Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl Summary
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, is a biography on Harriet Jacobs life, she is telling her story as a slave and the events that occurred in her life. I choose this book because I’ve always been interested in the topic of slaves and how their lives were. Being a female myself, I was curious about the life of a slave girl. I wanted to know and understand the life of Harriet Jacobs. Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery to Elijah and Delilah Jacobs in 1813. Grow up in Edenton, N.C. Both her parents were slaves with different families. She had a brother named John. At an early year her parents died, she was raised by her grandmother Molly Horniblow. Harriet had two children Louisa Matilda Jacobs and Joseph Jacobs who’s names
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in the book are Ellen and Benny whose father was a white man. Harriet was a slave and spend many years trying to get herself and her kids free. In 1852 is when Harriet then employer purchased her and freed her. Harriet died in 1897. During the time that the book was published in 1861 it was the same time the Civil War had started. The civil war fought from 1861 to 1865 to determine the survival of the Union or independence for the Confederacy. The fact that this book came out the same year the civil war was started because this war, it determined what kind of nation it would be. Whether this nation, born of a declaration that all men were created with an equal right to liberty, would continue to exist as the largest slaveholding country in the world. Northern victory in the war preserved the United States as one nation and ended the institution of slavery that had divided the country from the beginning. So for this to be going on with the civil war and having a book like this to come out that’s a big event.
This book came out when the civil war was started so people read about how hard salves had it, and when the war was over slavery came to an end. This was a big historical event that happened at the time that Harriet Jacobs biography was published. Summary of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs tells the story of her life as a slave. At an early age both her parents died. Harriet and her brother were raised by their grandmother who was a beloved woman in the town. In Harriet’s early years as a slave, she never realized she was a slave after her early year of childhood is when she knows she was a slave. Harriet whose name in the book is Linda would thwart have repeated sexual advancements made by her master for years. Harriet’s mistress, Mr. Flints wife was very jealous of her because she knows of what would happen between her husband and Harriet. Mr. Flint was a bad man who would use Harriet for his own needs, years of being with her master Harriet was thinking more and more about running away to be free. In her time being there she wanted to get married to a free Blackman but Mr. Flint would not allow
it. He threatens her that if she never saw or talk to him again he would kill her. Harriet had two children from a white man Mr. Sands (Samuel Tredwell Sawyer) a daughter and a son. Mr. Flint afforded Harriet a little house outside of town for her and her children. Harriet knows that Mr. Flint intention weren’t good and she know she would never enter that house. One night Harriet decided she needed to do what was best for her and her children and she know she had to get always from Mr. Flint. Harriet was hiding from Mr. Flint and any other slave hunters. After her family find out where she was, her Aunt Nancy found her a new hiding place at a mistress house who was a nice lady to her grandmother and her family. Harriet was hiding in a room upstairs and wasn’t allowed to come out. After being seen by another slave, she had to leave and the Uncle and grandmother made a little space for her in a room in the house. No one would have known it was there. She was in there for six years until here children were separated and taken one to New York and the other in the south. After this happened Harriet wanted to go to the North to become free. Harriet lived in Boston for two years. Through all this Mr. Flint never gave up looking for her. Harriet received a letter from her grandmother that Mr. Flint had died. Mrs. Bruce bought Linda for $300 and give her her freedom from the Flint family. This is about Harriet Jacobs life as a slave and all the events that happened in her life and how she fought and never gave up for her and he children to become free. It talks about how a slave was treated by their masters and all the rights they didn’t have. They had it really bad and many slaves would runway to the north to get freedom. The book examples hers and others journey to get their freedom. The author wrote this book to let her story of her life. How she was born into slavery and fight and hide from a master of sexual exploitation to become free of him and his family. Sexual assault was something they addressed in the book and said how it was something that happened a lot with the masters and the slave girls. She wrote this book to make her life a slave and everything she went thought public, and to show how slave girls were really treated by their masters. The message the author is trying to convey is, no matter how hard or what you go through in life your life you should be afraid. Believe in what you want for yourself and never give up. She went thought so much in her life as a slave, but she wanted to become free and make a better life for her and her family. The work in the book it challenges social stigmas because it’s about a