling books of all time but Anna Sewell died on April 1878 only five months after the novel was published. She never got to see the great success of her book though she witnessed its initial success in this book a beautiful black horse named Black Beauty tells about his life beginning with his carefree days as a Colt in an English farm with his mother to his difficult days pulling carts in streets of London to his peaceful retirement in the country. He recounts many tales of cruelty and kindness during his journey of life. Each chapter of this novel recounts an incident from his life which mostly were the experiences with his different owners by using the horses point of view the author makes us empathetic towards him and all the other working animals and makes us realise that how these innocent creatures survive at our mercy.
Let’s begin with the story there was a horse named Black Beauty reminiscing about his childhood or we can say colt-hood days with his mother. His mother's name was Dutchess and his childhood was very happy and carefree, they lived happily at Farmer Grey's farm. His mother teaches him to respect and please their owners and behave nicely. As he grew old farmer Grey started to train him carefully, he learned many things about riding humans on his back or pulling carriages wearing all the gears. Dutchess was raising him with a strong sense of morals he was taught to be always obedient and respectful towards his masters.
Then one day farmer Grey sells him to a guy named Squire Gordon and he begins his life at Birt wirk park squire Gorden’s home. There he works as a carriage and riding horse Squire Gordon and his wife were very happy with him and they only named him Black Beauty. His groom John Manly was also very kind towards him there were two other stable boys also who also were very kind towards the horses. Black Beauty liked John very much, there he befriends two horses Ginger and Merrylegs, these two were his stable mates at Birt wirk park. He was leading a blissful life with his owners and stable mates. On Sundays they used to get up weekly off also they were led to a field of good grass where they stayed without reigns and harness for the entire day once they escaped the fire also when a man came smoking in the stables. James saved them James was the other stable boy who learned from John how to be kind to horses then after some time little JoeGreen replaced James and soon the horses grew to love him also. Days passed by but the things don't remain same always, one night Black Beauty rode very hard to fetch a doctor saving Mrs. Gordon's life but falling sick himself, Joe due to his inexperience couldn't take proper care of him but when James took over Black Beauty started recovering Mr. Gordon was grateful to him for saving his wife's life. He lived there happily for another year then his good luck started to turn bad as Gordons decide to leave the place because Mrs. Gordon was not keeping well there, they all were very sad all the horses were sold beauties new owners at Earl’s Hall were not that kind and lovin.
Beauty starts to face the misery of being
tied with a bearing rein a trendy bit of horse tack that holds the horse's head
uncomfortably high, it was fashionable back then in London despite all this Beauty
was following his mother's advice to obey his masters but everything changes
when the alcoholic groom Reuben Smith takes the charge though he was very good
at his work but when he was drunk he was not the same man. One night while
riding back to home Smith lost his senses causing Beauty to take a fall which
proved deadly for himself, in the process Beauty also got hurt badly for weeks
Beauty couldn't be normal his legs were permanently scarred leaving him unfit
for a fashionable carriage horse. They sell him, he works as a horse for hire,
he pulls carts also he was sold and then resold to many owners but Beauty
withstands the indifferent and ignorant treatment. Every time he was treated
poorly it took a toll on his health until he was sold to a kind London cab
owner Jerry Barker he did not put any bearing rein on him and named him Jack as
he was not aware of his name. Jerry was a wonderful owner and he never whipped
Beauty Jerry's family also loved Beauty. One more time Beauty helped a woman in
distress by sprinting her to a hospital but beauty's good luck doesn't hold for
long Jerry decides to move to the country to work for Mrs.Fowler he is then
sold to a kind farmer Mr. Thoroughgood who wanted to rehabilitate him so that
he can have a relaxed and good life. He finally sells him to a nearby family
their groom recognizes the marks on his body and introduces him as the Black
Beauty. The groom was Little Joe Greenone of birtwirk’s former stable boys,
Beauty also recognizes him and was very happy to see him again everybody loved
him there. The new owners were friends to Gordens and they decided to keep him
there forever. Joe was the best groom Beauty could ever get and he lived there
happily for rest of his days.
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