Lesson 6 Discussion In “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” Harriet Jacobs reveals some of the many unpleasant and terrible situations slaves were forced to experience. Jacobs described her slave master, Dr. Flint, as a vile monster who filled her mind with unclean images and subjected her to sexual harassment at an early age. Unfortunately, Dr. Flint eventually forced Jacobs to have sexual relations with him. Dr. Flint threatened Jacobs not to tell anyone, including her grandmother, and that she needed to obey her master as well as his orders.
Knowing that in this time in history that not even white women were respected on the same level as men, how much greater then were women of color disrespected? Though she used a fake name—she still identified as an African American woman, which proves that not just any book would be published at the time if it were not of some truth. Jacobs’ life, a life of physical slavery, shows the parallels to the bondage humans have in
1315334 Harriet Jacobs was born a slave. Until the age of six she had a "normal" childhood. In her book From Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861), she shares her experiences of what it was like to be a slave. Jacobs says herself she created this piece of writing because, " I want to add my testimony to that of abler pens to convince the people of the Free States what Slavery really is. Only by experience can any one realize how deep, and dark, and foul is that pit of abominations.
The book Incidents in the life of a slave girl written by herself, Harriet Jacobs, we follow her life as a slave in North Carolina during the Antebellum period of the United States before the Civil War. This book describes Harriet’s life as a slave in detail, something we would not usually get from a book around this time. Some important insights we get from this book are, instability of life, difficulty to escape slavery, family life, and the struggles of female slaves. Harriet Jacobs was born in Edenton, North Carolina, in 1813. The first child of Delilah Horniblow and Elijah Jacobs.
Harriet Jacobs account to slavery was very endearing and informative. Reading this really put me in the shoes of her lifestyle in which I can feel those emotions. Through the lost, struggle, and hardships that Jacobs went through. The characteristics that she showed was bravery, strength, and strong fighter. She was quick-witted and very much capable of not giving up without a fight.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. The Literature of the American South. Ed. William L. Andrews. New York: Norton, 1998.
Jacobs' narrative, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," is more personal and emotionally charged than Douglass' narrative, "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. " Jacobs' narrative is written in a more conversational tone and focuses on the intimate details of her life, while Douglass' narrative is more political and focuses on the broader themes of slavery and freedom. This difference in style reflects the different experiences of these writers and their intended audiences. Jacobs' narrative was aimed at white women, who were more likely to empathize with her story, while Douglass' narrative was aimed at a broader audience, including abolitionists and
Harriet Jacobs was born a slave in Edenton, North Carolina, around 1813. As a child Jacobs grew up under her grandmother and her mistress, she was taught how to read and sew. At the age of eleven Jacobs mistress unfortunately passed away leaving her in the hand of a new master called Dr. Flint. The constant abuse and sexual harassment by her horrible master led to a decision to run away. She fearfully struggle for freedom, not only for herself but for her two children.
(Jacobs, Ch 1, Par 6). Jacobs and many other enslaved people were told to “treat others the way you want to be treated”. It was expected that they would treat everybody with kindness. Yet this is not how things worked the other way around, seeing the cruelty and horrors of slavery. Another point of contradiction is in Chapter 13 of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Analogous in form to the spiritual autobiography, the slave narrative emphasizes the difficulty of upholding moral goodness under the weight of slavery. By revealing herself as a “fallen woman” Jacobs creates a hazardous problem, capable of eliminating the sympathies of a primarily white audience. Moreover, Jacobs risks portraying herself as an impure woman, whose virtuousness departs from the piousness and gracefulness typically exemplified by the ideal woman or “angel in the house,” according to the “Cult of True Womanhood.” Therefore, in an effort to preserve the ethos of her argument, Jacobs attributes her unchaste condition to the systemic effects of American slavery. Hoping to destroy the ideology of benign paternalism, Jacobs reveals her consequential ethical dilemma through a faint description of her master’s, Dr. Flint’s, licentious behavior.
Jacobs decided to write her autobiography “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” in order to share the true life of enslaved women, since men wrote most autobiographies. She wanted a woman’s perspective and she thought she was obliged to write it because she was well educated for a black woman during the times of slavery. Her life and other people alike her had their lives greatly affected by Andrew Jackson and his political roles during the late 1920’s to early 1950’s. Jackson’s policies, politics, and societal roles during and after his presidency affected the lives of enslaved women in the United States between 1828 and 1850.
I liked Jacob's "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" because many of innocent people have died due to slavery. I think the slavery should never have occurred in history because it's torturing and hurtful to know in today's society. We could never imagine if slavery were happening right now because it's a crime. Jacob wrote the story about her escaping from slavery. Although, she experienced hardship, she never gave up on her hopes to escape from the evilness. "
Incidents in the Life of a slave girl by Harriet Jacobs is an autobiography of a fugitive slave girl during the 1800s. The unwanted pain of seeing her children become slaves encourages to take a run for freedom. Having to overcome many obstacles during her search for freedom keeps her strong to become free so she will never have to face her past experiences again. Linda Brent is the main character in the book who is searching for freedom. She works for her master who thinks he treats her fairly well compared to how slaves are normally treated.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was written by Harriet Jacobs, under the pseudonym Linda Brent. Jacobs was the first African American woman to write a book that told the story of her life. To this day, it is the most thorough and complete recollection of the life of a slave woman. This piece of literature not only serves as a retelling of a slave narrative, but it also highlights how African American women were treated during this time. Looking at this autobiography through a feminist lens, this is not only an important record for slavery, but it is also important because it is also important for women and women's history.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl opens with an introduction in which the writer, Harriet Jacobs, expresses her purposes behind composing her life account. Like all other slaves, her life story was story was horrific and shocking enough that she would have rather kept it private, however she felt that making it open may help the abolitionist development and will probably make others aware that what all of them went through. An introduction by abolitionist Lydia Maria Child puts forth a comparative defense for the book and she thus keeps the story of Jacobs’ in front of the world. In the book, Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl, the author as by the pen name of Linda Brent tells her story of twenty years spent in slavery with her master Dr. Flint, and her
