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

In Fredrick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs narrative they show how the institution of slavery dehumanizes an individual both physically and emotionally. In Jacobs narrative she talks about how women had it worse than men did in slavery. While men suffered, women had it worse due to sexual abuse. The emotional, physical, and sexual abuse was dehumanizing for anyone.

When Jacobs escapes to New York, she is employed as a nurse to a white family and often accompanies them to dinners and events. This experience teaches Jacobs that even though most people in the North considered themselves abolitionists, they were still racist toward African Americans. While at a dinner with the family she is employed by, she is asked to “seat the little girl in the chair, and stand behind it and feed her,” (page 144) when she sits the child in her lap. She emphasizes the fact that no matter where she goes, slavery and racism will always follow

However she would realize her husband would sleep with and impregnate his slaves. The wife’s of the slave owners would be very revengeful and jealous, due to the fact that their husbands would have kids with his slaves and see her kids as well as the slave women’s kids in the same household. . These women lived a fake, sad and miserable life due to the fact that their husband’s would be unfaithful with his slaves. In the passage Harriet states that women would be ashamed and not approve of what their husbands where doing, saying “‘He not only thinks it no disgrace to be the father of those little niggers, but he is not ashamed to call himself their master. I declare, such things ought not to be tolerated in any decent society!’”.

This meant that Jacobs life as a slave was worse that style of life that anyone could have; because she was a slave the fear of being raped or abused was always in her mind. Jacobs was dealt a life with a double edge sword; meaning that she did not have to be worry about being abused because her master did not allow it but her master had plans to make her his own when she came to age. Jacobs did not know the latter of her situation, therefore she like any woman of her time began to become a good woman. This consisted of he being pure holy and domestic. Since her purity was being saved for her master, her being a house slave the same as Douglass, also the love for god came easy to her; she believed that she was a good woman.

In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs, writing under the pseudonym Linda Brent, writes autobiographically of the painful and tragic struggles faced by her and her family as slaves in the South during the 19th century. As Brent depicts the various obstacles and struggles she endured in her journey to freedom she shows how “slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women” by giving insight to the sexual abuse female slaves were subject to and the aftermath of this sexual abuse. In the following review of Brent’s work, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, I will include a summary of the book’s contents along with an analysis of its major argument and purpose to give understanding to the atrocities face by

Frederick Douglass & Harriet Jacobs Slavery has been noted as one of the biggest social issues in America. From the beginning of time, race has been seen as a barrier for some people despite their various attempts at equality none seem to yield any positive results. Frederick Douglas and Harriet Jacobs both have tried to be seen as equal to others but come up short due to the oppression of their skin color. But as a result of their power to not conform to being enslaved and treated like objects due to dehumanization is what leads them on their journey to becoming one of the few free slaves. “My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute.”

Harriet Jacobs is a creator of a life account novel called "Episodes in the Life of a Slave Young lady. " She was conceived in 1813 to Elijah and Delilah Jacobs and found at six years old about her slave status. Jacobs experienced numerous battles for the duration of her life in endeavoring to escape from her proprietors, who had additionally sexually pestered her and driving her to settle on the decision to get pregnant, not once but rather twice. It wasn't until after she had her second youngster before she at last influenced an endeavor to flee to and turn into a liberated individual. Subsequent to making numerous companions and tuning in to their recommendations to expound on her life, it was then Jacobs expounded on her life.

In this memoir, the author, Harriet Jacobs, describes her life as a slave in the southern United States. She informs the reader on the hardships that not only she, but all slaves suffered during this time period. These hardships were particularly difficult for women in slavery as they bore unique burdens compared to men or children in slavery. Women were regarded as the weaker sex, so they were often given jobs such as weaving clothes or nannying the master’s children. While these jobs may appear to be easier, they could, in fact, be more taxing then physical jobs that the men performed.

In Harriet Jacobs “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” Jacobs uses her personal

The novel, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is a literary classic written by Harriet Jacobs. The author, Harriet Jacobs was a girl who was born into slavery and throughout her teenage years tried to avoid being sexually assaulted by her master. After 7 years of hiding by her grandmothers’ house, in the south, finally in 1842, she was actually able to escape by boat to the North, where her daughter lived. By 1853, Jacobs began to write letters to newspapers about women sold in slavery, and she also joined the abolitionist movement. She died on March 7, 1897.

While, the theme of the book can be misinterpreted because of the systemic construction of slavery, Jacobs emphasizes the challenges of her position in serval different situations. In addition, she proves that mothers will through intuition and obligation would fight for their children. However, in an era where woman of a hierarchy based on race owes others nothing, she took on the task by telling her story. Also, adding that the incidents she experienced are true. Admittedly, the simple jester of pleading to her readers, brings forth the truth of her parental obligation to children.

Ever since the whole situation with Her losing her Grandma, Harriet begins showing maturity and a more decided opinion on whites. “The influences of slavery had had the same effect on me that they had on other young girls; they had made me prematurely knowing, concerning the evil ways of the world.” (Jacob, pg. 51). The influence and effects that her childhood had left on her has definitely shaped up her side on the battle of oppression between the Whites and African Americans.

At this point to the average American, it is rightfully believed that slavery or human trafficking is an abomination. However, most of us could never truly empathize with a slave or former slave, let alone a female slave. The short piece on page 27 of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is a vastly important look into the mind of Harriet Jacobs, because not only did it give us insight on how it felt to be a young, female slave, but she also provided a voice to the voiceless. The focus of this excerpt from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an African-American woman that was born into slavery, named Harriet Jacobs.

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.

The beginning of the 17th Century marked the practice of slavery which continued till next 250 years by the colonies and states in America. Slaves, mostly from Africa, worked in the production of tobacco and cotton crops. Later , they were employed or ‘enslaved’ by the whites as for the job of care takers of their houses. The practice of slavery also led the beginning of racism among the people of America. The blacks were restricted for all the basic and legally privileged rights.