Underground to Canada: Ch 6-10 by: Danish Khan

Narratives about captivity have often intrigued readers in Western culture. Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano’s stories helped pave the way for stereotypes within both European and white culture; teaching Europeans to see Native Americans as cruel and allowing whites to see the evil in the American slave market. In both “A Narrative of the Captivity” and “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,” Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano share their individual stories of being kidnapped and enslaved. Though the two narrators share similarities in their personal accounts of being held captive, either individual’s reaction sheds light on the true purpose of both Rowlandson and Equiano’s writing.

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>>

Sally Thomas family is given an opportunity to make a name for herself by being given social and business opportunities. While the southernmost states have a different outtake on slavery, Sally and her family are treated with much more respect. Sally is able to own her own business as a laundress and comes to be popular in the town for her kindness and fairness.

The first chapter of Billy Sunday gives us an insight of the early childhood of Billy Sunday. Billy and Ed Sunday departed on a train from Ames, Iowa to go to the Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home’ at Glenwood, because Ms. Sunday, who lost her husband in the war, could not afford to keep her kids at home and take care of them. Ed Sunday was the brother of Billy. On the way to the orphan home, the train stopped in Council Bluffs and they had to take a freight train to rest of the way to the orphan home. In the end, the brakeman showed compassion to the boys by giving them the train ride for free.

In this society we are influenced by many things as we get older those things change. We can be influenced by people, books, movies and go on living to always have that characteristics and influence with us. We are all influenced by the people around us or are visual viewing. We depend on the future and see the benefits of a task after we are done. In the Canadian Railway Trilogy by Gordon Lightfoot stated “for they looked in the future and what did they see they saw an iron road running from the sea to the sea” they saw the future and the good in what was to come out of their work. They saw the benefits of working hard. Gordon Lightfoot spoke “there was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run, when the wild majestic mountains

The book I read for my Political Science class was In God's Underground, by Richard Wurmbrand.

Often times when talking about the institution of slavery in the United States of America, men are at the center of the discussion; whether they were owners or slaves, men are presented first. Black women are pushed in the background except for the most famous like Harriet Tubman and Sally Hemings. In North America, specifically the United States, more than six hundred thousand slaves were brought in from Africa and the Caribbean between 1620 and 1865, the laws regarding slaves were condensed into slave codes that varied from state to state. Female slaves usually received the worst of it. Abusing them was legal, since the were considered property and as long as the owner wanted, he could have his way with any women he chooses on the plantation. Female slave were subject to harsh punishment for refusing the advances of the master. As one of, if not, the most vulnerable group in America at the time, female slaves had more threats to their existence than black men.

Jacobs bravely tells her story about escaping slavery with her children. She was the first writer to show the grisly details of slavery and discuss sexual abuse. Jacobs criticizes herself for getting pregnant to get out of the sexual abusive relationship of her slave owner by saying “I felt as if I was forsaken by God and man; as if all my efforts must be frustrated; and I became reckless in my despair” (Jacobs 2194). Jacobs had to hide for almost seven years in her grandmother’s attic in attempt to gain her and her children’s freedom from their former slave-owners (Yellin 2185). In 1852, Mrs. Willis, a family friend, bought Jacobs freedom, for which Jacobs felt “I was robbed of my victory” because she considered herself a person, unable to be bought or sold (Yellin 2185). Harriet Ann Jacobs publishes her story to open people’s eyes to what slavery really was.

Although the novel is intended for young people the age of twelve-year-old Sarney, it is unsparing in its depiction of slavery. The novel is written in dialect, and attempts to show the reader what it was really like to endure the pain of being considered a possession. Despite her youth, Sarney has already seen people being beaten before her eyes, attacked by dogs, bound and chained and punished for running away. As a future slave woman, she knows she is likely to be forcibly 'bred' or subjected to serve her white master's pleasures. The actions of Nightjohn result in getting him dismembered in punishment, but Sarney and John both believe that the rewards of reading are too great and continue to try to help other slaves

Greg Sarris provides a personal narrative based on Mabel McKay, giving her a chance to present her life-long story of enduring the resistance of white dominance. There is also vivid examinations of her calling to her personal spirit, which held onto her soul immensely. This book is incredible, showing the experience of a young girl listening to her spirit as it called out for her to remember her connection to weaving, singing, and healing. She connects to her dreams excessively which provided her with the lessons that was taught by the spirit which connected her back to her traditional native roots. Not only is there a perspective of Mabel McKay, but Sarris also find his own story of self-discovery as he is interacting with Mabel. Clearly

Harriet Beecher Stowe tells stories of different slaveholders apathetic, abusive, and hypocritical actions towards various slaves in her beautifully written novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, during the 19th century in order to help convey the true evil behind slavery- no matter the circumstance. The author allows readers to view slavery from seemingly safe environments to hostile settings, and continually shows the bad in every situation. The reality of slavery is shown to anyone willing to read this novel, and Harriet Beecher Stowe does a good job of combining various stories that tie together in order to complete her goal.

Slavery was a challenging and uncomfortable life for the slaves such as Jacobs. Her mistress watched over her when she was sleeping trying to provoke Jacobs into accuse herself of attempting to seduce the mistress’s husband. Slave narratives have gothic elements to it because Jacobs was fearful of her life and her mistress watched over her when Jacobs was variable from being asleep. Jacobs describes how she was in her grandmother’s attic for seven years and

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.

The notion of slavery, as unpleasant as it is, must nonetheless be examined to understand the hardships that were caused in the lives of enslaved African-Americans. Without a doubt, conditions that the slaves lived under could be easily described as intolerable and inhumane. As painful as the slave's treatment by the masters was, it proved to be more unbearable for the women who were enslaved. Why did the women suffer a grimmer fate as slaves? The answer lies in the readings, Harriet Jacob's Incidents in the life of a Slave Girl and Olaudah Equiano's Interesting Narrative which both imply that sexual abuse, jealous mistresses', and loss of children caused the female slaves to endure a more dreadful and hard life in captivity.