Preview

Comparing Jacobs And Lydia Maria Child

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
112 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Comparing Jacobs And Lydia Maria Child
Both Jacobs and Lydia Maria Child show the treatment of women but one thing different is that “for Child, slavery degrades both the slave woman and the white woman, but she does not mention the power imbalance that structures their relationship. Jacobs, by contrast, highlights how the white mistress becomes part of the system of abuse that maintains the master's domination over his female slaves” (McClish 44). Jacobs shows that women are held under the power of men and that should be changed and fought against. (McClish 27-55). According to Morgan, the life as a slave was much different for both men and women along with their different writing styles (Morgan 73-94).

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The second part of a slave narrative is the life as a slave (Turner). This is the majority of Harriet Ann Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, being from about Chapters II to XVI. She begins by describing how cruel her new master, Dr. Flint was: “[he] was an epicure. The cook never sent a dinner to his table without fear and trembling; for if there happened to be a dish not to his liking, he would either order her to be whipped, or compel her to eat every mouthful of it in his presence” (Jacobs, 22). By the age of fifteen, Dr. Flint would harass her more often and follow her closely; she was constantly reminded by him that she was nothing but his property. All of the doctor’s attention on Jacobs resulted in the mistress becoming…

    • 151 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In general, authors follow a pattern when writing. Some may use foreshadowing or irony in all of their work, while others may have characters that are alike. Sarah Orne Jewett is no exception to this generalization. Her poems, stories, novellas, and books commonly contain similar traits. Sarah Orne Jewett, an author best known for her local color works, often wrote in first-person, used allusions and historical references, and set her stories in the New England area.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Poor treatment continues for Jacobs, and she was to the point where she would do anything to escape her master, Dr. Flint. Rumors were going around saying that Dr. Flint was taking advantage of Jacobs, which of course, made the mistress extremely jealous and upset. Jacobs decided to get impregnated by a free white man of whom she was close with in order to make it appear as if her master had impregnated her. It was common for pregnant slaves to be sold away because of the jealous mistress, and Jacobs was hoping the same would happen to her. She hated to do such a thing because she knew it was a sin, but she wanted more than anything to leave Dr. Flint. Unfortunately, this did not work. Dr. Flint refused to let her go, even when she became…

    • 227 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Slave Girl Chapter Vii

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A look at chapters V, VI, and VII of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl revolves around a teenage slave girl and the control placed over her by her slave owner. The passage goes to reflect the atrocities placed over many slaves of the south in that time. It goes to show that these poor individuals had no power over the system in place over them and that they had to submit to the rule of those masters above them regardless of how heinous the act was. These acts were not unique to just her but was known to happen to many slave girls throughout the south. Slaveries affect on the south was made very apparent in the early to mid 1800's. Slaves made up 1/3 of the southern populations and was making its way further west into eastern Texas. At the…

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sophie Auld's Diction

    • 229 Words
    • 1 Page

    Through his specific diction, Frederick Douglass is able to exemplify how slavery not only dehumanized slaves, but had an equally horrifying effect on slave owners. When Douglass initially meets Sophie Auld, he describes her as a “pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman” (Douglass 50). Never owning a slave before, Sophie Auld was not accustomed to the typical treatment of slaves, leaving Douglass “utterly astonished at her goodness” (Douglass 46). However, once she is scolded for her kind treatment towards Douglass, most notably for attempting to educate him, by her husband, Douglass describes an extreme change in her character. Douglass uses intense imagery when describing her change, claiming, “that cheerful eye, under the the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweat accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon” (Douglass 46).…

    • 229 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    It wasn't hard for me to sympathize with Harriet Jacobs while reading her autobiography because of the stories my grandmother told me about her mother during this time period. My great grandmother was a slave in Georgia during antebellum period and had very similar stories. Her slave owner was Edward Archelaus Flewellen he was a medical director for the confederate army. Having connections to someone that went through the same thing as Harriet Jacobs just made her stories hit me more in the heart. I had already knew women were taking advantage of and was destroyed morally and emotionally during this time. I just know now that it was more women with my great grandmother that also went through this disgusting and horrible period of…

