LITR 4232: American Renaissance
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Student Presentation, spring 2001

Reader: Linda Quarles

Discussion notes: Crystal Jones

Thursday, 15 February

Harriet Ann Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

I will cover objective 3 in relation to the passages that I will point out today. Objective 3 states: "To use literature as a basis for discussing representative problems and subjects of American culture." I will focus on equality, especially race and gender.

The story is a fictional piece, but Harriet Jacobs was a slave and based the text on her own life. In the preface of the text, it is stated that "Incidents was written for an audience of free white women and that its purpose was to involve these women in political action against the institution of chattel slavery and the ideology of white racism." In case you don’t know, and I didn’t, chattel is simply any item of property other than real estate.

During our last class meeting there was a discussion on the limited power of white women. After reading Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, I think I now know why women’s rights took a backseat to the abolitionist movement. It becomes apparent while reading Ms. Jacob’s work, that compared to the struggles of the slave, white women had relatively no complaints.

Please turn in your book to page 1844. In this passage, the main character, Linda Brent, after being admonished by her mistress over something she did not do, is taken to sleep in the room adjoining her mistress’s room. This is an example of the power the white woman has over the slave. The slave, because she is property, has almost a childlike subservience to her mistress.

Beginning on page 1854, Jacobs gives another example of the white woman’s power over the slave. This particular passage stands out, not only because of the power that is seen, but also because of the dehumanizing aspect of slavery that is seen.

This dehumanization is also seen on page 1848. This passage is an excellent example of inequality. The white woman is at least thought of as a person, whereas the slave is merely property, with absolutely no rights.

The question I would like to pose to you, after having read Fuller, Stanton, Sojourner Truth, and Jacobs, is what are your thoughts on the gap between the women’s rights movement and the abolitionist movement?

Discussion:

Kellie pointed out the anguish suffered by the slave mothers because their children were sold. The mother wanted to free her children, but couldn’t buy her kids. Jacobs would rather her child be dead than be forced to live a life of slavery.

Cleo noted that everything is regimented. Like Hitler, slavery needed rules to justify it. By taking away the human qualities of slaves, slave owners could justify slavery. She compared the dehumanization of slaves to the dehumanization of the Jews by the Germans during WWII.

Dr. White stated that if the slaves were recognized as humans, then the abuse done to them could not have happened. He pointed out the following passage on page 1846: "Though this bad institution deadens the moral sense, even in white women, to a fearful extent, it is not altogether extinct."

Cleo compared slavery to systematic sin.

There was a general discussion about Jacobs and whether the piece was autobiographical. It was decided among the class that Jacobs changed the names in the story to protect the people that helped her escape from slavery. It was noted that there is a list of secondary works on Jacobs on page 1839.

Cleo compared Linda Brent to Cora in The Last of the Mohicans.

Keely noted that the women and slavery issue is highlighted in the passage on page 1852 in which Linda Brent tells the reader that her bill of sale can be found in New York. This passage helps the reader understand that Jacobs, writing as Linda Brent, thought that change was inevitable.

After reading Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, I found it difficult to compare the women’s movement with the abolitionist movement. In the text, Jacobs’ points out the dehumanization of slaves, especially in reference to women. It was the general attitude of the class that according to Jacobs, the dehumanization of slaves, coupled with the combination of being a woman and being a slave, contributed to the shock value of Jacobs’ text.