With this quote Tacitus addresses the very entity that spurns resistance and fuels the fire that keeps it lit: hope. Tacitus- a Roman historian- clearly expresses that there is a small fiber of every person's being that is dedicated to resistance by way of unyielding hopefulness. The varying factor in that statement, however, is how large the fiber of inspiration may be. For enslaved Africans, forced to do bidding at the command of foreign Europeans, it is thick and cable-like for their spirit of resistance was honed for generations. Father and son alike, western Africans were picked as if they were a mere piece of fruit and whisked across the sea to another world to answer the ominous toll of slavery. However, they met this slavery with an iron will and the flame of hope that could not be extinguished. The very same fire inspiration came alive in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Dumbledore's Army was created to oppose Dolores Umbridge and her crazed lust for power. By observing the unifying tendencies that connect all resisting peoples such as enslaved Africans and Dumbledore's Army, we can see that hope is the primary catalyst that promotes and sustains opposition against oppression, which most people don't see; this is important because it suggests that without hope, there would be no unifying force to rally around for those who are oppressed.

In the overwhelming majority of the cases that involve oppression, the ruling body constricts the mental freedom just as much or more than the physical liberties. Fear and despair are quickly found to be extremely effective to neutralize and break a fighting spirit. The greatest asset to any group of resisting people is the belief that they can truly do something to improve their situations. Armed with this knowledge, belief often transforms into resistance and opposition against the ruling body. The regime, then, does all that it can to ensure that inspiration does not strike. In her description of the slave trade of western Africa, Orena D. Lara depicts the enslavement as vastly more debilitating psychologically than otherwise. What is despicably ironic is that this process feeds on itself. In essence, the slave trade itself was the root of the evil that "sowed fear and insecurity"(Oruno,1880). The vicious cycle repeats, leaving the oppressed people derived of all hope, wallowing in sorrow and self-pity.
 
However, the small percentage of opposition that are successful in their fights, are quick to realize to the valuable flame that hope can emit, and are wise to surround themselves with its glow. Quite simply, it gives the people something to fight for. Hermione, who first proposes the idea of forming a resistance group to Umbridge's regime, grasps this logic the quickest out of any student at Hogwarts. The first glimpse of this hope is shown in her manner in chapter fifteen as she introduces the idea of forming Dumbledore's Army. Her face, described as "alight with the kind of fervor that S.P.E.W. usually inspired in her,"(Rowlingpage#) gives testimony to the power that inspiration can instill in people. As mentally debilitating as the absence of inspiration is, the restorative powers that it possesses are greater by far. Once inspiration has touched one, the result is a spreading wildfire that soon becomes uncontrollable, expanding to all peoples. This too is evident within the Harry Potter novel as evidenced by the "rush of people"(337) who show up at The Hog's Head to hear Harry speak about what would soon be known as Dumbledore's Army. Harry's dismay at being called on to lead these students is understandable and apparent. <insert quote>.
  
Unfortunately, when an oppressing regime is assaulting the mental state of its victims, spreading uncertainty and discord is not enough. Fear itself was not enough so satisfy the ravenous appetite for mental destruction they sought to wreak on the defenseless African slaves. They wanted to go beyond trepidation and disallow all other forms of mental stimulation from rousing the dormant spirit of hope that lay within each of the men they enslaved. By blocking off any method of education, the slave traders ensured that their quarry would remain illiterate and ignorant of the injustice with which they were being treated. Similarly the institutional control that Umbridge exerts over the students at Hogwarts traps the students in their own inadequate knowledge. Hermione again is the first to recognize the Ministry's methods, questioning Umbridge's methods for teaching on the first day of class, "There's nothing up there about using defensive spells"(Rowling 241). Hermione's outburst serves as the catalyst for the other students who are apt to realize that this unorthodox manner of teaching will not only cripple them for their examinations, but also in real life. This perfectly exemplifies the theory that if the light of one person's inspiration is allowed to show, the hope in others is illuminated. The effect is almost instantaneous with other students voicing their incredulity at Umbridge's policies. Over half a dozen students express their displeasure after Ron Weasley enunciates, "We're not going to use magic?"(Rowling,242). This is precisely the moment that every oppressing body seeks to avoid. For if one person begins to inspire another, the end result that arrives is debilitating for the regime: resistance.

