Comparing The Narrative Of The Life Of Fredrick Douglass By Harriet Jacobs

Most enslaved African Americans loved and labored on plantations in rural surroundings. In the Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass by Fredrick Douglass and Incidents in the Life of An American Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, we are able to see unusual experiences of slaves in urban settings. Without these two people living in urban settings they might not have been able to escape and tell us their stories. Their communities influenced their experiences as slaves, their possibilities for resistance and escape, and their relationship with their masters.

Jacobs and Douglass have been very fortunate to live in the urban settings that they did, not many of the slaves were able to live this way. The experiences that they both encountered were

In Douglass’s journey, he was sold from the Auld family to another plantation where he was supposed to learn how to act as a slave. Covey, his new master was known for being a harsh man. Covey kept a reputation that he was a slave breaker, if any slave who wouldn’t listen to their masters were sent here. (Douglass, 67-70) Covey would work them to near death and beat them if they disobeyed. After working very hard at this plantation, Douglass lost all hope of becoming free; he was just focused on resting his body for the next days’ work. (Douglass, 75) Before long, a fight broke out between Douglass and Covey. The fight was brutal and no one would step in. The fight lasted for two hours and Douglass gained a victory. Covey would not touch Douglass after that. (Douglass, 77-78) Douglass was later sold back to Hugh Auld where he was taught to work on a boat. Later he asked permission from Auld to let him work during his free time for some extra cash, Auld agreed. Slowly, Douglass made enough money that let him escape to New York for obtain his freedom. (Douglass,

Douglass had an interesting relationship with Sophia Auld. Before him, she never owned a slave before. Her motherly instincts led her to teach Douglass how to read. Even though she was stopped by her husband, this is what Douglass needed to ignite the desire to be free. After she was scolded to stop teaching him how to read, she became very cruel towards him. (Douglass, 42-45) Douglass also had an interesting relationship with Hugh Auld. At the end of his time in slavery, Auld enabled Douglass to work during his free time. Douglass then saved up enough money to escape slavery and move to New York. He never told the details of the escape though, he didn’t want to give away a plan that another slave could have taken. (Douglass, 101) Jacob had a good relationship with her mother’s mistress after her mother died. Her mother worked under her mistress for many years, her mother was able to gain some respect from her mistress. When she died, the mistress seemed to take Jacobs under her wing to take care of her. The mistress taught Jacobs how to read, this also ignited a desire for freedom. (Jacobs,