black young slave girl who is going thought all these things just because she is black and was born into slavery. Its telling what slaves had to go through and how hard it was to get freedom for yourself. The era this happing in the white man was on top and black were looked down on. Black people had no rights they were ordered by the whites. In this book it states everything that happened in a black slave girl’s life and how it was different from a black slave boy’s life. They both were slaves, but the boys had different jobs from the girls and the girls were treated very differently by their masters. You read about how the rich higher class lived and how the lower class lived. How blacks had to live with not a lot of money and had to work extremely hard for their white master and mistresses.This book relates to a lot of what we have learned in class. Slavery started in the 1619. In class during our lectures the professor talked about Slavery in African Roots. Also talking about Indentured servants and slaves how they were similar and different. We talked about the slave trade took place across the Atlantic Ocean in the 15th centuries. With the slave trade we learned about the Middle Passage were a stage of the triangular trade Africans were shipped to the New World as part of the Atlantic slave trade. In class something that was related to this book was when we watched Roots. Roots is a television miniseries about a boy Kunta Kinte being sold to a slave trader. It tells the story of Kunta having to work for white rich man and being brought there to work. It shows when he is a slave, he remembers his roots and his memories of freedom at home in Africa. It also showed what he had to go through on the ship to get bought by a master and what he had to go through as a working slave. Learning and watching Roots it was very similar to Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs they both were about slaves and what they had to go through to get back and to get freedom and the lives that they wanted. These are some of the things we learned and talked about in class and relate to the topic of slavery like in this book by Harriet Jacobs. Throughout reading this book the characters were becoming more interesting and the story was interesting me more to want to keep reading. Harriet Jacobs did an excellent job on writing a book about her life and all the events she went through. It was a very well written biography that went into every detail about what happened to her in her life as a slave. In the book your kind feel what emotions she was feeling while she was fighting to get her freedom. Its make the book easy to read because you feel like you really know what she had to go through and how hard it was for her. Something else that was good about the book was that she described what she saw and what she was feeling inside and how others felt you got a good insight into how different character were and they felt and lived their life. It was a good book showing how hard times and not giving up. I think my instructor chose this book because it’s an important part about history in the years of slavery especially slave girls. It’s a really good book that shows how slave girls were treated by the master, and to show that sexual assault was something that was very common back then with the masters and the black slave girls. Its a book that shows an in-depth look into an actual slave in the 18th century because it’s a biography of Harriet Jacobs life. That’s a reason I think my instructor choose this book because it’s a biography it’s a true story of how Harriet Jacobs life was as a slave and the events she went through to get freedom. This book is a good interesting book that showed Harriet Jacobs cared about her family and children and did anything she could to get them a better life with freedom. It’s a good representation of what slave girls had to go through with being owned by their masters and how hard it was to get their freedom. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs was an important story to be told, you get an insight look at how by a young black girl slave was and what they had to go through, and how difficult it was to get their freedom. Myself being very interested in how slavery was and how the slaves themselves felt this book was excellent. Harriet Jacobs was an amazing lady how flight for what she believed and what she wanted. She showed to she is so strong, hiding for more than six years to get freedom, not many people would be able to do that. Sharing her story just shows that no matter what you go through, you can change your life for the better if you work hard and never give up.
in the book are Ellen and Benny whose father was a white man. Harriet was a slave and spend many years trying to get herself and her kids free. In 1852 is when Harriet then employer purchased her and freed her. Harriet died in 1897. During the time that the book was published in 1861 it was the same time the Civil War had started. The civil war fought from 1861 to 1865 to determine the survival of the Union or independence for the Confederacy. The fact that this book came out the same year the civil war was started because this war, it determined what kind of nation it would be. Whether this nation, born of a declaration that all men were created with an equal right to liberty, would continue to exist as the largest slaveholding country in the world. Northern victory in the war preserved the United States as one nation and ended the institution of slavery that had divided the country from the beginning. So for this to be going on with the civil war and having a book like this to come out that’s a big event.
