Harriet Jacob An African American Slave And Feminist

Harriet Jacob: An African American Slave and Feminist â€Å"Reader, be assured this narrative is no fiction† (Author). Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is her narrative as a slave who lived in a slave state for twenty-seven years before escaping to live as a free woman in New York (Jacobs preface). Jacobs’ was motivated to write her story by a deep desire to share her experience in an effort to bring to light what slavery really was, a â€Å"deep, and dark, and foul experience that is an abomination† (preface). Like other slave narratives, Jacobs’ work gives a first person account of what it was like to be a slave during this period of American history. Her narrative also details what has otherwise been an untouched part†¦show more content†¦For some, it is better to have never had a child and when a girl child is born, the mother knows that her daughter will have to endure the compounded pain of rape and the loss of her children. Along with losing a child on the auction block, Jacobs also describes the added degradation of slave women being used by their masters. Describing the beauty of a slave girl as her â€Å"greatest curse† because it would bring about the unwanted attentions of the master (38). Jacob’s master Dr. Flint caused her â€Å"days and nights of fear and sorrow† (40). Women often bore children from these unions and these same children were often sold to protect the honor and dignity of the slaveholder s wife, who would otherwise be forced to face the evidence of her husband s infidelity (74). Jacobs’ purpose in writing about her degradation by her lecherous master was not to garner sympathy for herself. As stated in her preface she wanted her story to bring about change and â€Å"to kindle a flame of compassion in your hearts for my sisters who are still in bondage, suffering as I once suffered† (40). She wanted the women up North to understand what it was l ike to be a slave woman in the south so that they in turn could work to end slavery. Jacobs does not just depict theShow MoreRelatedHarriet Jacobs s Death Is Better Than Slavery966 Words   |  4 Pagesinfluential woman of the 19th century, Harriet Jacobs once said, â€Å"Death is better than slavery.†Jacobs describes how cruel it was growing up as a woman in slavery during the antebellum period until they stopped searching for her and she was finally considered herself free. Through the twists and turns of Harriets life to understand how strong of a woman she truly was. Herein will be described the societal, cultural, and moral tasks Jacobs had to endure. Harriet was able to break through the barriersRead MoreHarriet Jacobs’ Fight Against Intolerance713 Words   |  3 Pageson 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 exposing the years she spent escapingRead More Slavery and the Life of Harriet Jacobs Essays1074 Words   |  5 PagesSlavery and the Life of Harriet Jacobs It is well known that slavery was a horrible event in the history of the United States. However, what isnt as well known is the actual severity of slavery. The experiences of slave women presented by Angela Davis and the theories of black women presented by Patricia Hill Collins are evident in the life of Harriet Jacobs and show the severity of slavery for black women. The history of slave women offered by Davis suggests that compulsory labor overshadowedRead MoreHarriet Jacobs Vs. Douglas1263 Words   |  6 Pages1013 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 slaves. The slaves were classified as theRead More Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl Essay1671 Words   |  7 PagesHarriet Jacobs wanted to tell her story, but knew she lacked the skills to write the story herself. She had learned to read while young and enslaved, but, at the time of her escape to the North in 1842, she was not a proficient writer. She worked at it, though, in part by writing letters that were published by the New York Tribune, and with the help of her friend, Amy Post. Her writing skills improved, and by 1858, she had finished the manuscript of her book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave GirlRead MoreEssay about Harriet Jacobs Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl1355 Words   |  6 PagesHarriet Jacobs Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl The feminist movement sought to gain rights for women. Many feminist during the early nineteenth century fought for the abolition of slavery around the world. The slave narrative became a powerful feminist tool in the nineteenth century. Black and white women are fictionalized and objectified in the slave narrative. White women are idealized as pure, angelic, and chaste while black woman are idealized as exotic and contained an uncontrollableRead MoreIncidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Feminism Essays1364 Words   |  6 PagesThe feminist movement sought to gain rights for women. Many feminist during the early nineteenth century fought for the abolition of slavery around the world. The slave narrative became a powerful feminist tool in the nineteenth century. Black and white women are fictionalized and objectified in the slave narrative. White women are idealized as pure, angelic, and chaste while black woman are idealized as exotic and contained an uncontrollable, savage sexua lity. Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the LifeRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs928 Words   |  4 PagesIn her poignant autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs offers the audience to experience slavery through a feminist perspective. Unlike neo-slave narratives, Jacobs uses the pseudonym ‘Linda Brent’ to narrate her first-person account in order to keep her identity clandestine. Located in the Southern part of America, her incidents commence from her sheltered life as a child to her subordination to her mistress upon her mother’s death, and her continuing struggle to liveRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs1355 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Incidents in the life of a slave girl by Harriet Jacobs accentuates that the slavery system is evil and no good can be associated with it. Jacobs shows that slavery by its very nature extinguishes the morality and ethical values of slaveholders. Likewise, she highlights on the physical, psychological, health, social, and mental adverse implications of the slavery systems to the victims. Contrary, the seventh Vice-President of the United States of America and longtime Senator John CRead MoreHarriet Jacobs : A Slave For Ten Years1184 Words   |  5 PagesGoodlow Professor Brown Afro-American Literature 28 April 2017 Essay One Harriet Jacobs was a slave for ten years. Then after she began writing in 1853. Jacob s work reflected style, tone, and plot. It has been known as the nostalgic or household novel, prevalent fiction of the mid nineteenth century. It was composed for women that focused on home, family, womanly, unobtrusiveness, and marriage. Jacobs utilized nostalgic fiction to obtain white audiences. Jacob s works typify the strain