An Excerpt From 'Black Girl': A Narrative Fiction

In "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", Harriet Jacobs writes, "Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women" (64). Jacobs' work shows the evils of slavery as being worse in a woman's case by the gender. Jacobs elucidates the disparity between societal dictates of what the proper roles were for Nineteenth century women and the manner that slavery prevented a woman from fulfilling these roles. The book illustrates the double standard of for white women versus black women. Harriet Jacobs serves as an example of the female slave's desire to maintain the prescribed virtues but how her circumstances often prevented her from practicing.

Harriet Jacobs wrote, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” using the pseudonym Linda Brent, and is among the most well-read female slave narratives in American history. Jacobs faces challenges as both a slave and as a mother. She was exposed to discrimination in numerous fronts including race, gender, and intelligence. Jacobs also appeals to the audience about the sexual harassment and abuse she encountered as well as her escape. Her story also presents the effectiveness of her spirit through fighting racism and showing the importance of women in the community.

It is impossible for anyone to survive a horrible event in their life without a relationship to have to keep them alive. The connection and emotional bond between the person suffering and the other is sometimes all they need to survive. On the other hand, not having anyone to believe in can make death appear easier than life allowing the person to give up instead of fighting for survival. In The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, Aminata Diallo survives her course through slavery by remembering her family and the friends that she makes. Aminata is taught by her mother, Sira to deliver babies in the villages of her homeland. This skill proves to be very valuable to Aminata as it helps her deliver her friends babies and create a source of

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”- Nelson Mandela. The quote is describing how freedom is not only being out of chains but to be able to be in society with respect from all. Freedom can also mean a lot of different things depending on the person. For example to a teenager freedom could mean them getting out from under their parents supervision or parental control. But, freedom to an adult that works everyday of the week, their freedom can be, not have to work on the weekends, which gives them their freedom to do anything they want to do. In the slave narrative Incidents of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs about her life as a slave, freedom means Linda (aka Harriet Jacobs) being free from slavery, being away from Dr. Flint, and to have her family free with her. She tries to achieve her freedom in many different ways. She confesses to Mrs. Flint about the advances Dr. Flint makes towards her, she falls in with a free black man, and gets pregnant by Mr. Sands. She uses these to achieve her freedom from Dr. Flint’s advances. She also achieves her freedom by running away to her grandmother’s attic, and running away to the North. Linda also achieves her freedom when Dr. Flint had died and when Mrs. Bruce being her savior.

John H. Walton is a professor of the Old Testament at Wheaton College. He is known for his intelligence of the Bible but especially of the Old Testament. Inspired by Joseph Free, a former Wheaton professor; Walton read a book called Archaeology and Bible History. After reading this book, he decided to not become an archaeologist. He switched his focus to comparing the culture and literature of the Bible and the Ancient Near East. With passion for the Old Testament, Walton finds it important to help others understand it better. Walton has been acknowledged for stepping on people’s toes by making them question what they know to be true in their mind. He is very firm in his beliefs. When it comes to his book The Lost World of Adam and Eve, there were many people that criticized it but also those who enjoyed it. This book talks about the first three chapters of Genesis and makes many various propositions

In “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”, Harriet Jacobs shares her experience as a slave, from sexual advances from her master to being safe by being trapped in a crawling space intending to evoke an emotional response from Northern free women. Jacobs writes specifically to this group in order to enlighten them on the specific suffering of female slaves, mainly abuse from masters, and gain their sympathy, so they will move to abolish slavery. In order to complete this, Jacobs is compelled to break the conventions of proper female behavior at the time. Harriet Jacobs demonstrates the suffering of female slaves by creating a feminine connection to her female audience with the intention of earning their sympathy, defying the cult of

“For Colored Girls” is comprised of seven women who represented a different shade of the rainbow. The colors are brown, red, yellow, white, green, orange and blue. Their costumes and make-up transformed each of them and were symbolic of the color their character embodied. The ensemble acting made all of their roles of equal importance, without one dominating the other. These women together formed a bond through their various adversities, gradually taking them from strangers to acquaintances. From an objective view, the audience is allowed to simply observe the events as they take place (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011, pg. 82) chronologically. Throughout the movie during some of the conflicting and traumatic scenes, one of the women recites a

