welcome to your Internet classroom! this is your first blog post of your sophomore year, so make a good first impression. everyone has their assignments, so i won't reiterate the directions. make sure to stick to analysis and avoid story-telling. remember: i presume you have read the novel, so you do not have to prove it to me by re-telling the plot. go right to your argument and analysis. have fun and challenge yourself!
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Faith is not something you can see or hold; it comes from inside. A person that has faith can do almost anything. Slaves depended on this rare form of support to keep them motivated each and every day. The horrors of slavery are indescribable from jailing to the murder of these innocent hard working beings. To people in America, post Civil War, slaves were considered property not actual human beings. In the autobiography "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," the author and former slave, Linda Brent, is brought up by her free grandmother. Every day in the life of a slave brings new hardships and Linda's life is no exception. The difference between Linda and others is her strong faith. Whenever things turn sour in her life, her loving grandmothers religious influence comes into play. God will help me in the end. God has this plan for me. God will give me the strength to push forward in life. These three thoughts resounded in Linda's head every day. To think that just these mere thoughts are what got her through the death of family, the disgusting words uttered to her from her masters mouth, and the difficult tasks of slavery is incredible. Religion is the most powerful tool against the evils of the world. It's survived decades of change, and now different versions of it are used all over the world. Not many things have survived decades and turned out relatively untouched. In conclusion, without strong faith as a supporter many more slaves could have perished during these harsh times. Strong sense in faith results in strong sense of self.
Most readers believe that the character Mr. Sands, in Linda Brent’s autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is an all around “good guy”, but I believe that all of his promises are empty and that he even discards his own children.
Mr. Sands states that he will buy Linda and their child and emancipate them so they may have their freedom. Down south, having slaves is a sign of money and power, slave holders, such as Dr. Flint are no exceptions. If Mr. Sands actually did everything in his power to buy his child and Linda, I believe that Dr. Flint would have had a hard time refusing such a generous offer for two slaves that do not even live with him. Linda does not stay in the Flint household because Mrs. Flint is jealous of her husband sleeping with Linda, and if Linda ever step foot in the house again, Mrs. Flint would kill her. So, why would Dr. Flint take the risk of loosing that valuable “property” if Mr. Sands gave him such a high offer for two slaves he isn’t even making money with?
While hiding in her grandmother’s house, Linda asks Mr. Sands to free her children before he goes to Washington, “I want nothing for myself; all I ask is, that you will free my children, or authorize some friend to do it, before you go” (Linda Brent, 129). Mr. Sands promises that he will give their children freedom, but this freedom was never given. He tried to trick Linda by saying that he was going to send Ellen, their daughter, to Brooklyn where she can live and go to school with Mr. Sands’ sister and her children. What Mr. Sands actually did was give Ellen to his sister and she was only taught the amount that a slave down south would know, for instance the alphabet, and then was forced to work as a maid. Mr. Sands is using his own daughter to benefit his family in the free north where slavery is supposed to be illegal.
Linda’s brother William was a slave for Mr. Sands, and while William was with Mr. Sands in the north on a trip, he ran away and gained his freedom. Mr. Sands latter states that he treated William very nicely and said that he was even going to give his trustworthy servant who he “treated like a brother” his freedom in five years. Then Mr. Sands goes on and actually says hurtful comments about his “brother”. If Mr. Sands trusted William so much that he called him his brother, then why would he not have already granted him his freedom and then just employed him as an assistant with a regular wage? At this point I believe Mr. Sands is trying to make himself look better, instead of people finding out that he had no intentions of freeing William. Since there were no preparations made for William to be freed in five years, if there were an accident or Mr. Sands died, William would be inherited by another family member instead of being granted his freedom.
When it was time for Linda to escape to the north, Mr. Sands had no part in it, even though he promised that he would purchase her and her children so they can be free. Instead of Mr. Sands purchasing them, Linda has to escape to the north on a boat. If Mr. Sands had bought her in the first place like he promised, she would have not been in a life or death situation, but instead, she would have already been a free woman in the north with her children. All of these points prove that Mr. Sands did not truly help Linda as much as he promised her he would. This also shows that Mr. Sands may be a nice slave holder, but does not keep his promises and only wants to benefit himself. With this in mind, it changes the point of view of the reader, from believing that Mr. Sands was a good guy and was trying to do the right thing, into believing that Mr. Sands lied to everyone, just to make himself look better in the eyes of others.
In the beginning of Linda Brent’s autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Linda has to make a decision to stay at the cabin Dr. Flint built for her and be “free”, or to go to work on a plantation, but still be a slave. The cabin represents slavery with what is supposed to be freedom. The plantation represents slavery with a chance of escaping; which she chooses to ensure the safety and freedom of her children.
The cabin represents slavery with what is supposed to be freedom because Dr. Flint can still come and harass Linda. He built the house and is his property. Even though Linda and her child would be “free” Dr. Flint could use her fear of him to rape her. She wouldn’t be able to leave the cabin and live somewhere else because Dr. Flint would just bring her back and make her a slave again. By giving Linda the cabin Dr. Flint won’t loose her completely and he will still get the same things he got from her before. Linda and her child would not really be free because they would still have to live in fear of Dr. Flint, who has hurt them so much. If Linda and her child went to live on the plantation it would be different. The plantation represents slavery with a chance of freedom. If Linda’s child could go live with her grandmother and be free, even if Linda gets caught and brought back to the plantation at least her child would be free. If Linda does not get caught her and her child would both be free and can live their lives. Dr. Flint would no longer be able to control what Linda does on the plantation because he does not supervise the daily work there.
Linda chooses to go live on the plantation because it gives her more opportunities for freedom. If she escapes just once her child would be free because he is to young to work and her grandmother would also be able to by him, so there is no chance of her son ever becoming a slave. By choosing the plantation Linda is also able to get away from Dr. Flint who would no longer be able to harm her or her child in anyway. Even if Linda is not able to escape the plantation she will not have to be worried about Dr. Flint hurting her anymore. At the cabin Linda won’t really be free because Dr. Flint will still continue to rape her as if she was a slave. s
This symbolism is important to the book because Linda’s decision affects her entire life. Linda makes the right decision because she does escape and her and her children are free. If Linda stayed at the cabin she wasn’t guaranteed all she was promised because Dr. Flint never fully gives what he says he is going to. By escaping Linda has another child that is also is free and never as to be hurt by Dr. Flint, which is the best. The plantation represents the freedom Linda could have and by choosing to go there it is now the freedom Linda does have.
Harriet Jacobs recounts the occurrences and gritty details of her life and times as a slave, under the alias of Linda Brent in her novel Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. One literary device that shaped Jacobs’s narrative is tone. When Jacobs describes the role of slaveholders’ wives in the American slavery system, she uses tone to give a deeper understanding of the slave girl’s circumstances. Linda Brent spent her young life serving various mistresses. Their presence had a major influence on her life, so who they were and how she defines them is important to this novel. Harriet Jacobs uses tone as a device to convey emotion for the reader to interpret because sometimes tone can express ideas and feelings more fully than words.
