Sexuality Studies
Cassie Pane
Sexuality in America
Paper One
Slaves and Sexuality
The issue of slavery in America is a vastly documented phenomenon that captivates the interest of nearly everyone with a slight interest in history. It is a dark and fascinating subject yet still an overlooked part of our young nation’s history. Though there are countless books and articles written on the topic, few provide such compelling and brutally truthful accounts of the hardships endured by slaves as Harriett Jacobs in Incidents of a Slave Girl. Within this novel, she attempts to describe her situation under the laws dictating her life as a slave. She writes as to persuade the reader not to judge her as she tells them all she has bared in her life. As a young girl when she became a slave, she was subject to harassment, particularly by sexual means, more so than her male equals. Through the course of her book, Jacobs describes her predicament and attempts to survive and surpass it.
In her early years working for her new masters, the Flints, Jacobs finds herself in a strictly controlled environment similar to the horrors thousands endured in slavery. However, her case is unique in the sense that her master Dr. Flint attempted to control not only her whereabouts and routines, but her sexual behavior as well. Unlike other abusers during this period, he does not make an effort to take sexual pleasures by force but rather attempts to coerce Jacobs to his will. Now, given the timeframe in which Jacobs is writing, such a topic as sex or rape was far too scandalous to be published. Many denied the validity of the writing and brushed it off as fiction; their belief being that such atrocities could not exist so close to home with no one taking action. However, in Jacobs’s circumstance, it was easy for the harassment to go ignored. Her master was a respected member of the community, a doctor no less. No one would challenge his honor and standing in society. Such a noble man could
Sexuality in America
Paper One
Slaves and Sexuality
The issue of slavery in America is a vastly documented phenomenon that captivates the interest of nearly everyone with a slight interest in history. It is a dark and fascinating subject yet still an overlooked part of our young nation’s history. Though there are countless books and articles written on the topic, few provide such compelling and brutally truthful accounts of the hardships endured by slaves as Harriett Jacobs in Incidents of a Slave Girl. Within this novel, she attempts to describe her situation under the laws dictating her life as a slave. She writes as to persuade the reader not to judge her as she tells them all she has bared in her life. As a young girl when she became a slave, she was subject to harassment, particularly by sexual means, more so than her male equals. Through the course of her book, Jacobs describes her predicament and attempts to survive and surpass it.
In her early years working for her new masters, the Flints, Jacobs finds herself in a strictly controlled environment similar to the horrors thousands endured in slavery. However, her case is unique in the sense that her master Dr. Flint attempted to control not only her whereabouts and routines, but her sexual behavior as well. Unlike other abusers during this period, he does not make an effort to take sexual pleasures by force but rather attempts to coerce Jacobs to his will. Now, given the timeframe in which Jacobs is writing, such a topic as sex or rape was far too scandalous to be published. Many denied the validity of the writing and brushed it off as fiction; their belief being that such atrocities could not exist so close to home with no one taking action. However, in Jacobs’s circumstance, it was easy for the harassment to go ignored. Her master was a respected member of the community, a doctor no less. No one would challenge his honor and standing in society. Such a noble man could