A Escrava Isaura 9.19 · 9.19

Isaura's reply is a quiet act of resistance folded inside submission: 'Sempre esteve, senhor' — it always has, sir. She grants his power but strips it of its menace by pointing out it is nothing new; she has always been a slave, always in a master's hands, and has always endured. The 'humildemente,' humbly, is manner only — the content is unbowed. She refuses to be freshly frightened by a fact she has lived her whole life.

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