Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl Analysis

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.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, a slave narrative written by Harriet Ann Jacobs is highly commended for the portrayal of women during the excruciating times of slavery. Disregarding that the slave narrative was initially written for the audience of Caucasian women, “…, as white women constituted Jacobs’s primary audience at the time she wrote her narrative” (Larson,742) the struggles of being a female slave were emphasized throughout the narrative. Harriet Ann Jacobs elaborates on slave women’s worth being diminished. In the slave narrative Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written by Harriet Ann Jacobs, the theme of the perils of slavery for women was portrayed by women being viewed

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.

Harriet A. Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Jacobs’s construction of black female empowerment despite the limitations of slavery

Harriet Ann Jacobs was an African-American writer who managed to evade the slavery and to become a free person. Having joined the abolitionism movement in the US, she spoke for the nullification of slavery and for the reforms, supporting the atmosphere of change at that time. In her book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, through the mix of slave narrative and sentimental novel genres, the author depicted her own reality of fighting against the slavery phenomenon, in particular, the struggle of enslaved women for freedom and the issues they were facing while protecting their role as mothers. The literary works of Jacobs reflect on her whole life and its key events in connection with the changes in the social life that were occurring at

In the novel Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacob’s writes an autobiography about the personal struggles her family, as well as women in bondage, commonly face while maturing in the Southern part of America. While young and enslaved, Harriet had learned how to read, write, sew, and taught how to perform other tasks associated with a ladies work from her first mistress. With the advantage of having a background in literacy, Harriet Jacobs later came to the realization that she would one day be able to tell her story about the tormented lives women endured while being white folk’s property. A repeating theme in the Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is of her own reflections on how slavery is dehumanizing. Jacobs, referring to her slave-owner at the time, states “when he told me that I was made for his use; that I was nothing but a slave, whose will, must and should surrender to his, never before had my puny arm felt half so strong” (Jacobs pg. 29). Jacob’s continuously expresses her deep-rooted hatred of slavery, much like an immoral institution, so much that she frequently imagined that death would be a better alternative than living a life as a slave. It is almost as if slavery was a cancer, affecting black individuals and their families as they continuously suffered tragedies, yet there seemed to be no provided cure for any given freedom. It is impossible to exaggerate the depths of how extreme slavery actually was. It is much like an institution that

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.

This profoundly moving, first-hand account of Slavery during the 19th century, gives the reader invaluable and in-depth insight into the horrifying treatment of African-Americans slaves and completely unveils the true ugliness that will permanently mark the country’s beginnings. Written by Harriet Jacobs under the pseudonym Linda Brent, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl depicts how it was to grow up somebody else’s property as a female slave, as well as, her grueling fight to liberate herself and her children.

Slavery was a horrible institution that dehumanized a race of people. Female slave bondage was different from that of men. It wasn't less severe, but it was different. The sexual abuse, child bearing, and child care responsibilities affected the females's pattern of resistance and how they conducted their lives. Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, demonstrates the different role that women slaves had and the struggles that were caused from having to cope with sexual abuse.

Harriet Jacob’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl tells of her personal journey from being born a slave towards escaping to the north in her twenty-ninth year and finally gaining her freedom in 1852 at forty-nine. Jacob tells the story seeking not sympathy from her readers but in an attempt to open the minds of her free-born readers towards the movement of ending slavery for those born and traded in chains. In order to do so, she tells her story under the name of Linda, one woman’s experiences and observations of what truly happens in the lives of the slaves while directly addressing the contrast in how pro-slavery visitors view the slave’s lives to the true horrors it encompasses.

Harriet Ann Jacobs wrote Life of a Slave Girl as an autobiography. When the novel was published in 1861, Jacobs did not provide the real names of the persons involved in her trauma, as she deemed it respectful. Jacobs also uses the pseudonym Linda Brent for her own protection. Life of a Slave Girl allows readers to connect with Linda personally and have a better understanding of the pain she went through,

She does a great part in describing the situations when she was helped also does a great acknowledgment towards those people. She describes how not all the white people in her life were bad people. A lot of those whom assisted with her escape were both slaves and whites. They helped her and were there for her despite the fact that of knowing that it was illegal what they were doing. Harriet Jacobs talks about her friends and writes, “They measure a man’s worth by his character, not by his complexion. The memory of those beloved and honored friends will remain with me to my latest hour” (Jacobs 206). In making this comment, Harriet Jacobs is letting us know how thankful she is of these people who seen beyond the color of the skin. To those who said they were Christian believers and actually followed the human brotherhood. A matter of action speaks louder than words leaves a great message here. This novel shows that where there is a will there’s a

The Antebellum period of America was an important growth factor for the young country; this was a very profitable time. The free labor for the white supremacists not only gave birth to the foundation for the economy but in the same hand it also traded, killed, bred, scattered and put fear in the lives of many slaves, used for the greed of a nation. This high dollar business was taking away the basic rights from many slaves, debasing and demoralizing the woman hood for many female slaves. Many slave owners tore children from their mothers for mere profit. In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, sheds light on a delicate and yet very inappropriate subject matter for its time, sexual abuse of female slaves. This book is an autobiography of

Harriet Jacobs autobiography, “The Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl”, narrates her life as a slave and journey to freedom under the pseudonym, Linda Brent. The central message was to appeal to abolitionists and gain support of the women in the North, to expose the anecdotes of sexual victimization and abuse slave women commonly faced. The ideals of womanhood at the time of Jacob’s writing process, asserted that all women should have virtues of piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness. In the narrative, Jacobs remarks how slavery prevented women from obtaining these virtues. Jacobs writing was also influenced by the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, permitting the recapture of fugitive slaves to their masters. This led to abolitionists

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl reflects the life story of Harriet Jacobs, from a first person point of view, Linda Brent, being on a long painful journey witnessing painful abuse of slavery. Her story started from her sheltered life as a child and her continuing struggle to leave a mark and upright life despite being a slave. Her struggle involved her constant dishonor from her master, the danger of being sexually used by her mistress’ husband, Dr. Flint; her broken love relationship with a free colored man; her pregnancy to a man named Mr. Sands; and her fight for her and her children’s freedom from slavery. These experiences helped Harriet learn to fight justly for her right to become a free individual. Slaves certainly encountered terrifying abuse and loss while the southern whites were also destroyed by this dangerous system.