Slave Women in Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a...

Slave Women in Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Toni Morrisons Beloved Slavery was a horrible institution that dehumanized a race of people. Female slave bondage was different from that of men. It wasnt less severe, but it was different. The sexual abuse, child bearing, and child care responsibilities affected the femaless pattern of resistance and how they conducted their lives. Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, demonstrates the different role that women slaves had and the struggles that were caused from having to cope with sexual abuse. Growing up as a slave Jacobs was constantly exposed to sexual abuse from her master. She was forced to learn what it meant to be a slave that was†¦show more content†¦When she wanted to escape into freedom, her bonds to her children were so great that it was hard for her to leave them. Jacobs couldnt stand the suppression and constant abuse of her master. She couldnt leave her children. Her grandmother told her, Stand by your children, and suffer with them till death. Nobody respects a mother who forsakes her children: and if you leave them, you will never have a happy moment.(Jacobs, 417) The slave womens choices in life were not limited to her happiness, but she had to think about her children. A mother had different responsibilities that she had to deal with. By having to deal with sexual abuse and thinking about children women were less able to leave their chains and people behind. According to Deborah Gray White in Arent I a Women?,...for those fugitive women who left children in slavery, the physical relief which freedom brought was limited compensation for the anguish they suffered.(White.62) Recent DNA test results that have concluded that the Nations third president, Thomas Jefferson fathered at least one child, Eston Hemings, with his slave, Sally Hemings. The study has shed new light on the aged debate, forcing society and historians to recognize what had previously been ignored. Although America is obsessed with race, our society does not recognize the central role slavery has played in the nations development. The continued and persistent effort to separat eShow MoreRelatedSlave Narratives: Beloved by Toni Morrison1644 Words   |  7 Pageswith slave narratives because of the story that it tells and the interesting topics that can be seen within. These are stories that we can’t specifically relate to or come close to understanding simply because we have not experienced these hardships, and weren’t even born to witness it. Slave narratives are memoirs that were written while slavery was still legalized, for example Harriet Jacob’s â€Å"Incidents in the life of a Slave Girl†. However, Toni Morrison’s â€Å"Beloved† is considered a neo-slave narrativeRead MoreBeloved by Toni Morrison1455 Words   |  6 Pagessuffered horrifically. Not many slaves knew their mothers because they were torn from their homes. Many slave women were robbed of their innocence by their masters. Behind the face of every slave, there is always a very traumatic unforgettable story which is not something to pass on, but a lesson to remember from repeating same mistake again. Only a handful of slaves learned to read and write, and from their stories we can read the horrors they went through. Slave narratives brings these hardshipsRead MoreHow Slavery Can Affect The Mother s Mind And Threaten Motherhood3396 Words   |  14 Pagessee what slaves really went through during the Antebellum Era, people mostly find it shown from African-American men with their experiences with slavery. For example, Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave, Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Django in Django Unchained, Kunta Kinte in Roots: The Saga of an American Family, and the story of Nat Turner in his courageous Slave Rebellion. These men slaves are known among the media and literature for generations, but what about the women ï ¬ gures inRead More Three Women Writers: A Study in Virtue and Christianity of the 18th and 19th centuries2420 Words   |  10 PagesThree Women Writers: A Study in Virtue and Christiani ty of the 18th and 19th centuries The popularity of Toni Morrisons Beloved has recently awakened a mainstream interest in African-American literature. Writers, such as Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes, have also facilitated the infiltration of African American voices into popular culture. This website is devoted to three women who, like Morrison and Angelou, have aided in the formation and development of the African American literary traditionRead MoreThe Role of Mother for Slave Women in Harriet Jacobs ´ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Harriet Beecher Stowe ´s Uncle Tom ´s Cabin3385 Words   |  14 Pagesclearly defines a stage in womans life that should be a pleasant and happy experience, but thats not the case for everybody. The dehumanizing acts of slavery are eminent in many novels, such as Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs and Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. In these novels, slave women were not suppose to enjoy the role of mother. It was either physically taken away or their mother instincts were brutally effected. Slave mothers had to face many consequences