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Summary Of Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs

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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. May the blessing of God rest on this imperfect effort in behalf of my persecuted people" (Pg. 847). She begins her testimony talking about her family. She lived with her parents, Jacobs describes her father being a highly intelligent loving man. He worked …show more content…

Unfortunately for Harriet at the same age she realized she was someones property, her mother died. According to North Carolina Historic Sites (2011), " When her mother died, she fell under Horniblow's direct charge, learning to sew well as read and write. It wasn't until the death of her mistress in 1825 that she experienced the harsher realities of slavery" (Sites, 2). The harsh realities that Harriet faced were all to common. After the death of her father she was sold to a man named Dr. James Norcom. Jacobs would be working for Norcom's young daughter. Harriet didn't understand that, caring for his daughter would be the only thing she would be doing because she was young and naive. She says ,"But I now entered on my fifteenth year- a sad epoch in the life of a slave girl. My master began to whisper foul words in my ear. Young as I was, I could not remain ignorant of their import. This is when Dr. Norcom started to have sexual relations with Jacobs, a young child lost her innocence and sadly this happened way to frequently. Years later, Harriet births two children and decides to run away. One dark night, Jacobs makes a run for her

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Harriet Jacobs (AKA Linda Brent) was born a slave, although up until the tender age of six she had not known such a thing because know one ever treated her as such. Linda learned to read, write and sew under her first mistress whom was very kind to her growing up. At the age of twelve Linda's first mistress died and willed her to Dr. Flint which would later cause much suffering and pain throughout her life. Linda was subjected to sexual harassment as well as physical abuse from Dr. Flint during her time as his servant. She was later temporarily able to ward off his advances by having an affair with Mr. Sands in which she had two children from him.

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As a woman, Harriet Jacobs faced unique challenges in the slave society. She was forced to endure sexual abuse from her owner and struggled to protect her children from the same abuse. This experience is clear in her narrative, which focuses mainly on the sexual misuse of female slaves. She writes with passion, using her own experiences to gain the attention of free women in the North (Jacobs).

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Harriet A Jacobs was born into slavery by the parents of Elijah and Delilah jacobs February 11, 1813.Harriet grew up in Edenton NC,at a very young age she was being traded back and forward following the death of her mother which lead her to become sad and alone only as a child. Harriet was a slave of former masters of Margaret horniblow,Daniel Jacobs,and Andrew Knox. Later on Harriet escaped from slavery and was later freed,she became a abolitionist speaker and reformer. Harriet Ann Jacobs was a very broken person throughout the hard times she went through as a young child based on the troubles of her mother's passing and a fact that she born into such cruel thing known as slavery and having to deal with being passed around to a different

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In Incidents In the Life of A Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, Harriet shares her experience in slavery and how she overcame trials presented in the form of her master and mistress, and how she battled constant separation from her family and children. In order to protect herself from her master, who constantly attempts to pressure Harriet into a sexual relationship with him, Harriet becomes involved in a relationship with a white man and gains two children. However, in order to escape slavery, Harriet stays for seven years in a small shed in her grandmother’s home and eventually gains her freedom. The book shows that in a system of slavery, family ties and the idea of motherhood are two things that are almost unachievable due to the uncertainty

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She had a happy childhood not knowing she was a slave until she was 6, after he mother died. After her mother's death, Harriet becomes the slave of her mother's

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The word slave entitles the label of the person being legal property and is forced to obey the owners orders at all causes. For Harriet Jacobs she was claimed and labeled a slave at a young age and began her years of slavery. As we have learned from history, slaves were constantly mistreated and abused for their labor had no rights or say for their lives. Unlike Jacobs she wasn’t endured to hard beatings nor intensive labor like most slaves though she was still sexually abused by her owners. As a slave and a runaway Harriet Jacobs suffered more from psychological abuse than physical abuse because she was abused, separated from her family and was forced into hiding for most of her adult life.

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White people have more rights and privilege from birth, while blacks face discrimination and the lack of opportunities from early years instead. The author wanted to show that people’s personal and professional success in life was closely associated with their racial and cultural background either increasing their chances to succeed or limiting them instead. Although both categories of people have the right to be happy, only white women can be truly happy in their life being able to marry, have children, have her own home, while black women are enslaved, oppressed and sexually exploited their entire life dreaming about a peaceful home, true love and a happy family. While writing the present book, Harriet Jacobs did not only want to show the hardships of slavery, its impact on people but also wanted “women of the North realizing conditions of two millions of women at the South” (Jacobs 2).

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Harriet jacobs “Incidents in the life of a slave girl”, explores her story of slavery and the fight for motherhood and freedom. Her story explores the harsh brutality of slave owners both phsically, emotionally,and sexualy. “Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women. Superadded to the burden common to all, they have wrongs, and sufferings, and mortifications peculiarly their own”.(Jacobs, p. 86). She fights for years for the freedom of her family and the pursuit to live a family life.

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Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs is a biographical narrative, written under the pseudonym Linda Brent and tells of her life as a slave in the South and eventually her escape to the North. As a child, Linda did not realize she was a slave because of her family always tried to protect her. Once she did find out that she was a slave her faith and spirit carried her to believe that one day she may be able to escape a live of servitude. Linda’s journey also takes her through motherhood, which also helps her to escape the abuse and sexual advances of her master. She is also able to escape the abuses of her master through the help of her grandmother and her Aunt Nancy.

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However, by getting herself pregnant by a white man of her choosing, she was able to escape Dr. Flint. Jacobs refused to submit to her master’s rape, making a choice demonstrating her self-determination: Harriet writes, “It seems less degrading to give one’s self then to submit to compulsion” (X.291). Thinking of her children’s freedom, Jacobs escaped the home of Flint, hiding in a crawl space above a storeroom in her grandmother’s house for seven years. Harriet took the fate of her children in her own hands, hoping her escape would prompt Dr. Flint to sell her children to their father. Finally making it to New York, Jacobs spent 10 years as a fugitive slave on the move.

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At the age of six, her mother died and she was forced to live with Margaret Horniblow, the mother’s owner. The mistress took a good care of Jacobs and taught her how to read, write and sew. Her father was always telling her to feel free and do not feel someones property. While her grandmother was always teaching Jacobs respect and manners. She was always telling her about principles and ethnics.

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