The author describes slaveholding wives in contrasting ways, particularly when she categorizes them based on where they come from. Harriet Jacobs describes slaveholders’ wives that originated from northern American states saying, “The poor girls have romantic notions of a sunny clime, and of the flowering vines that all the year round shade a happy home! To what disappointments are they destined! The young wife soon learns that the husband in whose hands she has placed her happiness pays no regard to his marriage vows.” (Jacobs, 56) The tone that Jacobs uses in these lines paints a picture of a northern-bred slaveholder’s wife being unintelligent and ignorant, with their sense of reality blinded by their romantic ideas of life on a sprawling estate with servants at their beck and call. Words like “romantic” and “flowering” hint of these young girls’ unrealistic and sugarcoated perception of life as a slaveholder’s wife.
The way that Harriet Jacobs describes slaveholders’ wives that originated from the South differs than the way in which she describes those that originate from the North. For example, she contrasts their intelligence by saying, “These husbands blushed before the superior nobleness of their wives’ natures.” (Jacobs, 57) when writing about wives that came from the South. The tone in this line is in a way respectful and admiring of the wives while degrading of the husbands. In this line, Harriet Jacobs is giving slaveholding wives from the South a higher level of respect than other types of slaveholders’ wives, by using words like “superior” and “noble”. Another example is when Linda Brent was twelve years old; her first mistress died and left Linda to her sister’s daughter. Linda’s new mistress was Mrs. Flint and she now answered to Mrs. Flint’s husband Dr. Flint as well. Harriet Jacobs describes Mrs. Flint saying, “Mrs. Flint, like many southern women, was totally deficient in energy…” (Jacobs, 22) This line has a tone that is heavy with irony because Mrs. Flint, as a slaveholder’s wife, spent her days ordering around hardworking slaves, but she lacked the energy to do tasks that she instead delegated to her slaves. This sentence is also saturated with Harriet Jacobs’s disdain towards her former mistress.
After several years had passed, Linda Brent finally decided to run away. In an effort to lure her back, Dr. Flint sent Linda’s two children, as well as her aunt and uncle to be put into jail. However, after a while, her aunt was released because according to Harriet Jacobs, “Mrs. Flint could not spare her any longer. She was tired of being her own housekeeper. It was quite too fatiguing to order her dinner and eat it too.” (Jacobs, 155) The tone of this line is both scornful and mocking. It is scornful because she is again making a statement on how these mistresses could not do for themselves what they could easily order their slaves to do and Harriet is mocking Mrs. Flint because she is saying that even the simplest tasks were somehow too trying.
The author’s use of tone helps convey a deeper understanding of how the slave girls felt about people in the novel. Her choice of words and the manner of expression conveys the disdain that slave girls such as Linda Brent had toward the slaveholders’ wives.
One prominent theme in “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” by Linda Brent is the exploitation of women versus men during slavery. While both men and women suffer extreme physical abuse, the sexual abuse to women caused great emotional angst. Everyone has learned about the hardships endured by a slave, but the experiences of a slave woman contrast from the widely known horrors that a slave man suffered. On page 79 in the narrative, the author depicts the theme after she gives birth to her daughter. “When they told me my new-born babe was a girl, my heart was heavier than it had ever been before. Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women. Super added to the burden common to all, they have wrongs, and sufferings and mortifications peculiarly their own.” Being born into slavery is dreadful to begin with; to be born a woman assures the immense misery that will be present throughout their life. No one but a woman born into slavery would be able to describe the mortifications placed on her shoulders; something that will trouble her for life. A slave man can describe the disturbing details of his unbelievable abuse: wippings, starvation, working long hours in the fields. However, none can compare to the extreme mental torment tolerated by female slaves. Though slave women may not be beaten or physically mistreated as much as men, they carry the burden of being sexually harassed and the grief of losing their children. The agony and shame of a slave woman is equal to or even greater than the physical abuse to slave men. Linda Brent embodies this in her narrative.
I found it truly amazing that Harriet Jacobs, a slave girl who was only educated until the mere age of 12, had such a high command of the English language. While it is conceivable that a slave girl who was taught to read and write could publish an elementary account of her life, it is astonishing that she was able to write it on a par with a formally educated white man or woman – of which there were drastically fewer – of the 1800s. Harriet Beecher Stowe, by contrast, a formally trained female writer, chose to write her account of slavery in a much more conversational and informal style. However, I found Jacob’s account to be extremely formal, and sometimes found it difficult to read. I thought I had an extensive vocabulary, but I found myself looking up the definitions of certain words on practically every page. Jacobs’ combination of erudite writing style and vast vocabulary allowed her to fully articulate her hardships and suffering. I found this passage particularly demonstrative of this point:
“My child bore a strong resemblance to her father, and to the deceased Mrs. Sands, her grandmother. He noticed this; and while I stood before him, trembling with weakness, he heaped upon me, and my little one every vile epithet he could think of. Even the grandmother in her grave did not escape his curses. In the midst of his vituperations, I fainted at his feet. This recalled him to his senses” (119)
In less than 100 words, Jacobs was able to succinctly convey the intense emotional trauma that Dr. Flint had inflicted on her. I have to believe that for Jacobs, the very act of writing in a highly educated manner was an act of courage. Because Jacobs had no way to fight back against Dr. Flint, she overcame this by educating other people about the evils of slavery. I think she prided herself by using her formal style and vast vocabulary because her freedom in writing was as courageous as escaping the clutches of her malicious master. She took pride in annoying Dr. Flint to no end, and I believe that this book is an extension of that idea. I’m sure that Jacobs, as much as she loathed Dr. Flint, sometimes wished that he had lived to see her book get published.
All throughout the autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written by Harriet Jacobs, vivid images are brought into the reader's minds through her colorful words. Jacobs is able to grasp the reader’s mind, and produce a replication on the horrid things that occurred in her everyday life. She enabled you to see the daily abuse, both physically and mentally, that her master, Dr. Flint, showered her with. He was constantly holding the fact that he owned her over her head, and that he had the right to do as he pleased with her. On several instances, Dr. Flint told “Linda” that he could kill her. Jacobs is able to vividly recount these instances, and show the reader exactly how she was feeling. One of the many verbal assaults that Jacobs reveals to us is on page 39, where Dr. Flint says “Silence! By heavens, girl, you forget yourself too far! Are you mad? If you are, I will soon bring you to your senses. Do you think that any other master would bear what I have borne from you this morning? Many masters would have killed you on the spot. How would you like to be sent to jail for your insolence?” This displays one of the many things that Dr. Flint tells Jacobs all throughout the book. In this short passage, Jacobs enables us a look into her life, and see the images she saw. This book is a fantastic example for the literary element of imagery, because of Jacobs’ vivid recounts on her life as a slave.
Slavery and being free from slavery are major components to the issues during the 1800s. In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, the author writes about how she spent her life during these times of slavery, struggling for freedom. The author uses symbols and mood changes to convey the message to the reader that her life was based upon struggling to survive, death, family, and religion. I enjoyed how throughout this novel, the author demonstrated her struggles during slavery by telling the reader about each “epoch in the life of a slave girl.”(Jacobs, 26)For example, the author describes her fifteenth year as “a sad epoch in the life of a slave girl.” (Jacobs, 26) Furthermore, Harriet Jacobs describes her struggles for freedom by expressing a gloomy and dismal mood to the reader. An example of this mood is expressed when the author describes her friend Peter’s voice as sad. Along with that, she claimed that it was kind of Peter “to conceal from [her] what a dismal hole was to be my home for a long, long time.”(Jacobs, 127) This remark exemplifies a dismal time in her life during the struggle for freedom. Throughout this novel, death plays a major role in Linda’s life. She is constantly in the situation of losing a family member, a friend, or a person who she spent almost her whole life with. During the hard times of slavery, she wished that she was dead. She even wished that her children died so she didn’t have to see them suffer like she did. Furthermore, when she suffered due to the treatment to make her regain consciousness, she “begged [her] friends to let [her] die.” (Jacobs, 86) In addition, when she gave birth to her children, she claims that “had it not been for these ties to life, [she] should have been glad to be released by death.” (Jacobs, 86)This shows that she wanted nothing more than to die until her children were born. Additionally, she claims that “death is better than slavery.”(Jacobs, 68) This statement shows that to her, death meant freedom. Death was one major part of the many in her struggle for freedom. Family played a major role as well in her struggles to be free. Her grandmother, always by her side, helped her through the rough times in her life. Additionally, Linda’s children were based around her whole life. Linda always cared about and prayed for her children. Her love for family is shown when she reunited with her daughter, and she reminisces on the moment when “[her] children were first laid in [her] arms.” (Jacobs, 156) This reminded her how much she “had watched over them, each day with a deeper and sadder love.” (Jacobs, 156)This is a part of her struggle because her family kept her going and having hope until the end. The final part of her struggle included her religion. Wherever she was, she prayed for her family and for her freedom. I liked how Harriet wrote the hymns that were sung by the slaves usually when someone died. An example of this religious behavior is, “Ole Satan is one busy man; he roles dem blocks all in my way; but Jesus is my bosom friend; he rolls dem blocks away.” (Jacobs, 77) These hymns are a part in her struggle for freedom because her constant hope and religious behaviors, such as praying and referring to God, kept her strong until the end. In conclusion, the author tells the reader about these elements as the major parts of her struggles in life by using symbols and creating a certain tone to the book. All of these elements are symbols and parts to the author’s struggle for freedom.
Harriet Jacobs' style of writing does an excellent job of conveying the horrors of slave life. It is no secret that slavery was, and in some parts of the world is, a horrible institution. However, without actually living it, and going through the pain and suffering, we cannot hope to understand the feelings these people had. In that respect, I believe that this book's writing does help you understand the slaves' sufferings, but not in the way you might think. While I was reading this book, I felt that the author was telling this story like a documentary, without feelings. For example, in the beginning of the book, she is talking about the constant sexual degradation she receives from her master, Dr. Flint: "I saw a man forty years my senior daily violating the most sacred commandments of nature." she writes. "He told me I was his property, subject to his will in all things." In my opinion, these statements are devoid of intense emotional feeling. Yes, you can tell that she is sad and angry, but they don't make you cry. I feel that the reason she did this is because, even as a free woman, she is still uncomfortable facing up to the terrible experiences that she endured as a slave, really conveying the atrocities that slaves were put through.
"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" by Linda Brent is a paragon of exposing the manipulation of authority figures and of religion. In order to keep their slaves under their rule, the owners of these slaves fabricate doleful stories about runaway slaves. Linda is told by a slaveholder that "he had seen a runaway friend of [hers] in New York, and that she... had only one cold potato to eat" (Brent 43). Linda then reveals that "this whole story was false" (Brent 43). Slaveholders, devious and manipulative, must create such obscene stories to keep their slaves from the freedom that they deserve. Also, Dr. Flint goes as far as to mail a letter of lies to Linda while she is in New York in which he tries to convince her into coming back to him. He states that he and his family "would receive [her] with open arms and tears of joy" ( Brent 176); however, there is no kindness in the "system of violence and wrong" (Brent 171) that "preverts all the natrual feelings of the human heart" (Brent 146) known as slavery. In addition, religion is also used to control the slaves. At a Sunday service the reverend Mr. Pike preaches that "God is angry with [them]...and will punish [them] (Brent 70) for being "rebellious sinners" (Brent 70) against their masters. This manipulation is especially useful because slaves put all of their hope in their God. Slaves have nothing but their religion to guide them and that makes it an obvious target for a slaveholder to take advantage of, for a slave will always remain loyal to their God. The lies told to the slaves demonstrates the way powerful figures and religion are used to control the subordinates of the society.
Harriet Jacobs/Linda Brent has a unique point of view on the ‘patriarchal institution’ of slavery in her novel Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, effecting the readers’ perception of the story. The manner in which Linda was treated, especially at a young age, formed her opinion of her plight and therefore shapes how she told the story.
As a child of six Linda becomes aware for the first time that she is the property of another human being yet describes her childhood as a happy one, heavily influenced by her father’s pride and the care administered by her religious grandmother. Linda’s opinion of her childhood stands in contrast to the experience of most other slaves who seem to be aware of their bondage since their early youth and suffer greatly at the hands of cruel masters and mistresses.
Linda’s mistresses and masters also had an effect on Linda and her attitude throughout her life. Linda said of her first mistress that she “loved her; for she had been like a mother (to her)” (Brent 4). This is not a traditional relationship between slave and master. The love of her first mistress perhaps contributed to Linda’s unshakable faith that human kind will someday prevail in ending slavery and respond to the call to action in her novel. Many other slaves who had known nothing but cruelty rebelled in such a way that would inhibit change in society rather than induce it.
Her life was not typical of a slave woman, not having to endure both physical and sexual abuse, however she was subjected to the aggressive obsession and emotional abuse of her master because of the close contact he insisted upon. Despite this, Linda seemed to exercise a small, but nevertheless significant, amount of power over Dr. Flint. On page 64 for example, Linda displayed this power and her courage when being verbally abused by Flint for having the child of Mr. Sands. “I have sinned against God and myself, but not against you!” (Brent 64). Flint threatened her and told her he could “grind her bones to powder” and yet, he did not raise a hand to her and he rarely ever did, illustrating the unique power which Linda has over her master, born of the influences of her father, her grandmother and former mistress, all of whom enthused dignity and personal pride.
Her unique experiences molded her opinions and personality, contributed to her to survival through a challenging life as well as shaping a tale of slavery that depicts a different side of a horrifying period in American history.
"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and create a new ending." This quote, stated by Maria Robinson, perfectly characterizes Linda Brent, the protagonist and author of the autobiography "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl'. Linda Brent is characterized as an optimistic and hopeful slave whose spirit is often hindered by the hardships and cruelty of slavery. Linda faces the suffering of slavery everyday, but it is her optimistic spirit that eventually carries here to freedom.