    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Harriet Jacobs was a slave girl who lost her mother at a very early age. Since then she lived in her master’s house until adulthood. Her reactions to her own experiences as a slave girl (in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl) show her hatred for slavery and her immense dislike for people that involved themselves in this malpractice. Jacobs saw slavery as dehumanizing. In the seventh chapter of her narrative, The Lover, Jacobs expresses her hatred for her slave master who deprived her of her right to love and be loved as a human. From this chapter we see that slave owners were wicked people who took advantage of the weakness of the black race and treated them as lower class creatures that did not deserve any good treatment from the whites. Besides ill treatment, slaves could not be sure of their “tomorrow,” as they could be bought up at any time from one slave owner to the other. This continuous movement from one owner to the other shows that slaves could not be sure of their happiness and in…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This leads to the females to teach their child to obey the “master” and submit to whatever he asks of them. Therefore, the young men were very weak and fearful, and the females were mentally and physically stronger than the men. Compared to many other cultures in the world this is completely backwards,but even now one can still take notice of this. Another point made in the letter was the language barrier between slave and slave “master”. If one was to control how far someone’s language skills can develop they can control how much someone knows. If the amount of knowledge someone can gain is limited he or she can not prosper and if he or she cannot prosper he or she is stuck in the social, economical, or racial position they are in. This is still evident in today’s society, many majority minority communities are limited with quality educational resources. For example, in many predominantly black schools there are not as many teachers with advanced teaching degrees, advanced placement (AP) classes or international bachelor (IB) classes, and other resources that predominantly white schools would offer to the students. Also, because majority of the black kids in the public school systems in America go to high poverty and predominantly black schools they are less likely to get a quality education as other…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When describing the wife of her master, she says: "Mrs. Flint, like many southern women, was totally deficient in energy. She had not strength to superintend her household affairs; but her nerves were so strong." Jacobs understood that in order to be read, she could not just attack those who oppressed her, she needed to say something positive to go along with the negative. No need to offend the sensibilities of the white northern woman. This can be seen when Jacobs says: "The degradation, the wrongs, the vices that grow out of slavery, are more than I CAN DESCRIBE. They are greater than you would willingly believe". Even after attaining her freedom and relating her story years later, Jacobs still puts herself in a subordinate position, none more so than when she tells the reader of her decision to get back at her master by taking a…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Harriet Jacobs and Fredrick Douglass both wrote these narratives to show the world how bad and painful slavery was. Both authors struggled through major pain and abuse through their times as a slave. In my opinion, both men and women had it equally bad physically and mentally, but women had it worse when it came to sexual…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Black women played several roles in slavery and in freedom. According to Darrel Dexter, the roles of Lydia Titus, was much of a struggle being a free slave. He informs us that, “Lydia Titus not only had to work on the farm to provide for her family, but maintaining their freedom against kidnapping became a lifelong struggle.” (371) The roles of a slave were much more brutal than that of a freed slave. As young as 9 years old, these undeveloped children were responsible for cooking. As the teenage years came, they were then held responsible for raking stubble, pulling weeds, hoeing, and picking cotton. (94) There are numerous stages of growth and work for the children and adults of slaves. However, gender was not recognized when it came to the younger slaves. White mentions on page 93 that "parents were more concerned that children, regardless of sex, learn to walk the tightrope between the demands of the whites and expectations of the blacks without falling too far in either direction." The life of children was finding ways through the slavery to survive. The teenage years conveyed tough work and an aching awareness of what the slave life meant to…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    I believe Jacobs representation of freedom differs from that of other narratives in the sense that she does not only discuss freedom from slavery and oppression, but freedom from the sexual harassment enacted against her by her master Mr. Flint. Evidently, Jacobs desperation for a better life for her and her children led her to run away and eventually make her way up north. However, her desire to possess the freedom of making her own choice and dismantling the notion of being the property of someone else leads her to engage in an affair with another white man. She does this so that she will not be robbed of her virtue by a man whom she did not consensually agree to be with.…

    • 203 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Tradition In The South

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Harriet Jacobs’ passage of her narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, explains the old-style sense of the Southern male-controlled society along with the role of women traditionally but furthermore the role of black women and discrimination. Both of these are almost traditional mindsets of the South and also stereotypes of traditional South. Jacobs lived under the watch of her master whom abused her sexually and mentally, then how her own family turns themselves away from her for being a woman and being pregnant. This goes hand in hand with the traditional sense of conservatism and how the South is very traditional with how things should be for women. “”She exclaimed, “O Linda! Has it come to this? I had rather see you dead than to see you as you now are. You are a disgrace to your dead mother.” She tore from my fingers my mother’s wedding ring and her silver thimble.” (Jacobs) This quote is the reaction of the grandmother of the slave girl after she explains she is pregnant, this shows how even between women there is a taboo of sexuality whilst a man’s sexuality is open and acceptable. JoAnn Marshall’s The Roles of Southern Women, Black and White, in Society, says, “Powerful, white men create this society and the roles for the women within. Southern women, black and white, have little choice but to play the roles they are given and…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lydia Maria Child makes a strong point when she speaks of how men objectify women in literature and base women’s value on how much the women’s beauty appeals to men. The objectification of women that Child speaks out against is quite apparent within the selected paragraph from James Fenimore Cooper’s work The Pioneers. Within just the description of Elizabeth that Cooper narrates from the viewpoint of Remarkable Pettibone, a reader will note the issues that Child mentions.…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Douglass’ mistress, Mrs. Auld, is a prime example of slavery having a negative effect on slaveholders. Douglass stated, “My new mistress proved to be all she appeared when I first met her at the door,-- a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings.” Mrs. Auld had never owned slaves prior to her marriage, therefore she was shielded from the ineffable sadness that slavery held. She didn’t approve of slaves bowing down to her and treating her like a master. In the beginning she had a kind heart and treated the slaves as equals. Douglass then stated, “The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon.” After owning slaves for some time, Mrs. Auld lost…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays