Liz Davis

Thursday September 23, 2004

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

Objective 2

Objective 2 is to observe the movement of Romanticism, and the related styles of the “Gothic” and “The Sublime.” The focus of my presentation will be on Romanticism.

“Romanticism”-

            The subject of romanticism in this story is evident. Linda as a person romanticizes about happiness and freedom. She romanticizes about living in a home full of love, instead of a home full of harassment. Jacob’s speaks on behalf of not only the women who were slaves but those who were the wives of slave holders. She speaks of the abuse they would endure being married to slave holders. Women who are married to slave holders, women who are deceived, by their  trusting so called loyal husbands who harass the majority of the woman slaves; the woman slaves who wind up bearing the children of their masters.

Question 1- Can you see anywhere in the text where Linda would regret any of her actions that she took to gain her freedom of harassment from Mr. Flint?

Example-

(Pg. 1971) - I thought I should be happy in my triumph over him. But now that the truth was out, and my relatives would hear of it, I felt wretched. Humble as were their circumstances, they had pride in my good character.

(Pg. 1971) - My self respect was gone! I had resolved that I would be virtuous, though I was a slave. I had said, “Let the storm beat! I will brave it till I die.” And now, how humiliated I felt!

Example-

(Pg. 1968)- Yet when victims make their escape from this wild beast of slavery, northerners  consent to act the part of bloodhounds, and hunt the poor fugitive back into his den, “full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness”

(Pg. 1968) - Nay, more, they are not only willing, but proud, to give their daughters in marriage to slave holders. The poor girls have romantic notions of a sunny clime, and of the flowering vines that all the year round shade a happy home. To what disappointment are they destined!

Summary-

Jacobs was able to represent the time period of slavery in its reality. The reality of her life is that she isn’t free. Linda was an object to him, an object longing to escape his clutches of torment. She spoke very eloquently of the battering she endured and the decisions she had to make to free her from the torment she received from her master

Objective 3

Objective 3 is to use literature as a basis for discussing representative problems and subjects of American Culture.

Representative problems-

            You can say that at one time woman had no rights to anything. In the days of the civil war women were barely allowed to read or write especially woman who where slaves. In today’s society woman are more accepted in the world as people instead of property. It is sad though there are still people in our society who feel woman should be at home, people who feel that woman are inferior to men.  People who feel that woman don’t have ideas, emotions, or feelings to offer the world. I am not saying the entire American culture thinks like this. I am saying that this is a subject that still exists, and it’s something that some women have to deal with everyday.

Question-

            What type of relationship did Linda & Mrs. Flint Have? Did they bond as women?

Example-

(Pg. 1965)

            Yet, I whom she detested so bitterly, had far more pity for her than he had, whose duty it was to make her like happy. I never wronged her, or wished to wrong her; and one word of kindness from her would have brought me to her feet.

Example-

(Pg. 1966)

            She pitied herself as a martyr; but she was incapable of feeling for the condition of shame and misery in which her unfortunate, helpless slave was placed.

Summary-

            It seems to me that in some respect women can confide in one another. On some level we seem to all have that bond. Jacobs created for just a short minute an image of women bonding. She reflects the two women who were being abused talking amongst each other, trying to in some way resolve their problem. The women connected on a level that evoked a relationship as just women.