Throughout the story, Linda often puts the feelings and wellness of others in front of her own. For example, when Linda is offered to live in her own "cabin" on Mr. Flint's property, she immediately denis the offer because she will not desert her other family members on the plantation. Linda knows more than anyone, having been hidden in her grandmother's shed for 7 years on her way to freedom, that family and togetherness is the only way to counter the horrible and criminal effects of slavery. Her optimistic views that her family can together survive all the hardships of slavery increase the morale of herself and the ones who are closest to her. Because of this, Linda and her loved ones eventually become free of the depravity of slavery.
Even though Linda was born into slavery, her optimistic behavior and attitude lead herself and her family to freedom. Being born into a discriminating world, Linda made the best of her situation, eventually reaching the ultimate goal for her family and for herself.
The terrible machine that was slavery in America was made up of four key parts: first, the very geography of the South, which provided the perfect soil for the cash crops of tobacco and cotton; second, the economy of a sparsely populated region, which could only produce these crops profitably with vast amounts of cheap labor; third, a judicial system that made slavery not only legal but tremendously profitable; and fourth, religious denominations, controlled by land owners, that took pro-slavery positions at every turn, justifying slavery as a religious good -- Christianizing the pagans. In her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs asks us to consider the fuel that was consumed to make the slavery machine run, the slave families. Jacobs’ theme is that this destruction of the slave family unit was intentional, as a slave holder who raped his slaves could count any children as added wealth, and the separation of slave children from the mother simplified their sale. This cruel relationship between a slave holder and his slave is continuous throughout the novel. It is very apparent that the slave holder’s triumph is only gained when his slave’s weakness is at its peak. Ironically, Linda (Harriet Jacobs) must choose between the virtues taught to her by her grandmother and the need to become sexually active to avoid further enslavement, so that even in attempting to secure her freedom, Linda must deal with the sorrow she brings her grandmother. The institution of slavery, which she also refers to as the “demon”, was determined to destroy her family, and yet her efforts to be free badly damage the little sense of family she has left.
The strength of families during the 1800s is baffling. The emotional bond that is formed between relatives is what determines the fate of a family. Linda's own aunt passes away because of the stress and emotion she feels for her niece who is fighting so hard for freedom . Linda's grandma is also struggling in health from the sadness that Linda gives to her from the wretched conditions they must live with. Many times in the novel there is talk of crying because of the strong emotional ties between family members. They are bonded by something deeper than the same last name.
On the more positive side however, the family members help eachother trememndously. Linda risks her life for her children as did Linda's grandmother for her. Their goal was freedom and the family would not stop at anything to achieve this. They put their own lives in serious danger for one another showing the utmost respect and devotion. Uncle Philip several times helps Linda to escape into free territory so his own nieces and nephew could have a life all slaves wish for. From children to grandparents there was not a single sacrifice that wasn't made for eachother. Linda's grandmother faces several horrible encounters with Dr. FLint and his wife for her own granddaughter. With families getting divorces and splitting up left and right today over small fights and stupid reasons, these families stuck together through slavery and threats on their lives! They depend upon one another to keep going and fight for that one thing they all want so badly.
Linda is seperated form her father at birth, sold into slavery and Linda tries so hard to make sure that does not happen to her and her children. There is hardly a single black fmaily in this novel that lives happily together. When Linda thinks her children are to be free and emancipated, she reaches dissapointment in Mr. Sands. Although Linda lives under the same roof with her children, grandmother, aunt and uncle she is not a part of the family. Through all this separation, the family finds a way to be together through the risks they take for eachother. In the last paragraph of the book, Linda writes about her troubles and misery that she sees, but something surprising happens in the end sentence. She speaks of her grandmother, "light, fleecy clouds floating over a dark and troubled sea." (Brent 208). Slavery seems to make the family weaker, but in doing so only makes them stronger.
The effects of mental abuse versus physical abuse are distinguished themes throughout Harriet Jacob's autobiography, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl". Harriet Jacobs, who describes her abused life in the identity of Linda Brent, faces slavery in a different way than many readers are accustomed to learning about. She was harassed and had inappropriate images forced into her young mind by her sexually abusive master, Dr. Flint. This novel captures the mental pain that gathers up inside a slave's head and the hatred present in the relationships of slaves and their masters. At some moments in Jacobs' life, death was a wish, because it seemed to be the only way out. Some slaves sang, "Ole Satan's church is here below; Up to God's free church I hope to go" (Jacobs 83). As for the slaves that were physically abused, death was a frequent outcome. Still, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" defends that mental abuse destroys a person more than physical abuse in the long-run, as Linda was forced to cut herself out from the rest of the world, including from her children.
n the early 1800s, slavery was a huge problem along with the racial discrimination in the south. How would it feel to have a price on how much you are worth? Blacks were treated as animals or items, and slaveholders fought to buy slaves. The torture they endured is absolutely impossible to imagine, as depicted in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Harriet Jacobs uses the pseudonym Linda Brent to protect her loved ones, but probably for other reasons, possibly to symbolize that she wants to hide her hardships. Perhaps Jacobs does this also not to bring back any bad memories or not to make her story too personal. The chapter “Sketches of Neighboring Slaveholders” starting on page 45 opens eyes to what actually happened, portrays the setting, and goes into vivid detail with what punishments the plantation slaves received.
Linda is under the power of the evil “Dr. Flint” who puts her through rape and takes away all that is innocent. The mood of this novel is depressing and discouraging. At times she describes that she wishes she did not wake up in the morning and could just die, she is just afraid. Early on, Linda says about Benjamin, “He said life was worth living now, and it would be hard to die… he was tempted to destroy it; but something, he did not know what, had prevented him; perhaps it was fear…there was no heaven for self murderers.” (Brent 24) This is the symbol of religion and how slavery affects how God looks upon them. Also, Linda’s grandmother that takes care of her always believes that God is watching and looking out for all of the slaves.
In the autobiography by Linda Brent, “Incidents in the life of a slave girl” the reader is able to grasp a very clear understanding on how the slaves had been treated. It was inhumane how they were beaten and tortured, sometimes until death, and received these tragic punishments for the littlest actions. All of this for no reason at all, just because they looked different? Skin color has absolutely nothing to do with who a person is inside. However these slave owners did not care, they continued their ways. Of course there were the slaves that fought back, trying so hard to escape, get freedom.
The masters would brainwash the slaves, allowing them to go to church, where the reverend would tell them by striking back at their owners they were going to be punished by God, “Although your masters may not find you out, God sees you; and he will punish you. You must forsake your sinful ways and be faithful servants. Obey your old master and young master- your old mistress and your young mistress. If you disobey your earthly master, you offend your heavenly Master.” (Brent 71). Most of the slaves that were intelligent and smart enough to know what they were trying to do would just laugh at these words, including the author Linda, because all the slaves truly had was their religion and faith. Just because the churches and masters were trying to brainwash them did not mean that they would believe it. The owners could tear apart families, they could beat the slaves, and not give them enough food, but they could not take away their faith.
