Personal Narrative: Rape As A Slave

In Fredrick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs narrative they show how the institution of slavery dehumanizes an individual both physically and emotionally. In Jacobs narrative she talks about how women had it worse than men did in slavery. While men suffered, women had it worse due to sexual abuse. The emotional, physical, and sexual abuse was dehumanizing for anyone.

She does a great job of this for all of her readers, but it may be even more impactful for those who have never experienced brute discrimination, to see through her eyes the horrors that African American citizens faced during this time

In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs, writing under the pseudonym Linda Brent, writes autobiographically of the painful and tragic struggles faced by her and her family as slaves in the South during the 19th century. As Brent depicts the various obstacles and struggles she endured in her journey to freedom she shows how “slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women” by giving insight to the sexual abuse female slaves were subject to and the aftermath of this sexual abuse. In the following review of Brent’s work, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, I will include a summary of the book’s contents along with an analysis of its major argument and purpose to give understanding to the atrocities face by

FREDRICK DOUGLASS AND HARRIET JACOBS Slavery and its long brutalizing history. Deep, bloody gashes to an inch-wide or more whip and scarred. Cold with barley enough clothes to cover them in the winter or year round. Half-fed left to starve. Rape, murder, beaten on a daily basis to death.

By telling this story, Harriet mocks the claim that slave owners are like fathers. She shows they do not protect their slaves, and slave masters are the problem. Harassing a girl fourteen years old to have sex, is nowhere close to father like; it is barely even

Harriet Jacobs account to slavery was very endearing and informative. Reading this really put me in the shoes of her lifestyle in which I can feel those emotions. Through the lost, struggle, and hardships that Jacobs went through. The characteristics that she showed was bravery, strength, and strong fighter. She was quick-witted and very much capable of not giving up without a fight.

Chris Rock, a multi-millionaire American (black) actor, once stated, "Yeah , I love being famous. It 's almost like being white, y 'know?" Even in today 's world no matter how famous or rich a black man is, there will always be hatred and discrimination towards him because of his race. The Scottsboro Boys (The American Tragedy) and To Kill A Mockingbird both represent the brutality and fears of racism. The types of racism that are portrayed in today 's world, the novel and the video are unnecessary killings due to a corrupt court system, bullying (prejudice and social injustice) of the lower class (blacks) and poverty/unemployment (segregation).

Also, it shows that she wanted to save as many as she could and if she would've given up on one slave and let them go she wouldn't have saved as many as she did. Harriet Tubman was a great women, and

(Crouse 2006) Tolstoy considered the book to be a "great work of literature." Alfred Kazin wrote that the book "is the most powerful and most enduring work of art ever written about American slavery." Elizabeth Barrett Browning declared that Harriet’s powerful writing had, more than any other man or woman of her era, "moved the world for good." (Crouse 2006)

Alizae lounnarath Prof. Troy HIST 1301 12/1/14 Harriet Jacobs Final Paper Assignment Harriet Jacobs was a very important African American women during the hard times of slavery. Harriet was an example of how African American women were treated. Although she was tough and went through a long journey she survived and accomplished her goal of gaining freedom for herself and her family. Harriet was also an author who wrote a popular book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl which told her personal story including all the barriers in her life so that people could be aware of the cruel treatments and the lifestyle some of the helpless enslaved women had to go through during the 1800-1900’s.

Discrimination was a huge factor during this time. It went both for African Americans and women. We can see this throughout the book. “Well, you keep you place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.

Throughout the years, slaves have encountered seasons of agony as slave owners exhibit inhumane behavior resulting in the manslaughter of numerous slaves. On a treacherous flight towards freedom, slaves like Nat Turner and Harriet Tubman have retreated from brutality, in order to take a stand against

Both of these writers felt responsible to inform their white readership of the hardships slavery had on not only them but on other slaves. For example, Olaudah Equiano experienced being taken away by white people from his country. He even found himself wishing to be back at his former slavery in preference of his “present situation”. He states, “...I became so sick and low that I was not able to eat, not had I the least desire to taste anything. I now wished for the last friend, death to relieve me..”(130).

Her tragedy reflects not only the sexism in the African American families in early 20th century, but also the uselessness

Today has been marvelous today and I am so glad that this Emancipation finally happened. All of my son’s hard work has been payed off and his honor will now be remembered. Since, I can recall my boy, John, would do anything for what he believed in and this was one of them. Which was this country and the abolishment of slavery. His main focus before the war, was helping escaped slaves get their citizenship.