Slave Women in Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Toni Morrison's Beloved

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.

acutely than the slave women. One among them, Harriet Jacobs, in her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, shares the sufferings of an enslaved girl to free, female Northerners to prove that because of their circumstances, slave women should not be held to the same standard as others. Through the effective use of a variety of rhetorical devices, Jacobs crafts a narrative in which slave women are impermanent and more tightly controlled than any other demographic, then urges her audience to action to alleviate their suffering.

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 Ann Jacobs helped start a movement of anti-slavery writing that, through literature, would eventually help change society’s view of slavery. Jacobs’ “Incidents” was written for an audience of free white women and its purpose was to involve these women in political action against the institution of chattel slavery and the ideology of white racism” confirming herself as an anti-slavery writer using a fictional character and different voice to tell truth (Yellin

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

Life as a female slave was particularly difficult and full of many hardships. Black female slaves would face discrimination through both racism and sexism. Female slaves were used mainly to perform basic housekeeping chores as well as a reproductive role in the plantation, having children that would grow to be laborers in the plantation. Many enslaved mothers would have to watch as their children were abused in the fields by cruel masters or sold away to slave traders to work in some field never to be seen again. Another hardship faced by female slaves was the sexual abuse many would face by their masters. Many female slaves were either sexually harassed or sexually assaulted. Some female slaves would be forced into having affairs with their masters to have opportunity for their children to not endure abuse in the fields. Harriet Jacobs was no exception, she was sexually harassed by her master, Dr. James Norcom (Dr. Flint in Incidents). Jacobs even went so far as to commit to an affair with a

It usually seemed as though women had an easy life in their master's houses compared to men’s life in the fields. Yet, Jacobs explains that women were seen as sexual objects. Apart from the occasional physical beating they endured, women had to endure the psychological torture of being separated from their children. Their masters never cherished their children and sold them with no regards to the mothers’ feelings. Slaves were made to bear their masters children. Jacobs' mother was her mistresses' foster sister. They were nourished by the same breast- her grandmother's (Jacobs 5). Women slaves were not regarded as humans. They were seen as equals to animals (Jacobs

Harriet Jacobs was a slave and acquired this status straight from her children. She mentions that the truth about her enslavement dawned on her when she was only six years old. Her father was a carpenter who tried to purchase his children to no avail. William was the name of Jacob’s younger brother. She also mentions her grandmother, whom she describes as being a “remarkable woman in many respects” (Jacobs 770). Such kind of reference is reflective of the role that Jacobs’ grandmother played in her life following the death of her mother when she was six years old.

Early in the book, Jacobs reflects back to the happiest point in her life in order to contrast between the carefree circumstances of her childhood, to the acrimony she faced in her later life. She centers in on her household and how they “shielded” her from the fact that she was “a piece of merchandise” (11, 12). Given

Jacobs is born to her mother in the southern states of America. She is born without freedom and rights as she is black, property to her master as a slave. Her mother is a slave to a man name Dr. Flint and so therefor she too is a slave of his property. On page 26, the first sentence of chapter 5, Jacobs states "During the first years of my service in Dr. Flint's family I was accustomed to share some indulgences with the children of my mistress. Thought this seemed to me no more than right, I was grateful for it, and tried to merit the kindness by the faithful discharge of my duties." Harriet shows gratefulness for a period of time that she is a slave. The next line says "But I now entered on my fifteenth year -- a sad epoch in the life of a slave." Harriet starts to show hatred for her slavery and sadness. As a fifteenth year slave she is getting tired of how she is being treated, many girls that are her age at this time would be very frustrated with this too.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is a story about a young girls experience during slavery in the south. She talks about the many struggles for self-definition and self-respect, and the disturbing details of a risky escape. Harriett Jacobs’s story highlights the special problems faced by female slaves, mainly sexual abuse and the anguish of slave mothers who are separated from their children.

Harriet Jacobs, in her narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, was born into slavery in the south. While her youth contained “six years of happy childhood,” a few tragedies and mistresses later, Jacobs spent many years in pain under the possession of her cruel five-year-old mistress, Emily Flint, and Emily’s father, Dr. Flint. Once able to obtain freedom, Jacobs spent most of her life working for the Anti-Slavery office in New York, in hope that one day she could make a difference in the world. “She sought to win the respect and admiration of her readers for the courage with which she forestalled abuse and for the independence with which she chose a lover rather than having one forced on her” (Jacobs 921). Linda Brett, the pseudonym that Jacobs uses to narrate her life story, endures the harsh behavior women slaves were treated with in the south during the nineteenth century. The dominant theme of the corruptive power and psychological abuse of slavery, along with symbolism of good and evil, is demonstrated throughout her narrative to create a story that exposes the terrible captivity woman slaves suffered. The reality of slavery in the past, versus slavery today is used to reveal how the world has changed and grown in the idea of racism and neglect.

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 presents the evils of slavery as being worse in a woman's case due to the tenets of gender identity. 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.

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