This shows that people in this world are going to try and change people’s thoughts, make them believe something that isn’t true, only for their own benefit. The slaves could have easily given in and done everything their masters said, or they could have not tried to escape, or fight for their freedom, they could have just let themselves die. However most did not. They did not let themselves get brainwashed and they fought against what was wrong. They held on to what they believed and what they knew to be true. By doing this they are able to make it through, like Linda who in the end becomes free, because of her faith, and intelligence not to let the masters influence or scare her from trying to get out. She made it through the tragedies, because she stuck to what she believed. People to this day can relate not to Linda’s situation exactly, but to her feelings, and can learn this important lesson to not give up on what you know is true.
In the autobiography by Linda Brent, “Incidents in the life of a slave girl” the reader is able to grasp a very clear understanding on how the slaves had been treated. It was inhumane how they were beaten and tortured, sometimes until death, and received these tragic punishments for the littlest actions. All of this for no reason at all, just because they looked different? Skin color has absolutely nothing to do with who a person is inside. However these slave owners did not care, they continued their ways. Of course there were the slaves that fought back, trying so hard to escape, get freedom.
The masters would brainwash the slaves, allowing them to go to church, where the reverend would tell them by striking back at their owners they were going to be punished by God, “Although your masters may not find you out, God sees you; and he will punish you. You must forsake your sinful ways and be faithful servants. Obey your old master and young master- your old mistress and your young mistress. If you disobey your earthly master, you offend your heavenly Master.” (Brent 71). Most of the slaves that were intelligent and smart enough to know what they were trying to do would just laugh at these words, including the author Linda, because all the slaves truly had was their religion and faith. Just because the churches and masters were trying to brainwash them did not mean that they would believe it. The owners could tear apart families, they could beat the slaves, and not give them enough food, but they could not take away their faith.
This shows that people in this world are going to try and change people’s thoughts, make them believe something that isn’t true, only for their own benefit. The slaves could have easily given in and done everything their masters said, or they could have not tried to escape, or fight for their freedom, they could have just let themselves die. However most did not. They did not let themselves get brainwashed and they fought against what was wrong. They held on to what they believed and what they knew to be true. By doing this they are able to make it through, like Linda who in the end becomes free, because of her faith, and intelligence not to let the masters influence or scare her from trying to get out. She made it through the tragedies, because she stuck to what she believed. People to this day can relate not to Linda’s situation exactly, but to her feelings, and can learn this important lesson to not give up on what you know is true.
In the autobiography by Linda Brent, “Incidents in the life of a slave girl” the reader is able to grasp a very clear understanding on how the slaves had been treated. It was inhumane how they were beaten and tortured, sometimes until death, and received these tragic punishments for the littlest actions. All of this for no reason at all, just because they looked different? Skin color has absolutely nothing to do with who a person is inside. However these slave owners did not care, they continued their ways. Of course there were the slaves that fought back, trying so hard to escape, get freedom.
The masters would brainwash the slaves, allowing them to go to church, where the reverend would tell them by striking back at their owners they were going to be punished by God, “Although your masters may not find you out, God sees you; and he will punish you. You must forsake your sinful ways and be faithful servants. Obey your old master and young master- your old mistress and your young mistress. If you disobey your earthly master, you offend your heavenly Master.” (Brent 71). Most of the slaves that were intelligent and smart enough to know what they were trying to do would just laugh at these words, including the author Linda, because all the slaves truly had was their religion and faith. Just because the churches and masters were trying to brainwash them did not mean that they would believe it. The owners could tear apart families, they could beat the slaves, and not give them enough food, but they could not take away their faith.
This shows that people in this world are going to try and change people’s thoughts, make them believe something that isn’t true, only for their own benefit. The slaves could have easily given in and done everything their masters said, or they could have not tried to escape, or fight for their freedom, they could have just let themselves die. However most did not. They did not let themselves get brainwashed and they fought against what was wrong. They held on to what they believed and what they knew to be true. By doing this they are able to make it through, like Linda who in the end becomes free, because of her faith, and intelligence not to let the masters influence or scare her from trying to get out. She made it through the tragedies, because she stuck to what she believed. People to this day can relate not to Linda’s situation exactly, but to her feelings, and can learn this important lesson to not give up on what you know is true.
There is a dark element in the nature of human beings that causes them to act in a way that promotes their social status, even at the expense of the well-being of others. The autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Linda Brent uses the literary element of character to show the concern of image by slave owners. In the South, citizens would rate the wealth of others based on how many slaves, or property, they owned; if owners were not concerned by how the public viewed their wealthy status, slavery would lose significance. But because status is everything, southerners continued to buy slaves for free and unjust labor, sexual partners, and the feeling of power over other beings. Not to mention, although most owners were brutal and harassing, some would hide their malevolent character from the eye of the public and try to embody a warm demeanor to the community. For example, Dr. Flint threatens Linda to submit to him daily, and he has changed her to a heavy-hearted woman with constant fear of unwanted intercourse. He conveys a different persona to the public- in order to keep his image of a first-rate slave owner, he must be cautious that the public has no knowledge of his desired association with a dirty, black slave girl. Linda states “I would have given the world to have laid my head on my grandmother’s faithful bosom, and told her all my troubles. But Dr. Flint swore he would kill me, if I was not as silent as a grave”. Slave owners like Dr. Flint are so set on promoting their social status that they would risk the life of a young teenage girl.
-Catherine Murphy
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl tells of Harriet Jacobs’ struggle to leave behind her unfortunate life as a slave, and live freely. When Jacobs escapes the Flints she ends up hiding at her grandmother’s house in a small hole-like hideout in the attic. This hideout can be seen as a symbol for how no slave can truly feel free of slavery and its tortures until he or she has successfully gone to the North. As long as she stays in the South, she will have to stay in that hideout because it is the only pace where she can hide undetected. While there she is in total darkness all day long. Not just physically, but emotionally. She is kept from the light that is the lives of her loved ones. She has to hear and watch her children grow through cracks in the walls. She is constrained by the fear of being found and forced back into slavery that she cannot enjoy her freedom. Instead she has to be hidden and locked up in this space. There is little difference to this than being locked up in slavery. Being under Dr. Flint’s rule Jacobs was forced to work for a man who used her for his own impure, selfish needs and a woman who hated her for it. She would watch her children grow into a life that would treat them so cruelly. In both situations she is restricted by the fear, torture, and darkness that slavery casts over he life. Jacobs, and any other former slave trying to find freedom, will be victim and witness to the brutality that is slavery until she lives in the North.
Linda Brent’s Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl is a historical narrative of a woman, Harriet Jacobs (Linda Brent is her pseudonym) and her life in slavery and her life while escaping slavery. Throughout the story, there are many literary elements used to show the distinction between white people and black people. One tool used to effect, is the dialogue in which whites and blacks speak.
During the time of slavery, in order to keep slaves ignorant, the white slaveholders would deprive their slaves of schooling leaving most slaves uneducated and illiterate. In Jacob’s autobiographical account, some slaves are depicted speaking in a dialogue that is a coarse prose in contrast to the eloquent manner in which the rich slaveholders speak. Ignorant slaves were more easily managed and repressed and the master would severely punish slaves who were learning to read or write. The dialogue in the book is a literary element to show that slaves and blacks in general were considered inferior in their intelligence to whites, so they were left uneducated.
