Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl Summary This autobiography is the story of a slave girl from North Carolina, who for the first few years of her life did not know she a slave. Her name is Harriet Jacobs but she published the book under the pseudonym Linda Brent. I believe that used a pseudonym so didn’t have to relive the painful memories of her past, Linda did and maybe that was easier for her. Her mother’s mistress promised her mother that she would release Harriet and her siblings, but she never did. When she is old enough she was sold and thus begins her life of hardship. She was sold to her mother’s mistress’s niece, Emily Flint. I believe family was incredibly important to Harriet, after both her mother and father died she relied on her grandmother to be like a mother. She was a free woman who ran a small bakery and she used the money she earned from selling her goods to try and buy her children. She stood by Harriet when she falls pregnant and when she tries to escape. Harriet also loves her children, she would do anything to get them out of the demon slavery. At one point in the book Harriet notices that slavery tares both …show more content…
In Harriet’s life the power is in Dr. Flint's hands the father of her mistress. When she turns 15 Dr. Flint started taking an interest in her, he tries to force into a sexulal relaonship with him. When she refuses, he becomes enraged. But he never beats her as most masters would if a slave refused to do what they want, he does threaten her many times with violence. The practice of forcing a young female slave into sexulal relaonshion was very common, Dr. Flint already had 11 children with other slave women. But Harriet resisted him and when she fell pregnant with another man’s baby he became even more enraged. When she fell pregnant with another white man’s baby Dr. Flint becomes more enraged and states that she will be his slave
From learning this we know Harriet is not in for a good future with this family. The way Jacobs describes the importance of the women in her life is inspiring, given that, at the time they had such little power and such few rights. “Mrs. Flint, like many southern women, was totally deficient in energy. She had not the strength to superintend her household affairs; but her nerves were so strong, that she could sit in her easy chair and see a woman whipped, till the blood trickled from every stroke of the lash” (Jacobs 360). The way she describes Mrs. Flint perfectly captures what all women in the south were like. This portrays an excellent example to Northern women how serious slavery can affect a person.
The life of a slave woman is far more complex than that of a slave man, although understandably equal in hardships, the experience for a woman is incredibly different. The oppression that women have faced throughout their lives in the struggle to even be considered equal to men is more than evident in slavery, not only because they were thought of as lesser but in some ways many women actually believed it to be true. The experiences that Linda Brent, pseudonym for the author Harriet A. Jacobs, went through in her life story in Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl prove that the difficulties for slave women were more than significant in many different cases. For Linda Brent, her life had been a constant fight since she was six years old
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.
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and The Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl are both nineteenth-century narratives about Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs’s experiences born into slavery and as escaped slaves. The concept of gender makes each narrative have distinct perspectives’ of their version of what they endure during slavery and how it shapes their freedom. Even though both narratives have many similarities of educating the complexity of being a vulnerable slave, Harriet Jacobs’ narrative provides more reason that slavery is far worse for women than it is for men.
Harriet was born into slavery around 1820 in Dorchester, Maryland to Benjamin Ross and Harriet Green. Her master, Edwards Brodas, gave her the name Araminta but she eventually took on her mother’s name. At the age of five when most children would be starting off into school, Harriet began working as a house maid. Many times she would be “rented” out to different plantation homes for several months at a time. During this time she received multiple routine beatings, whippings, and verbal assaults. But these times of house work wouldn’t last long.
Autobiographical narrative that has been written by african-american female from North Carolina by the name Harriet A Jacob, who depicts horrors of normal life of a slave, beginning her story with description of her childhood memories of her family and people who were their owners. Harriet adopts a pseudonym of Linda Brent, and assigns different from reality names to anyone important in her narrative, in order to be able to share the story of her life and probably save important to the author people since the time of publication meant, certain investigations or unwanted interest from the opposing side of the civil war. In the preface of the narrative, the author, importantly explains significance of her ability to share her story to the people of free states, in order for them to decide their future, but more interestingly she was able to set up a tone with a beginning quote, a tone of understanding the reality of the situation as a whole, a certain type of disrespect to the authorities who execute what is needed in order for the system of slavery to function. Since she begins with description of her family starting with her father who seems to be caring and responsible person, even trying to buy freedom for his children. The story of her grandmother is tragic as well, but through it we can judge the importance of family ties that Harriet was able to absorb from her relatives, especially her opportunity to live among her grandmother and
Harriet was born between 1820-1825 In Maryland Buck Town , facing tough times in her early childhood. She got whipped every day and suffered from severe injuries. She babysat and worked for her master at the age of 5 , she had to sit on the floor and hold the baby because she was so small and she didn’t want to drop the baby. Harriet
Harriet’s grandmother was a well-respected older slave woman who gained her freedom in the last will and testament of her mistress.
