Summary Of Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is the story of Harriet Jacobs, who, for her protection, named herself Linda Brent in the story. L. Maria Child, a prominent white abolitionist, decided to edit Jacob's book, even though she seemingly did slight modifications to the writing but to reorganize some segments, recommend the elimination of one chapter, and add material to another. "Reader it is not to awaken sympathy for myself that I am telling you truthfully what I suffered. I do it to kindle a flame of compassion in your hearts for my sisters who are still in bondage." While slavery was dreadful for both men and women, the latter grieved its own tragedies. Women and even young girls found that their physiques were not their own - they were
They were teased and disrespected, as in Harriet's case, or outright raped.

The belief structure that restricted captivity and demonized the slave because of her skin shade (or, in the case of slaves with light appearances, cultural birthright) declined to accept that slaves were individuals at all. Common belief of the dated recommended that Africans were a filthy race since Scriptural times -- the darkness of their skin was the smear of Cain, and the overall race was assumed offspring of the original fratricide. Slavery was God’s penalty for the collective iniquity of Cain’s offspring, an entire race, and just one of the outcomes was a complete departure in the thoughts of whites. Africans did not look precisely like European Americans; thus, they were measured a different kind - not relatively human, but
Harriet's comprehension that she was a slave was an amazing one; once she learned that she was a slave she could never reverse this knowledge and 1. They lived organized in a contented household; and, though we were all slaves, I was so fondly shielded that I never dreamed I was a piece of merchandise, trusted to them for safe keeping, and liable to be demanded of them at any moment. One of the fascinating things about Harriet's initial life is that she did not identify that she was a slave; she lived in relative well-being and refuge with her mother and father - who were wedded - as well as her extended household. was therefore stuck with the mental disturbance of knowing that she was a portion of possessions. Harriet possesses several admirable character behaviors, but possibly her greatest inspirational one is determination. She has almost incredible chances to overcome in her pursuit to escape captivity and make an improved life for her children: she is a slave (obviously), she is a woman, she has a hateful and stubborn master, she is very far-off from the Free States, and she exists in a period when runaway slaves were being compulsively hunted