Social experiments

The Zimbardo's Prison Experiment was a study of the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or prison guard. Random male students were chosen to take part in this experiment, where they took roles of being prisoners and guards. The guards would act as authority and bring upon psychological torture to the prisoners. Some prisoners accepted the torture and would start to harass other prisoners who were not willing to accept being tortured at any cost. This experiment connects to The Book of Negroes because in the novel, events taking place on the ship were brutal because the people who were being tortured did not look to be tortured. The people, who were captured into British slavery, accepted that the torture was going to keep happening. They did not want to accept it but had to. One difference is that the prisoners did not harass other prisoners, only because it would not be fair, but only could accept this was their destiny.