This book came out when the civil war was started so people read about how hard salves had it, and when the war was over slavery came to an end. This was a big historical event that happened at the time that Harriet Jacobs biography was published. Summary of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs tells the story of her life as a slave. At an early age both her parents died. Harriet and her brother were raised by their grandmother who was a beloved woman in the town. In Harriet’s early years as a slave, she never realized she was a slave after her early year of childhood is when she knows she was a slave. Harriet whose name in the book is Linda would thwart have repeated sexual advancements made by her master for years. Harriet’s mistress, Mr. Flints wife was very jealous of her because she knows of what would happen between her husband and Harriet. Mr. Flint was a bad man who would use Harriet for his own needs, years of being with her master Harriet was thinking more and more about running away to be free. In her time being there she wanted to get married to a free Blackman but Mr. Flint would not allow
it. He threatens her that if she never saw or talk to him again he would kill her. Harriet had two children from a white man Mr. Sands (Samuel Tredwell Sawyer) a daughter and a son. Mr. Flint afforded Harriet a little house outside of town for her and her children. Harriet knows that Mr. Flint intention weren’t good and she know she would never enter that house. One night Harriet decided she needed to do what was best for her and her children and she know she had to get always from Mr. Flint. Harriet was hiding from Mr. Flint and any other slave hunters. After her family find out where she was, her Aunt Nancy found her a new hiding place at a mistress house who was a nice lady to her grandmother and her family. Harriet was hiding in a room upstairs and wasn’t allowed to come out. After being seen by another slave, she had to leave and the Uncle and grandmother made a little space for her in a room in the house. No one would have known it was there. She was in there for six years until here children were separated and taken one to New York and the other in the south. After this happened Harriet wanted to go to the North to become free. Harriet lived in Boston for two years. Through all this Mr. Flint never gave up looking for her. Harriet received a letter from her grandmother that Mr. Flint had died. Mrs. Bruce bought Linda for $300 and give her her freedom from the Flint family. This is about Harriet Jacobs life as a slave and all the events that happened in her life and how she fought and never gave up for her and he children to become free. It talks about how a slave was treated by their masters and all the rights they didn’t have. They had it really bad and many slaves would runway to the north to get freedom. The book examples hers and others journey to get their freedom. The author wrote this book to let her story of her life. How she was born into slavery and fight and hide from a master of sexual exploitation to become free of him and his family. Sexual assault was something they addressed in the book and said how it was something that happened a lot with the masters and the slave girls. She wrote this book to make her life a slave and everything she went thought public, and to show how slave girls were really treated by their masters. The message the author is trying to convey is, no matter how hard or what you go through in life your life you should be afraid. Believe in what you want for yourself and never give up. She went thought so much in her life as a slave, but she wanted to become free and make a better life for her and her family. The work in the book it challenges social stigmas because it’s about a black young slave girl who is going thought all these things just because she is black and was born into slavery. Its telling what slaves had to go through and how hard it was to get freedom for yourself. The era this happing in the white man was on top and black were looked down on. Black people had no rights they were ordered by the whites. In this book it states everything that happened in a black slave girl’s life and how it was different from a black slave boy’s life. They both were slaves, but the boys had different jobs from the girls and the girls were treated very differently by their masters. You read about how the rich higher class lived and how the lower class lived. How blacks had to live with not a lot of money and had to work extremely hard for their white master and mistresses.This book relates to a lot of what we have learned in class. Slavery started in the 1619. In class during our lectures the professor talked about Slavery in African Roots. Also talking about Indentured servants and slaves how they were similar and different. We talked about the slave trade took place across the Atlantic Ocean in the 15th centuries. With the slave trade we learned about the Middle Passage were a stage of the triangular trade Africans were shipped to the New World as part of the Atlantic slave trade. In class something that was related to this book was when we watched Roots. Roots is a television miniseries about a boy Kunta Kinte being sold to a slave trader. It tells the story of Kunta having to work for white rich man and being brought there to work. It shows when he is a slave, he remembers his roots and his memories of freedom at home in Africa. It also showed what he had to go through on the ship to get bought by a master and what he had to go through as a working slave. Learning and watching Roots it was very similar to Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs they both were about slaves and what they had to go through to get back and to get freedom and the lives that they wanted. These are some of the things we learned and talked about in class and relate to the topic of slavery like in this book by Harriet Jacobs. Throughout reading this book the characters were becoming more interesting and the story was interesting me more to want to keep reading. Harriet Jacobs did an excellent job on writing a book about her life and all the events she went through. It was a very well written biography that went into every detail about what happened to her in her life as a slave. In the book your kind feel what emotions she was feeling while she was fighting to get her freedom. Its make the book easy to read because you feel like you really know what she had to go through and how hard it was for her. Something else that was good about the book was that she described what she saw and what she was feeling inside and how others felt you got a good insight into how different character were and they felt and lived their life. It was a good book showing how hard times and not giving up. I think my instructor chose this book because it’s an important part about history in the years of slavery especially slave girls. It’s a really good book that shows how slave girls were treated by the master, and to show that sexual assault was something that was very common back then with the masters and the black slave girls. Its a book that shows an in-depth look into an actual slave in the 18th century because it’s a biography of Harriet Jacobs life. That’s a reason I think my instructor choose this book because it’s a biography it’s a true story of how Harriet Jacobs life was as a slave and the events she went through to get freedom. This book is a good interesting book that showed Harriet Jacobs cared about her family and children and did anything she could to get them a better life with freedom. It’s a good representation of what slave girls had to go through with being owned by their masters and how hard it was to get their freedom. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs was an important story to be told, you get an insight look at how by a young black girl slave was and what they had to go through, and how difficult it was to get their freedom. Myself being very interested in how slavery was and how the slaves themselves felt this book was excellent. Harriet Jacobs was an amazing lady how flight for what she believed and what she wanted. She showed to she is so strong, hiding for more than six years to get freedom, not many people would be able to do that. Sharing her story just shows that no matter what you go through, you can change your life for the better if you work hard and never give up.