LITR 5535: American
Romanticism
Student Presentation on Reading Selections, fall 2003
Selection
Reader: Kina Lara
Discussion
Recorder: Emily Masterson
Harriet
Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Norton 813-834) and
Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and
American Slave, Written by Himself (Norton 942-973)
Although they are undoubtedly two of the greatest slave narratives in
American literature, Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and
Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and
American Slave, Written by Himself differ significantly in their accounts of
the struggles associated with slavery, their reasons for seeking freedom and
deliverance, and the manner in which they present their stories to the reader.
While the former is an autobiographical novel about a sexually harassed
and physically abused woman who desires to better the lives of her two children,
the latter is the autobiography of a self-taught individual who feels
overwhelmingly compelled to deliver himself from the mental and physical
tortures of slavery. However, both
of these narratives do share several common attributes that help to characterize
them as “Romantic.” In my
presentation, I chose to concentrate on Objective 1b, particularly focusing on
the Romantic impulse as a quest or journey that requires crossing physical,
social, or psychological boundaries. Throughout the course of their enslavement,
both Jacobs and Douglass transgressed each of these boundaries on their pathways
to freedom.
After looking at the definition of a “slave narrative” in the Bedford
Guide, I discussed the following points with the class, emphasizing the
physical and social boundaries for Jacobs and the psychological boundaries for
Douglass:
from
Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave
Girl
The physical boundaries broken
are a means of running and escaping from her master, Flint, who sexually
harasses and physically abuses her. Not
only does he repeatedly threaten to make her his mistress, he has also thrown
her down stairs, hit her in the face, and cut off all of her hair.
In the Fall 2000 semester, Gwendolyn Darrell conducted a presentation on
Jacobs in which she states that Jacobs was forced to run from her master because
she experienced a “conflict between virtuous womanhood ideals and sexual
exploitation by white masters.”
page
826, 1st paragraph of Ch. 21 – Jacobs hides in her grandmother’s
attic for seven years while relatives care for her two children; she endures
this type of physical suffering and loss of her children to be away from her
tormentor.
page
828, end of 2nd paragraph – The people in town think that she has
escaped to the North when she is really hiding in her grandmother’s attic.
Thus, she has broken the physical boundary by successfully escaping from
Flint, although not legally yet.
page
829, 1st paragraph – She finally escapes to the North dressed as a
male sailor and is living with the Bruce family.
However, she is still scared of being caught because of Fugitive Slave
Law and has not completely transgressed the physical boundary separating her and
her master.
page
830, end of 1st paragraph – She goes into hiding again with Mrs.
Bruce’s friend when Flint’s daughter comes after her in order to keep the
physical boundary between her and her legal owners.
The social boundaries are broken
when Jacobs actually becomes a free person in the states and can live without
fear. She struggles with this
though because she does feel that any human being should be bought.
page
832-833 (last paragraph on 832 and 1st paragraph on 833) – Mrs.
Bruce buys her freedom. She
struggles with this, but is no longer afraid of being caught and can live
without the apprehension of being returned to her former state.
from
Douglass, Narrative of the Life…
The psychological boundaries are broken when Douglass
gains the ability to overcome the physical abuse from Covey.
Through physically abusing him, Covey has broken his “body, soul, and
spirit” so that he no longer has the desire to read, gain his freedom, or even
live (956). Douglass refers to this
incident as the turning point in his life.
page
957, last paragraph – This is the turning point in his life; he
psychologically transforms from a slave to a man as he defeats Covey.
page
959-960, bottom of the 959 to 1st line of 960) – Douglass is given
a superstitious root, which symbolizes a sense of power and manhood, that can
protect him from the abuse of white masters.
Although the root has no inherent power, it enables him to gain the
strength of mind and courage he needs to overcome his abuser.
page
960-961, entire paragraph from bottom of 960 to top of 961 – This passage
reiterates the significance of the event in psychologically preparing him to
escape and returning him to his former determined state.
Discussion
Questions:
1. What are the differences between Jacobs and Douglass’ desires to free themselves from slavery? How do these contrary motivations make their “quests” or “journeys” different?
2. How do Jacobs and Douglass exemplify the characteristics of a Romantic heroine and hero? How are they different from the Romantic heroes and heroines we have read thus far?
3.
In what ways are these particular slave narratives “Romantic”?
In what ways are they not?
Class
Discussion:
Dr. White – Out of
dejection and into confidence…I never understood on p. 961, the part about the
holidays; it makes sense in terms of psychological boundaries.
Kina – It’s like a
psychological revelation.
Mary – The word
“career” is significant; it tells you he’s [Douglass] had a change in his
head; he knows he can eventually change his situation.
Holly – I thought the
same thing; it’s not who he is as a slave, it is only what he does.
Kina – From this
point on in the narrative, he’s planning and plotting to escape in contrast
with before…
Dr. White – Can you
restate the question?
Kina – What are
differences between the desires of Douglass and the desires of Jacobs for
freedom?
Holly – Jacobs and
Douglass both start out as children. Life
was okay; they didn’t have a sense of slavery until they were older.
Douglass saw in other people the effects of slavery.
Jacobs internalized it. For
Douglass, it’s not as much about him as it is about society.
Emily M. –
Douglass’ mistress changes also…
Mindi – The husband
tells his wife she has to quit teaching Douglass how to read.
Mary – This reminds
me of the novel Pamela.
Sheila – The
differences in Jacobs – sexuality was a big issue; running away from slavery
and a potential status as a mistress.
Dr. White – Douglass
externalizes.
Kina – We should look
at the audiences they’re writing to; Jacobs is directly addressing white women
and wants them to understand what she did and pity her situation.
Douglass is writing to a bigger society on behalf of abolition. The
audiences are different.
Dr. White – This goes
back to the public versus private, men versus women issue.
Kina – Jacobs is
centered on her family. For
Douglass, it’s just one part…
Yvonne – P. 957, the
personal revelation of Douglass; here is an injection of the self into his work.
Dr. White – Kina is
doing a research project on Romantic women…
Kina – I am looking
at how women’s desire and loss centers around the family, whereas men’s is
for power, prestige, and wealth. They
are out in society, but women are making a name for themselves in the home.
Their center is the home.
Dr. White – Your
second question?
Kina – How do
narratives exemplify the Romantic hero/heroine?
And what is and is not “Romantic” about slave narratives ties in with
this.
Yvonne – The sense of
individual against his lot in life follows Romantic hero trend.
Douglass takes himself out of it, is detached.
Seems more effective than Jacobs. He
has to allow his own experience and passions to surface.
Mary – Jacobs focuses
more on psychological abuse than Douglass.
Yvonne – But Douglass
constantly reminds you of how people are treated as animals.
Mary – Jacobs removes
the threat of violence. With her you don’t see actual physical abuse.
Correlation to Pamela…
Yvonne – The
female/male theory? Is it because of power and Jacobs is female?
Covey doesn’t seem to want to own Douglass mentally.
Holly – Was he
[Flint] afraid of his wife?
Dr. White – This
aspect shows up in the extended book…
Holly – He wanted to
put her [Jacobs] where he could have total control over her.
She didn’t want to tell her grandmother that she would no longer be
pure. Are her religious beliefs
that important?
Theresa – Grandmother
plays a big part even in black high school students’ lives today.
Mary – Jacob’s
grandmother is “Romantic.”
April – What about
hypocrisy…grandmother is only Romantic for Jacobs, but it is not reality.
Mary – The
grandmother had a child out of wedlock herself; you’d think she’d be
sympathetic…
Rosalyn – You want
better for your grandchildren. Grandmother
teetered on the edge of freedom, but producing children is the final block to
being free (through the eyes of the grandmother).
Children are a continual tie to slavery…
Yvonne – What are the
psychological repercussions?
Shelia – The utopian
aspect – is “out there” better?
Theresa
– When she’s talking to her master, Flint, she’s willing to lose her lover
so he won’t suffer; makes her more of a heroine because of her sacrifice…
Sherry – I struggle
to connect with Romanticism, but what about Douglass and religious rebellion?
I’m struck by the hypocrisy; I can understand why people were rebelling
against religion…
Dr. White – Douglass
himself has trouble negotiating this.
Mary – Slave owners
don’t want slaves to read and write; Douglass is very intelligent.
Sheila – Can
Romantics be considered fatalists? If
that’s true, then slaves aren’t Romantic…
Holly – P. 964 talks
about how they spend Sundays; Douglass did see there was so much more potential
as opposed to what they were encouraged to be like.