African Americans were thought inferior to whites. The fact that the Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl is left written in the exact same way the author, an African American slave, had written it with “both ideas and language that are her [Harriet Jacobs] own” (Introduction, L. Marie Child) is self-evident that Harriet Jacobs is just as intelligent and eloquent as the white people who oppressed her.
There are examples of smart African Americans as well as of white people who were ignorant. Cited educated African American figures in the book, are Harriet Jacob’s grandmother, who is established as an educated and respected woman throughout the town, and Reverend and Mrs. Durham, a couple who helped Jacobs during her escape. The eloquent way that these people speak and show their education allows the readers to see that the slaves are not ignorant, their skin color does not make them inferior, and that African Americans are capable of being just as smart as white people--it is only the oppression by the whites that has left the slaves without learning. Additionally, Jacobs writes of encounters with white people who are less educated than her like the Irish man who tries to take advantage of them by excessively charging them for a carriage and extra for their baggage. Jacobs also writes of the poor white people rioting that speak in a dialect filled with coarse slang that shows they are not educated nor principled. This shows that whites are not superior to African Americans, and neither race is naturally smarter than the other.
In the novel Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl, the dialogue is an important literary device. For the most part, it shows that African Americans were deprived of education because the white people wanted to keep them down. It gives the reader relief because it also shows that many African American figures in the book are educated and can read and write, indicating that even though there was oppression, it did not suppress their intelligence.
The seven long years that Linda Brent (Harriet Jacobs) spends in the secret den mirror her time bound by what she refers to as the “demon slavery”. While living in the secret attic, Linda has absolutely no freedom to move around. Being physically trapped in the den represents her several painful years in slavery, in which the vile Dr. Flint traps and degrades her mentally and emotionally. In both situations, Linda is fenced in from the outside world and life she wishes she could live. While describing the den, Linda states, “There was no admission for either light or air” (Brent, 117). This explanation literally applies to the tiny attic space, but figuratively defines slavery. Slaves like Linda have no freedoms whatsoever: they are deprived of all possible happiness and control of their own lives.
Additionally, slavery and living in the den have the same diminishing affects on Linda. Physically, she grows weary and achy; she suffers tremendous bodily pain from being cramped in a small space for so long. Linda also endures psychological distress. Every time she sees her children walk by in the town beneath her hiding place, Linda is tormented by the fact that she cannot be with them. Being alone, confined in a dark, hot restricted environment also has negative affects on a person’s mental health. Similarly, slavery causes Linda physical and emotional pain as well. While she belongs to Dr. Flint, she is struck a numerous amount of times in addition to being verbally and sexually abused by her master. He writes her letters with crude, often hurtful words and threatens to make her life even more miserable. Emotionally tortured by her cruel, unforgiving master, Linda’s happiness and optimistic outlook on life soon become lessened. Strong and hopeful, Linda is luckily able to overcome these atrocious circumstances; however, they still influence her nonetheless.
Ultimately, Linda’s experience in the den is comparable to the large portion of her life spent in the chains of slavery. She is limited by the strict boundaries of each, and both have analogous damaging effects on Linda.
Linda Brent is a pseudonym for Harriet Jacobs who illustrates the bond motherhood forms between a slave mother and white mother in her historical narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. During the time of slavery, many mothers wished their child dead rather than have them face the cruel hardships of slavery. Linda declares, “Never should I know peace till my children were emancipated with all due formalities of law.” (Jacobs 140) Linda Brent makes this clear throughout the novel by expressing her feelings about the fate she wishes for her children if they can not experience freedom. “It seemed to me I would rather see them killed than have them given up to his (Dr. Flint) power.” (Jacobs 81) Jacobs does everything in her power to free her kids from the ownership of Dr. Flint. She tries to prevent her children from having the same fate as herself and makes it her goal to protect them from the evils of slavery. Her only wish for her children is freedom and a good education. When Mr. Dodge was asked Linda’s whereabouts and a chance to buy her freedom, he replied, “I have heard her say she would go to the ends of the earth, rather than pay any man or woman for her freedom, because she thinks she has a right to it. Besides, she couldn’t do it, if she would, for she has spent her earnings to educate her children.” (Jacobs 203) Most mothers want the best for their children and would sacrifice anything to give the best to them. Harriet Jacobs truly devotes her life to freeing herself and her kids by giving them the best she can provide. Jacobs had many chances to escape Dr. Flint and his family, but never took the opportunities until she knew her kids had escaped the chains of slavery. When Linda escapes to the North, she must come to terms with the fact that her daughter was not treated like a free human being, but as a house slave. Linda gets a job working for the Bruce household. Linda befriends both Bruce wives and both women prove to be loyal friends to Linda. The second Mrs. Bruce buys not only Linda’s freedom, but the freedom of her children. A relative of Mrs. Bruce asks her if she is aware of the penalty for harboring a fugitive. Mrs. Bruce replies, “I am very well aware of it. It is imprisonment and one thousand dollars fine. Shame on my country that it is so! I am ready to incur the penalty. I will go to the state’s prison, rather than have any poor victim torn from my house, to be carried back to slavery.” (Jacobs 199) All mothers have an innate commitment to care for their children and will fight to protect them from the evils in the world.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is the autobiography of Harriet Jacobs that describes her pseudonym, Linda Brent, and the struggle to overcome sadistic slave owners in the South. Slavery does not only destroy the life of a slave, but its slave owner as well. The vice of slavery is a focal theme in this novel.
Dr. Flint, Linda’s slave owner, has a sexual attraction towards her and singles Linda out for years of sexual harassment. He betrays his marital vows to his wife by being sexually involved with female slaves and even fathering their children. Her slave owner told Linda that she was "his property" and "subject to his will" (Jacobs 27). Although allegedly a Christian, Dr. Flint has been blinded by the evils of slavery and often sins. Dr. Flint allows lust to ruin his family’s relationship. Mrs. Flint is extremely jealous of Linda and keeps a keen eye on her. Linda explains Mrs. Flint’s feelings “of jealousy and rage” (Jacobs 36) because she knew that her husband harassed Linda. The trust between Dr. Flint and his wife was ruined because desire took the best of him.
Another slave owner who falls victim to slavery’s iniquity is Mr. Sands. He goes behind his wife’s back and fathers two children with Linda. Mr. Sands appears kind and loving, but he is still a callous slave owner. He makes empty promises to Linda that he will free their two children. Since she is a slave, Mr. Sands doesn’t see Linda as a priority and puts forth more effort to his relationship with Mrs. Sands. Benny, Ellen, and Linda are left as secrets in the shadows of his socially acceptable life.
Slave owners in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl all exhibit common things. Negative behavior is a frequent theme amongst the slave owners. Harriet Jacobs uses Linda Brent to illustrate the horrors slaves encounter when it comes to their master. The author proves that the evil ways of slavery effect slave owners and slaves alike.
Religion shapes society, for better or worse. In the South, for example, Christianity was a huge part of daily life. Religious life and references ranged from blacks praying for a better existence to whites referring to themselves as “masters” and stating that to please their heavenly father, slaves much serve their earthly masters faithfully. The hypocrisy of religion being morphed into a tool of persecution is seen throughout Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, an autobiography by Harriet Jacobs, under the pen name Linda Brent.
Beings of authority are often referred to as “master,” the most common of these beings would be a religious figure, God. The faithful refer to him as a “heavenly master.” As servants of God bow down to their heavenly master, slaves are subjected to the will of their “earthly masters,” the white slaveholders. God is called on to give solace to the weary and broken, while slaveholders are the brutes who push slaves to the point of needing consolation. If slaves are so beaten down by one sort of master, why do they turn to another in search of comfort?
Human nature pushes one to hope for something better in times of strife. Slaves’ faithfulness to God is an example of this sort of hope. They all hope and pray that their next life with their next “master” will be better than the life they have with their “earthly master” at the present. This could be illustrated through a song mentioned in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in the following lines: “Ole Satan’s church is here below/Up to God’s free church I hope to go” (Brent 73). In addition to this quote explaining the slaves’ true religious faithfulness, it also alludes to their hope to go “up” to the free states. Religion is what gives these slaves hope.
While slaves rely on religion to provide courage to face their masters and maybe even escape, the slaveholders would twist the Bible’s teachings so they would fit their lifestyle. For example, a preacher sermonized to his black pulpit that they, the servants, should be “obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ” (Brent 74). Basically, the preacher is saying that, to gain God’s approval, the slaves must subject themselves whole-heartedly to their human masters. Religion can be a good source of comfort, but when it is used improperly to comply with the sins of others like self-promoting slaveholders willing to sell their own half-black children, it hurts everyone it comes in contact with.
Religion shapes society, for better or worse. In the South, for example, Christianity was a huge part of daily life. Religious life and references ranged from blacks praying for a better existence to whites referring to themselves as “masters” and stating that to please their heavenly father, slaves much serve their earthly masters faithfully. The hypocrisy of religion being morphed into a tool of persecution is seen throughout Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, an autobiography by Harriet Jacobs, under the pen name Linda Brent.
Beings of authority are often referred to as “master,” the most common of these beings would be a religious figure, God. The faithful refer to him as a “heavenly master.” As servants of God bow down to their heavenly master, slaves are subjected to the will of their “earthly masters,” the white slaveholders. God is called on to give solace to the weary and broken, while slaveholders are the brutes who push slaves to the point of needing consolation. If slaves are so beaten down by one sort of master, why do they turn to another in search of comfort?
Human nature pushes one to hope for something better in times of strife. Slaves’ faithfulness to God is an example of this sort of hope. They all hope and pray that their next life with their next “master” will be better than the life they have with their “earthly master” at the present. This could be illustrated through a song mentioned in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in the following lines: “Ole Satan’s church is here below/Up to God’s free church I hope to go” (Brent 73). In addition to this quote explaining the slaves’ true religious faithfulness, it also alludes to their hope to go “up” to the free states. Religion is what gives these slaves hope.
While slaves rely on religion to provide courage to face their masters and maybe even escape, the slaveholders would twist the Bible’s teachings so they would fit their lifestyle. For example, a preacher sermonized to his black pulpit that they, the servants, should be “obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ” (Brent 74). Basically, the preacher is saying that, to gain God’s approval, the slaves must subject themselves whole-heartedly to their human masters. Religion can be a good source of comfort, but when it is used improperly to comply with the sins of others like self-promoting slaveholders willing to sell their own half-black children, it hurts everyone it comes in contact with.
In the memoir entitled "Incidents In the Life of a Slave Girl" by Linda Brent, slavery is shown as a giant hypocrisy that is provided by the malignant slave owners from the south. For the particular case presented in this memoir, the character Linda is physically, mentally, and sexually harassed by her slave owner Dr. Flint. Linda's harassment entered such a stage, that she had to get pregnant by another man, just so she didn't have to worry that her baby was to be of a man not worthy of the title. This is very cruel, but how does this make Dr. Flint a Hypocrite, or any other slave owner for the matter? From pages seventy to seventy-one, Mr. Pike, a preacher at the church service Linda attended, discusses the 'disobedience and lies' of slaves, how horrible they are, and how god has to forgive them. Mr. Pike preaches, "Hearken, ye servants! Give strict heed unto my words. You are rebellious sinners. Your hearts are filled with all manner of evil." (Brent_70). Now how can someone, especially a man of god, say this to a group of hard working slaves, when underneath it all, there is a grown man out there, grown men out there, abusing these same people! This is completely hypocritical, and only encourages the slave owners to think what they're doing is right, when really, it is completely wrong. Dr. Flint, impregnating eleven women other than his wife and treating those children as slaves, obviously thought the same as this minister. Even the cruel master of James probably thought him innocent, locking James inside a cotton gin to die. No one would've ever said this, done these acts of blasphemy commonly to a white man or woman at the time. However, it's perfectly fine to treat women of slavery as some sort of concubine, or work and whip the men away, dehumanizing their existence. This is the morality of a hypocrite, and in this, slavery was set.
Slavery was very common in the South before the Civil War. Slavery was a form of punishment and hardships. Slaves were treated unfairly and cruel, but many slaves used their religion as a way out of slavery. In Harriet Jacob's autobiography, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" religion is used by Linda for so many different reasons compared to why religion is used today. Harriet uses Linda Brent to describe her life. Slaves were so faithful to their religion and god. Religion was a big thing in slave’s lives. Throughout many chapters, Linda always used her religion as a way to cope with her hardships. She would pray to god and ask for protection or sometimes death. When Linda was a slave, she and many others believed that god or their religion would save them and keep them safe. Also religion, for Linda, symbolizes the one thing she has complete control over. Having control over her religion is what probably made Linda so faithful. She was owned and always had to do what she was told but with her religion she was able to control and say what she wanted. Religions in Linda’s life compared to religion in someone’s life today are totally different. Linda used religion as a pleasure and for help. She was always faithful to her religion even when it discriminated against her. In the chapter “The Church and Slavery” Mr. Pike says, “You are rebellious sinners. Your hearts are filled with a manner of evil. God is angry with you and will surely punish you, if you don't forsake your wicked ways," (Brent 70). This was just another lie to Linda. She was so faithful in God that even when her religion was used to discriminate against her she remained faithful. She also remained faithful because she was afraid to give up on the only thing she had control over. Now, people see religion as a mandatory commitment and many find it hard to attend mass. Modern religion is not used for the same reasons. There are few people that pray often and are always faithful to the church and god. Religion is a little part of modern life now but was a huge part of Linda’s and others life then. This autobiography really opened eyes to what religion meant to many slaves compared to what religion means to many now.