Harriet Jacob was the first African American women to have authored a slave narrative in the United States and was instinctive into slavery in Edenton, North Carolina. Living a good life with her skilled carpentered father and her mother, Jacob didn’t much of being a slave. However, when her mother had passed away, Jacob and her father were reassigned to a different slave owner were her life as a women slave began. Because of this change, she fled to New York where she started working in the Anti-Slavery movement. During this period, she focused more on her family then she did the issue of slavery. Family is an emotional anchor in the Incident in the Life of a Slave Girl because Linda was devoted to her children. She uses symbolism, imagery, and allegory because she wants to demonstrate what families should be like.

No one in today’s society can even come close to the heartache, torment, anguish, and complete misery suffered by women in slavery. Many women endured this agony their entire lives, there only joy being there children and families, who were torn away from them and sold, never to be seen or heard from again.

When we watch movies, we watch them for entertainment. Some people don’t sit back and compare the things happening in the movie to real life situations that are happening amongst society today. It’s a movie. It’s make believe. That’s what I always think when I sit down to watch a movie. Tyler Perry started out producing plays and later released his first feature film in 2005 called “The Diary of a Mad Black Woman.” The Diary of a Mad Black Woman has its twist of emotions throughout the movie. Whether it’s humorous or gloomy, shameful or happy, repulsion or infatuation. The movie shows them all. Tyler Perry has targeted many women and men in different circumstances showing just how painfully exhausting it is to overcome the intolerable.

Slavery remains a dark hour in American history, and no group felt the horrors more

Lorraine O’Grady uses her essay “Olympia's Maid: Reclaiming Black Female Subjectivity” to address the issue of how the black female body is portrayed within art. She discusses the racist portrayal of the black female body compared to the white female body in art, explaining how the black body is only their to accentuate the white one, in the contrast of colors and subject matter. The black female is presented in art often as a slave only their to serve the white female. Lorraine O’Grady explains how the black female body is given no individuality and is objectified. She describes how the black female is presented in the back or shadows of art as a supporting role to the main focus of the white female. Lorraine O’Grady uses this essay in order to reclaim how the

- [ ] I can see you have nothing better to do with your life right ? Don't just call the police on me , call the entire law enforcement in America on me . Instead of you sending Abigail to me , why don't you call me your self ? Ooh, let me guess , You can't fight your battles for yourself anymore ? What make you think I will let a ghetto girl like you come to my house? I don't have fucking time to be messaging your boyfriend. He is no worthy of my precious time. Let me ask you a question , did I call you and accuse you when my BIO teacher , told me about receiving an email from someone name " LOVE" saying I am a cheater ? I don't think so . Let me tell you something , I am not scared of you . If I have a problem with you , I will message you

What exactly is an ideal lifestyle? The answer is different for every person because some people desire more and some desire less. In the short story “Black Girl” by Sembene Ousmane, the reader learns about Diouana’s determination to climb the social hierarchy ladder. As the protagonist, she indulgences in the thought of moving away from her hometown in Africa where she has been working as a maid for the last few years for a rich white family. Her vision of the perfect lifestyle is living in France, where she imagines herself making millions and bathing in fortune. Unfortunately, things don’t always appear as they seem. The story illustrates that when one thinks of their ideal lifestyle they mainly rely on their personal experience which

I had never seen such affection and care as I did from my family. After all the goodbyes we made our way into the airport. I held tight to my rolling suitcase as I walked to my future and I never forgot the love and support that stood there weeping. After waiting in the airport for over two hours. The plane finally arrived. I was sitting in my airplane seat slowly anticipating to see my mom that I haven’t seen in six years. I remember the first day that I had came to America. Getting out of the airplane exhausted not being able to walk because I had been sitting in the plane for 12 hours. I was in the Phoenix airport, looking around nervously in a peculiar place filled with peculiar people. But, the moment I saw my Mom and my other family,