Marcus Tullius Tiro – About me

My name is Marcus Tullius Tiro. I am now a free man, and I have been released by my master who is Cicero. I have been excellent in performing my roles, and my master has chosen to release me. The tasks that I have been performing for my master are managing my master’s table, taking dictation, and deciphering my masters’ handwriting. Other roles that I have been attending to include financial affairs and the garden belonging to my master. My master has freed me because of my health concerns, and I have chosen to accompany him to Sicilia where he is a governor.
As a freedman, I have been observing what the other slaves are going through, and it is quite frightening. These slaves are being subjected to forced labor, beating, and other actions that are not humane at all. My master has been gentle with me over the years I have served him. The other masters who own other slaves are cruel in the manner in which they treat them. Further, they have increased their level of brutality to the slave forcing them to work for long hours without having to take breaks to eat or associate with others. These actions of other masters to their slave is disheartening, and it is making me question the reason as to why they are being treated as fewer humans.
The slaves who are working for different masters are being treated as properties rather than human. I do find it difficult to comprehend the reason as to why their masters address them with such cruelty. Masters have been exercising their full control over the slaves.

In fact, some of the slaves are being sold, others are being rented as property, and others are being murdered by their master for no apparent reasons. I am sorrowful, and I pity them although I know there is no way I can prevent this from happening to them. I am privileged because my master has chosen to free me.
I would hate to live like a slave again since the others are treated unfairly and worse than an animal. The skin of other slave is colored black and blue due to the iron that is left by whippings. Their masters make them wear tiny covering around my thighs, but the dressing is very shallow such that it is translucent and therefore, easy to see through the torn cloth. Sometimes, their masters brand their forehead with letters on the forehead. The hair of the other slaves is shaved off partially, and also they are being subjected to wearing fetters on their feet. The food that these slaves have access to is poor and in most cases the food is obtained from the left over from the guests’ barguests. I have heard some instances whereby a slave had worked for many years for the master to accumulate plenty money to buy their freedom but they were not allowed to go. Sometimes slaves are let to work until their old age, and their masters take the money they had worked for, and when they are freed they have nothing to eat, and they are forced to seek for charity for their survival. Even when a slave gets to be freed, he lives with the stigma for the rest of his life since slavery is considered an issue of social class and therefore one cannot be free to other citizens.
Now that I am freed, I have a better opportunity to mobilize the other slaves to take this chance of teaming up against our masters so as to fight for their freedom too. Being free makes one feel good, and I would like them to experience the same. Forming a rebellion through joining forces will give the slave a better chance to free themselves from their masters. I will be the leader of these slaves to try and liberate them from the Romans and make sure that the slaves and their families live a life that is better while enjoying their freedom. Slavery is inhumane and horrific, it makes one vulnerable and having no control over themself. That is why I am planning to finish this menace through helping other slaves free themselves.