Comparison Of Miss Polly Baker And Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl

Racial and gender inequality has always been an important issue that the society encountered throughout the history. In today’s society, we have still have not achieve full equality after all the protests and law regulations. It is obvious to us that racism and sexism still exists in today’s world. Not everyone are treated equally by the others, but it is much better compare to the past. In the reading of “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” written by Harriet Jacobs focused on the racial equality; “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker” written by Benjamin Franklin focused on gender equality. Both of their lives are heavily affected by the unfair treatment of the laws. Even though “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker” is a fictional story, it still depicts the
Throughout the story, both of the characters both clearly explained the unfair treatment under the laws. Polly Baker argued against the laws for punishing women when they have children without being married. Linda Brent were bond with the most inhumane treatment and laws in the history of the United States, which there are several different laws that gave people the right to own slaves and treat them however they wanted. As a result, millions of slaves died during the Atlantic slave trade and escape slaves to free states cannot be freed due Fugitive Slave Act. Brent stated, “Pity me, and pardon me, O virtuous reader! You never knew what it is to be a slave; to be entirely unprotected by law or custom; to have the laws reduce you to the condition of a chattel, entirely subject to the will of another.” Polly Baker has the right to speak out in the trial against the gender inequality that men does not have the same consequences as women, but Linda Brent is a powerless slave girl without any kinds of rights or freedom in the society. As a result, the only option for Brent is to escape from Dr. Flint, her slave owner, and she is not free until he decided to release