Although resistance of any kind against an oppressing power is inevitable, the imminent threat of punishment is just as unavoidable. It goes without question that the oppressing regime must punish those who seek to undermine it, lest they spread inspiration and hope amongst their peers. This is precisely the case when one analyzes the annals of Dutch slave trade off the western coast of Africa. It was recorded that an Ashanti native by the name of Essjerrie Ettin was hanged and lynched after leading a rebellion with his fellow slaves. Though the records are few, it is quite apparent that Ettin was in fact the primary figure in mounting this particular revolt in 1770, and thus suffered the worst consequences. His punishment, described as "having his right hand cut off and being hanged and lynched to death"(Oruno 195), gives testimony to the brutality suffered by any who resisted enslavement. Nevertheless, his actions inspired others, giving them hope for a brighter future than the bleak prospect of slavery. Ettin's heroics were not in vain as demonstrated further in the records, "Though the waters of Juda Harbor were teeming with sharks, men and women captives alike jumped into the water rather than accept their internment"(Oruno 195).

Countless other occurances similar to this one are interspersed throughout the grisly history of African enslavement. Historian Terry Snyder records one such event that took place just off the coast of Georgia early in the 1800's. A group of Igbo , captured from the western coast of Africa, had survived the voyage across the Atlantic only to be resold to another proprietor. A proud people, the Igbo decided they would not allow themselves to be subjected any longer to the "mismanagement"(Snyder 36) and "rose up from the confinement of their vessel and revolted against the crew"(Snyder 36). As heroic as their actions may have been, they were not done from inspiration or hope. Rather, the revolt most likely stymied from a sense of dread at being resold into slavery, this time to another buyer. This is proven when the newly-freed Igbo "took to the marsh and drowned themselves" (Snyder 36). It is clear that the Igbo were not hopeful of their situation, and thus decided to remove themselves of it. In this gruesome case, the mental assault of slavery was too much and had sapped all the mental fortitude of the Igbo which left them no choice other than suicide.

Indeed, the prospect is quite sobering that sacrifices must be taken in order to oppose injustice. However, death is not the only method by which punishment is enacted and hope is snatched. Many times, the rigors placed upon those resisting oppression are mentally taxing as well as physically. Unfair as it is to claim, a servant who is mentally devoid of hope is much more likely to do one's bidding than a servant who is rendered physically incapable due to repeated bodily horrors. The case of a disturbing mental punishment is quite evident in Order of the Phoenix when Umbridge commands Harry to serve detention with her, and proceeds to give him a quill that etches his skin and uses Harry's own blood as ink. Harry is understandably appalled by Umbridge's tactics to the point where he refuses to tell even his dearest friends Ron and Hernione, "He was not sure why he was not telling Ron and Hernione he only knew he did not want to see their looks of horror, that would make the whole thing seem worse and therefore more difficult to face"(Rowling 269). Harry is clearly being subjected to physical suffering but his most pressing anguish is mental in his inability to confide in his companions about what he is facing. This is common practice among ruling bodies. Make those who are being ruled feel isolated, and thereby eliminate the chance that they will band together in opposition.
 
The relationship between the oppressing regime and the oppressed is a dark one. The sadistic mental and physical injustices suffered by the victims of oppression is comparable only to torture. However, this torture extends much deeper than merely the mind or body. It penetrates the soul and tears at the moral fiber with which human beings are composed. It's sole purpose is to suppress and extract hope. But it is with hope that the oppressed are able to fight back. As was the case with African enslavement and Dumbledore's Army, hope can inspire resistance of all kinds whether it be passive or aggressive. It is precisely as Tacitus said many hundreds of years ago, every person possess a fighting spirit. Every person can hope.


