Essay on Harriet Jacobs - 474 Words

Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was written to appeal to an audience of free white women and to involve them in the antislavery struggle. At a more personal level, it was written to vindicate Harriet Jacobs, both to reveal her history and to account for it in a public setting. Jacobss narrative signals several significant departures from the literary and social conventions of the slave narrative, a genre that enjoyed widespread popularity in the United States during the 1840s and 1850s. Slave narratives written by men characteristically focused on the heroic struggles of individuals, lone figures struggling against the injustices of the slave system. Issues of family and community were often subsumed†¦show more content†¦Indeed, her struggle for freedom is inextricable from her desire for freedom for her two children. The actual and symbolic geography of the slave narrative moved inexorably from the South to the North. The southern landscape was depicted in terms of imprisonment, confinement, and slavery, while the North was inevitably identified with freedom. Once the narrator achieved freedom and arrived safely in the North, the narrative ended, sometimes very abruptly. The North was often depicted in glowing rhetorical terms, and one impor tant social/literary convention was that one did not dwell too harshly on the less-than-hospitable conditions that fugitive slaves often encountered. One did not, after all, want to unnecessarily offend the sensibilities of ones hosts, patrons, and readers. In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, however, Jacobs was very outspoken about the racism she encountered in New York City and the North. Finally, Jacobss narrative is distinguished by its sharp, specific focus on the sexual exploitation of slave women. Other narrators had touched on this issue to be sure, but none had explored it with the depth and passion of Jacobs. In this regard, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was a political effort designed specifically to help ameliorate the condition of black women in slavery. To achieve this end, Jacobs had to break deliberately with the genteel Victorian literary andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book Harriet Jacobs 778 Words   |  4 PagesHarriet Jacobs, or Linda Brent in the book, was born in 1813 near Edenton, North Carolina as a slave. She was blessed with, in her words, â€Å"unusually fortunate circumstances(Jacobs, Pg.3)† until age six when her mother died. She stayed with her mistress, Margaret Horniblow, until she was twelve years old where on her mistress’s death she was willed to her mistress’s niece and as a result her new mistr ess’s father, Dr. Flint. Unlike with her previous mistress, her life with the Flints was harsh andRead MoreHarriet Jacobs’ Fight Against Intolerance713 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"My master had power and low on his side; I had determined will. There is might in each† a statement from Harriet Ann Jacobs reflecting her will to overcome the standards of society (97). Harriet Jacobs’ life revolved around slavery from birth to death. Jacobs was a mother of two with determination and insight to make choices to change the way of life for her children. Harriet Jacobs was the first African American women to have her slave narrative published retelling her life story exposingRead MoreHarriet Jacobs s Life Of A Slave1896 Words   |  8 PagesHarriet Jacobs was born a slave herself in Edenton, North Carolina and was one of the first women to write a slave narrative in the United States of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861). It was to address the white women of the North and thousands of â€Å"Slave mothers that are still in bondage in the South† (Jacobs 126). Jacobs tells her life of twenty-seven years in slavery in-depth life as a slave, and the choices she made to gain freedom for herself and her children. She writes a storyRead MoreHarriet Jacobs1175 Words   |  5 PagesAlthough all the slave narratives are similar in some respects; Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was comparatively different from Olaudah Equiano’s and Venture Smith’s slave narratives. The major contrasts start in the beginning; Jacobs’ was born into slavery, whereas Equiano and Smith were native Africans who were captured and brought to America. By being born into slavery I believe that she had a different mentality of what being a slave was, unlike the other two authors whoRead MoreThe Feminism Of Harriet Jacobs1260 Words   |  6 PagesNehemiah Walls Oct. 29, 2016 Eng.333 The Feminism of Harriet Jacobs Since the early annuls of history minority groups have always faced opposition for the dominating forcing. As a counter rebuttal movements and uprisings usually occurred in order to correct and promote better treatment within these oppressed groups. Feminism served as a mechanism to promote equity amongst gender, sexual, ethnic, and even economic lines. Notwithstanding, there still looms bigotry and oppression from the heavilyRead MoreHarriet Jacobs Vs. Douglas1263 Words   |  6 PagesTamera Buckner Ashley Morgan ENG 1013 D3 25 2/21/2016 Harriet Jacobs vs Fredrick Douglas Slavery was one of the most tragic memories known for in the black race. Slavery is the process at which an African American is purchased by a Caucasian who is used for exhausting labor work such as picking cotton, or tending to house work and being restricted from freedom. All of the slaves were used and abused physically, mentally, and emotionally. In some cases abuse was the death of many of those slavesRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave By Harriet Jacob Essay1505 Words   |  7 Pageswere treated is because of three autobiographies, Incidents in the Life of a Slave by Harriet Jacob, Autobiography of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, who had a huge impact during the times of slavery, and Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. Because of these three autobiographies historians can accurately explain how bad slavery was. A very helpful source of the time of slavery was Harriet Ann Jacobs. She is part of the reason on why people know so much about slavery. Her stories tellRead MoreA Brief History of Harriet Jacobs575 Words   |  2 Pages As a slave and as a runaway, Harriet Jacobs suffered more psychological abuse than physical abuse. Harriet Jacobs had to withstand massive amounts of pain and psychological torture due to her place in society as a slave. Jacobs does not leave out the physical aspect of the suffering, however, she focuses more on the spiritual and emotional aspect of the slavery age. Although Jacobs had a relatively easy life in comparison to other slaves, she was deprived from basic human rights and necessitiesRead MoreHarriet Jacobs : A Strong Woman1367 Words   |  6 PagesHarriet Jacobs was a strong woman who endured the hardships of slavery since childhood in the nineteenth century. She was treated well as a child, but when her mistress passed away, she was willed to her deceas ed mistress s niece. It was upon living with that family where she faced her greatest problem. In that household, she dealt with Dr. Flint s harassment and his wife s jealousy. Jacobs later on had a bay in hopes that it would lead a better life than she did. Through describing events, conversingRead MoreThe Fight For Freedom By Harriet Jacobs2100 Words   |  9 PagesProf. Wall English 2327-001 21 November 2014 The Fight for Freedom Harriet Jacobs, in her narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, was born into slavery in the south. While her youth contained â€Å"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