The autobiography , Incidents in the Life of a Slave girl, was written by Harriet Ann Jacobs under the pseudonym name Linda Brendt. This book details the life of slavery and how Jacobs’ achieved freedom for her children and for herself. Jacobs’ detailed these painful, and intricate accounts through forty-one chapters. Harriet Jacobs unfortunate experiences as a slave were significantly shaped because of her gender. Jacobs did indeed endure struggles through her race, but her gender is of great significance during her time as a slave. Jacobs used herself as an example to show how enslaved women were manipulated by their masters, the difficulties of being a mother during slavery mother, and how the fight for freedom were all impacted by her gender.
Harriet was born into slavery as Araminta Rose, along with ten other brothers and sisters. No known birth date, because as a slave they were not important enough to know when they were born. Her parents were Harriet and Benjamin ross. They were also born into slavery. As a child Araminta Rose now known as Harriet was sent out from her master to watch a small child although at age five she was a small child herself. Her job was to stay awake at night so they child would not cry and disturb the mother's sleep. If she happened to fall asleep and they baby woke up and started to cry the mother would get out of bed a beat Harriet. From this point on she knew she wanted to be free. Harriet was also faced with many different task not just watching the baby at night. At 7 years old Harriet was sent out to get muskrats from the traps. This job lead to Harriet standing in waist deep waters until dark, from being wet all day long she caught the measles. She had to continue going to work because she really didn't have a choice. It's not like she could call off for the day. Her sickness started to become really bad. Which lead her to become really weak and she collapsed while working. At age eight Harriet was sent to another household. This house was very rough for her. She was not given much at all. One day while the masters of the house were in a very aggressive argument Harriet snatch up some sugar. She just wanted to try it. She had never even tasted it. Later that evening the master had found out she took some sugar. In Harriet's fear of being beaten she ran away before the master could find her. Harriet was gone for three days. During those three days she slept in a pigpen with nothing to eat she fought against the pigs for scraps of food that the pigs were given to eat.Later on in life Harriet describes this time as one of the times that she felt the most neglected. At age
In her book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs is a slave that was born into slavery in 1813 that has decided to share her amazing story of slavery and her struggles to become free. When she was young her parents were “property” of a really nice lady that allowed her family to have a very comfortable life for a slave family. They were allowed to work for their own money and Harriet did not know that she was a slave for until she was twelve. When she was seven her master died and left her to her sister’s daughter who was five years old. She believed that it was not right to treat blacks in the way that whites did and that someone should not have to purchase themselves or their children. She believed that the whites were way too cruel. She eventually escaped to the north and eventually had someone purchase her freedom for her and her children. Reaching north, Harriet was relief and breath of freedom when she get out from the boat, not long after her arrival to the north she was reunited with her daughter and was ensured of her safety and good treatment she received. She found work in one house and find a friendship in the house she got work with a woman named Mr. Bruce who she was working for, her struggle in those days was been reduce, coming to the north would end all her painful sorrow and struggle. However, there is still another thing she
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.
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.
In the book, Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl, Linda Brent tells a spectacular story of her twenty years spent in slavery with her master Dr. Flint, and her jealous Mistress. She speaks of her trials and triumphs as well as the harms done to other slaves. She takes you on the inside of slavery and shows you the Hell on Earth slavery really was. She tells you the love and
‘Incidents in the life of a slave girl’ written by Harriet Jacobs and published by L.Maria Child (in 1831), is an autobiography by the author herself which documents Jacobs life as a slave and therefore