Answer:
Jim clearly thinks it is better to bide his time and try to convince his slave owners to let him free. The narrator of this text doesn't believe it is worth the time kissing up to the slave masters as that submissive behavior is what owners are expecting anyway and ultimately hope to achieve through the fear tactics and whipping. The narrator believed the only way to achieve freedom was to take it. It seems quite apparent that they cannot stand to stay where they are. They've developed such a sense of dignity that they would rather risk punishment than do nothing.
Explanation:
Coerce means to do something by using force or threats, he wants to force himself into thinking of it but could not achieve it because his muscles were preventing it.
