A Rose For A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs - 1545 Words

Gengi Kleto Professor Brooks History 105 Section 514 April 10, 2017 Analysis of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl The autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl written by Harriet Jacobs illustrates the life of a former slave in the South who was subjected to mental and physical abuse by her slaveowner and details her escape to eventual freedom. After living through a long and tumultuous life of enslavement and abuse at the hands of her master, Jacobs was eventually able to escape to the North and write an autobiography of the horrors and hardships she faced. The institution of slavery was a destructive system in which thousands of African Americans were separated from their families, forced to work hard labor, and abused†¦show more content†¦Many slave women were sexually abused against their will by their masters causing them to feel insecure and worthless. The law did not punish a slave owner who sexually abused his slave because they were considered chattel or property. To add to this fact, if a slave woman had a child by he r white master, she was prohibited from disclosing who the child’s father was. Jacobs herself was sexually harassed by her slaveowner, Dr. James Norcom also known as Dr. Flint in the autobiography. The abuse began after her mistress died and Jacobs was sold to Flint’s family as the property of his daughter. Flint attempted to take control of every aspect of Jacob’s mind and body. Despite her attempts at evading his abuses, he would still find ways to abuse her and debase her morals. Incidents like the one that Jacobs faced were the norm for women in slavery. Jacobs’s situation was different in that she had family ties in her neighborhood and had a well-respected grandmother that lived a block away from her. This was not the case with most slaves as they were separated from their family and if they dare spoke up, they would be severely punished. Life for slaves was one of living in constant fear and control at the hands of a master who wanted nothing more than to profit off the backs of their slaves. According to Nicholas Boston (2004), writer for PBS, â€Å"the conditions of slaves were most easily grouped into the experiences of field slaves and houseShow MoreRelatedA Rose For A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs952 Words   |  4 PagesLife of a Slave Girl, tells the story of a slave girl named Linda Brent who fought many mental and physical battles throughout her life in order to oppose the system of slavery. This autobiography was written by Harriet Jac obs, known in the book as Linda Brent, and uses a multitude of psuedonyms in order to conceal the identity of those within the book. Harriet Jacobs had succeeded in putting forth a new, unconventional slave narrative that depicted the emotional and mental anguish slave women wereRead MoreA Rose For A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs1270 Words   |  6 PagesThe book, Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl starts off by introducing the us to a slave girl who is known as Linda who represents Harriet Jacobs. The books narrates the life Harriet who was born into slavery in 1813 near Edenton, North Carolina. The time period where racial slurs had been widely and slavery was very popular. She had not know she was a slave girl until the solid age of six years after her childhood had been demolished. The main idea for publishing this book was to show the hardshipRead MoreA Rose For A Slave Girl By Harriet Ann Jacobs1516 Words   |  7 Pagesphysical appearance and ethnical background. In the n ovel Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs, the author writes in her first point of views and recounts her experiences as a slave during this time in American history which helps brings the attention of social issues amongst African American slave. The main character, Linda, learns from late of her childhood the savagery of being a slave and the consequences she sees first hand of the hostilities her race has against herRead MoreA Woman Is Blessed With Many Abilities1156 Words   |  5 Pages black people, particularly black women’s’ lives were positioned in the hands of their slave holders. Black women in their case tendered the most hardships compared to their male counterparts. They mourned the most on loss. The loss of self-pride, holding on and protecting their families, dignity and most of all their humanity. In the times of the antebellum South, black slave women in the eyes of their slave masters were perceived as animals. Animals who do not have the right in the world to loveRead MoreHarriet Jacobs s Story : The True Meaning Of A Slave s Quest For Freedom1682 Words   |  7 PagesHarriet Jacobs’s story informs the reader of her experiences and transformative tribulations she had to undergo from childhood to adulthood. No one in today’s society could come close to comprehending the amount of heartache, torment, anguish, and complete misery women had to suffer and endure during slavery. However, we can all learn from Jacobs’s heartbreaking story to understand the true meaning of a slave’s quest for freedom and the inalienable bond a mother has for her children. Life was toughRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave By Harriet Jacob Essay1505 Words   |  7 Pagespeople were treated so badly and it was â€Å"normal,† it was acceptable. These slaves lived and worked in very harsh conditions. I believe the only reason why we know so much about how bad slaves were treated is because of three autobiographies, Incidents in the Life of a Slave by Harriet Jacob, Autobiography of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, who had a huge impact during the times of slavery, and Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. Because of these three autobiographies historians canRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl, By Harriet Tubman And The Fight For Freedom1394 Words   |  6 Pagesof a Slave Girl†, â€Å"Harriet Tubman and the Fight for Freedom: A Brief History with Documents†, â€Å"Women, Race Class†, and â€Å"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave†. To enslaved black women, family was what their concept of freedom centered on. Harriet Jacobs’ painful story, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, focuses on her primary goal of attaining freedom for herself and her children, Benny and Ellen. To protect her children from Dr. Flint’s treatment, Linda, Harriet Jacobs’Read MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglas s Narrative Of The Life Of A Slave Girl1378 Words   |  6 Pagesis exhibited in Jacob and Douglass’s narratives as they depict the human relationships between races through their description of the dehumanizing body of slavery. In the novel, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, set from early to middle 1800s in southern states, Frederick Douglas highlights the brutal aspects of slavery as he transitions into adulthood and seeks to obtain freedom, something that serves as a source of inspiration for former slaves. Similarly in the slave narrative, IncidentsRead MoreSlavery And The Slavery Of Slav ery Essay1742 Words   |  7 Pagesthemselves war or even used forms of resistance to define a free status. Freedom was more than just being a freeman or freewoman, it was about obtaining citizen and certain rights, not previously obtained. Slaves often were overworked, were separated from loved ones and made wealth possible for their slave masters; they were also tortured by their masters, in an inhumane way. But they often found ways to resist their masters, and the institution of slavery in a subtle or a suicidal way. The visions of freedomRead MoreSexual Exploitation Of Female Slaves During The American South1468 Words   |  6 PagesSexual Exploitation of Female Slaves in the American South â€Å"He told me that I was made for his use, made to obey his command in every thing; that I was nothing but a slave, whose will must and should surrender to his†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The treatment of slaves varied in their personal experiences as well as in the experiences of others they knew, but Harriet Jacobs phenomenally described the dynamics of the relationship between many female slaves and their superiors with these words from her personal narrative,