A Comparison Of Writings By Harriet Jacobs And Frederick Douglass

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs strongly speaks to its readers by describing the brutalities of slavery and the way slave owners can destroy peaceful lives. After reading and rereading the story have noticed certain things regarding how Jacobs tries to educate her readers and her intended audience which is the women of the North. As if we do not know enough about how terrible slavery is, this story gives detailed examples of the lives of slaves and provokes an incredible amount of emotions. She uses several tactics in her writing to reach her desired audience and does so very well.

---reading review of <<Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and a True Tale of Slavery>>

Both novels, Incidents in the Life of a Slave girl by Harriet Jacobs, and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, share common slave narrative elements. The main characters Linda Brent, and Frederick Douglass undergo similar experiences dealing with slave owner hypocrisy and slavery's corruptional effects upon their masters. On top of that, both individuals emphasise the weight that knowledge has upon their situational understanding as well as eventual escapes. As a female slave, Brent is subject to sexual intimidation by her master, unlike Douglass; regardless, Brent and Douglass's accounts of the challenges of slavery correspond greatly to one another.

Harriet Beecher Stowe and Fredrick Douglass experienced completely different events in their lives that led them both to write in protest of the slave society that they experienced. Harriet Beecher Stowe was a white woman raised in a Puritan society. She was outwardly opposed to slavery. She told her story for the purpose of bringing attention to the issue of the cruelties of slavery. Ms. Stowe's story is fiction, although I believe that it is an accurate depiction of slave life. She had no experience being a slave, but she witnessed slavery through the eyes of slaveholders. Her story is more objective concerning slave life than Fredrick Douglass' narrative. Douglass was a slave himself and he suffered physical as well as mental

Men and Women’s treatment has been different as long as the two have been around to notice the difference. Even in the realm of slavery women and men were not treated the same although both were treated in horrible ways. Harriet Jacobs and Fredrick Douglass’ story is very similar both were born into slavery and later rose above the oppression to become molders of minds. In time of subjugation to African Americans these two writers rose up and did great things especially with their writing. Both Douglass and Jacobs’ experienced different types of slavery, it shaped their perspective on everything and it also shows the importance of their freedom.

The slave narratives Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jones are similar but different in many ways. The narratives tell from the perspective of a man and woman the struggles of slavery and their journey to freedom. Their slave narratives help us to better comprehend the trials and tribulations that happened during slavery. The main difference between Douglass’s and Jacobs’ narratives is their gender. Their gender has a direct impact on the experiences they had and how their got to their freedom.

In the non-fiction book “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” by Harriet A. Jacobs and published in Boston in 1861. The author Jacobs was born into slavery in 1813, in a town called Edenton, North Carolina. Jacob uses the pseudonym Linda Brent to narrate her first person account. The book opens with Jacobs stating her reasons for writing a biography of her life story. Her story is agonizing and she had rather have kept it confidential, although she felt that by making it public that perhaps it might help the antislavery movement. A preface by Linda Child, states in the beginning of the book, “READER, be assured this narrative is no fiction. I am aware that some of my adventures may seem incredible; but they are, nevertheless, strictly true” (Jacobs 5). I would like to explain the main themes in this story, they include family and community, dangers of slavery for women, motherhood, and altogether the corrupting power of slavery, religion, and last but not least perseverance.

Born as a slave in Edenton, North Carolina in 1813, Harriet Ann Jacobs was raised by her slave mother and father. Since Harriet’s father was very skillful in his trade of carpentry, he was allowed to pay his mistress 200 dollars a year to work at his trade and manage his own affairs. As a result, his family was able to live comfortably in their home, and Harriet was “fondly shielded that [she] never dreamed [she] was a piece of merchandise, trusted to them for safe keeping, and liable to be demanded of them at any moment,” unlike most other slave children (pp. 11-12). At age six, however, her mother died and she was sent to her mistress. Because her mother was such a faithful servant to her mistress and whiter foster sister, the mistress promised that Harriet and her younger brother William should never suffer for anything during her lifetime (pp. 14). Unfortunately, when Harriet was nearly twelve, her mistress had died, and so did her shielding from the harsh reality slaves had to face at that time. Rather than being granted her freedom, Harriet was willed to the daughter of Dr. James Norcom, who was portrayed as Dr. Flint in Harriet’s autobiography. As a result of his abusive and threatening treatment towards her, Harriet planned an elaborate escape from both him and slavery with the help of people such as her grandmother and the Sands family. Only in 1861, when Harriet was free, did she decide to write one of the most popular female antebellum slave narratives, Incidents

Frederick Douglass and Harriet Ann Jacobs account for major portions of their lives through their slave narratives. They both use these narratives to expose the cruelty of slavery and by all means end it. However, these two particular authors cling to the general understanding of what manhood and womanhood really are. Frederick Douglass mentions and adheres to the idea of manhood. This concept is very important to him because he as a former slave truly believed that manhood was very dependent on freedom.

Although all the slave narratives are similar in some respects; Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was comparatively different from Olaudah Equiano’s and Venture Smith’s slave narratives. The major contrasts start in the beginning; Jacobs’ was born into slavery, whereas Equiano and Smith were native Africans who were captured and brought to America. By being born into slavery I believe that she had a different mentality of what being a slave was, unlike the other two authors who had to learn the language and had to adapt to a completely different environment. Although all of them had different life experiences, I believe that what makes Jacobs’ story stand out is that is was told from the perspective of a woman.

During the early 1800’s slavery in America was under stiff opposition from abolitionists, men and women such as William Lloyd Garrison and Harriet Beecher Stowe published or wrote prominent anti-slavery essays in periodicals. It was under these conditions that Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs escaped slavery to help the movement with their stirring slavery narratives entitled Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl respectively. Frederick Douglass was well known on the lecture circuit. He, along with other abolitionists, toured around America telling his story by word of mouth; he is known to have been a great orator, a fact that is mirrored in his writings. Harriet Jacobs

Being raised as slaves; both Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass devoted their professional life for telling their true story based on their own experience. As a matter of fact, their works “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” (1861) and “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” (1845) are considered the most important works in the genre of slave narrative or of enslavement. Thus, this paper will compare and contrast between Jacobs and Douglass in terms of the aforementioned works.

Both Frederick Douglass’ and Mark Twain’s autobiographical stories have similar concepts and some different ones as well. They both had a very different way of growing up. So, there are many differences in their writing. Both authors also had a different tone and message to convey in their writing. However, there are some similarities in their writing too.

Harriet 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.

Frederick Douglass and Mark Twain are both extraordinary writers from the 1800’s. On a path of uncertainty for happiness, both writers share their stories on the adventure to better their lives. Mark Twain shares his story in “Life on the Mississippi” on fulfilling his want of becoming a steamboat, and what it took for him to get there. Frederick Douglass showcases a personal story in “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” which is about his life from living on the Colonel Lloyd’s plantation to being moved to Baltimore. Both of these stories compare in ways of being excited for the upcoming future and getting out of the inferior stances they were in. These writers both use subjective literature to imply a emotional