Strong relationships with family and friends can help through tough tmes in your life. In the autobiography "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" by Linda Brent, Linda keeps close relationships with her friends and family throughout her journey as a slave. Whether she is being tortured by her master Dr. Flint, or hiding in the north ofter her escape, she always has someone close to help her. For example, when Dr. Flint is torturing Linda, she can always find comfort and protection in her grandma, who is a free woman. Linda's grandma comforts Linda, and is able to protect her from the evils of Dr. Flint because she is free. Linda's grandma even offers to buy Linda's freedom, which would cause her to lose everything she owned. Furthermore, when Linda is forced to go into hiding in a terrible place, her relationship with her children keep her going. She knows that she mus stay hidden for the sake of her children. If her children were not there to give her hope, Linda would have given up a long time ago. Also Linda's relationship with her Uncle Phillip saves her life. Uncle Phillip made Linda's hiding place and found her a ride to the north. If she didnt have a strong relationship with her uncle, Linda would not have been able to escape the terrible life of a slave. The last important relationship that Linda has is her relationship with theBruce family. The Bruces gave Linda a job and safety when she made it to the north. They give her a job as their nurse. They also protect from Dr. Flint and the Fugitive Slave Law. They also give Linda guidence and keep her spirits high. Also, the Bruces' baby forms a strong bond with Linda, which make Linda happy and puts her at ease. Without the Bruces, Linda may not have had a succesful life in the North, as the Bruces protected her until she was legally free. Clearly, if Linda did not have the strong relationships that she did, she would not have been succesful in obtaining her freedom. Readers also learn from Linda's experience that it is important to keep your friends and famliy close, as you never know when you may need them.
-Carey Neff
“Slavery can only be abolished by raising the character of the people who compose the nation; and that can be done only by showing them a higher one,” quoted by Maria Weston Chapman, illustrates the theme of “woman power” which Linda Brent and many other women in the autobiography “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” by Linda Brent grasped to in order to surpass the cruel, vicious treatment they had to endure during the 1800’s. Throughout the beginning of the story, Linda is tortured and abused by Dr.Flint and his threatening remarks. On the specific occasion of asking Dr. Flint if she can marry, she receives a blow and is responded by “If I ever know of your speaking to him, I will cowhide you both; and if I catch him lurking about my premises, I will shoot him as soon as I would a dog. Do you hear what I say? I’ll teach you a lesson about marriage and free niggers!”(39, Brent). However, Linda continues to hold her ground and not break down to this cowardly man. Instead, she replies, “I know I have been disrespectful sir, but you drove me to it; I couldn’t help it. As for jail, there would be more peace for me there than there is here,” (39, Brent). Following the strong, enlightening theme of “woman power”, Linda refuses to back down to her master and continues to answer him in complete honesty. She demonstrates a subtle yet forceful rebellion against slavery and proves slave women are of equal power as their master’s and mistress’s .In addition, the Grandmother is a perfect example of the demonstration of “woman power” during the time of slavery. Grandmother had a rare respect and honor by everyone in the community, including the master’s. Her words and guidance was valued by slaves and slaveholders and no one contradicted her orders. For example, when Rose, a former slave of the Flint’s, came to Linda’s house, Dr.Flint “gave (Linda) the blow that would have fallen upon Rose if she had still been his slave,” (83, Brent). This caused Grandmother to let out an outrage, stating “I’ll tell you what, Dr. Flint, you ain’t got many more years to live, and you better be saying your prayers. It will take ‘em all, and more too, to wash the dirt off your soul,” (84, Brent). Knowing full well she could possibly be whipped to death or sold, she refused to ignore and accept Dr. Flint’s abusive, violent rages. As a result, Dr. Flint “left the house in a great rage,” (84, Brent) not laying a finger on her. The honor and respect the Grandmother holds is so powerful Dr. Flint obeys her orders confirming the theme of “woman power” and illustrating slave women in the light of a higher power in the heart of slavery. Despite the hardships slave women endured from slavery, they continued to follow the drive to stand against slavery’s mistreatment and cruelty and prove they are not subordinate. It helped women grasp to a glimmer of faith and hope to live through such events, in which Linda held to and ended up free.
Although Linda Brent (Harriet Jacobs) lived and wrote her autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl over a hundred years ago, several of the issues and conflicts Linda experiences are still present in the modern world. In order to quell further rebellion and gain more power over their already powerless slaves, the masters turned to the slaves' greatest devotion: their religion. Slaves like Linda were devout followers of Christianity and worked hard in the hope of a better and kinder afterlife. Knowing of the deep devotion the slaves had to their religion, the masters saw this as a weak spot. They taught the slaves that disobeying their masters on Earth was just as wrong as disobeying their "heavenly master," or God. When the reverend preaches to the slaves, he says “Instead of serving your masters faithfully, which is pleasing in the sight of heavenly Master, you are idle, and shirk your work… Your masters may not find you out, but God sees you, and will punish you.” (Brent 70) Further into his sermon, the reverend adds that slaves must stop rebellion and listen to their masters. He means that in order to achieve a happy afterlife with God, their “heavenly master,” they must first live with their masters on Earth. They must give up all thoughts of freedom and rebellion against their “earthly masters”, because it would displease God. In doing so, the masters hypocritically use Christianity to manipulate their slaves. Christianity is based on the belief that God is merciful and forgiving, instead of a cruel and heartless being. To Christians, God is a fatherly figure who guides, not a tyrannical master who punishes the slightest mistake.
Unfortunately, this unfair control over another minority still exists. Even today there is injustice in the way people interpret religion. If God is loving and kind, why would he hate certain people or threaten to punish them in hell? Today, some churches believe and teach that homosexuality is wrong. While all people are allowed their freedom of speech, these church leaders shouldn't claim that their God is on their side. By using religion as a way of forcing people to repent for their "sins," they are no better than the masters using their power to take away the slaves' freedom and manipulating them to change their ways. In both Linda's time and in the modern world, figures with authority use religion as a way to control others by threatening the retribution of an angry God.
Through the detailed account of her experiences with slavery, Harriet Jacobs illustrates various themes that help strengthen the value of her work. One recurring theme that presents itself throughout the narrative is hypocrisy in human beings. In the autobiography, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”, Harriet Jacobs, or Linda Brent as she calls herself, portrays this theme mainly through the actions and behavior of her master, Dr. Flint. Dr. Flint’s vicious countenance plays the role of a symbol, a literary device that enhances the overall theme. Through Jacobs’ use of symbolism, hypocrisy appears clearly to the reader, increasing the wholeness and meaning of her work.
Dr. Flint symbolizes hypocrisy in society through his interactions with Linda in concern with her two pregnancies and her devout religious views. After, Dr. Flint confronts Linda by saying, “You obstinate girl! I could grind your bones to powder! You have thrown yourself away on some worthless rascal. You are weak-minded, and have been easily persuaded by those who don’t care a straw for you,” (Jacobs 59). Dr. Flint’s speech is a very straightforward show of hypocrisy. He attempts to force remorse upon Linda for becoming impregnated by a white man, who supposedly does not care for her. In reality, Dr. Flint is truly the one who does not care for her. Also, in his lecture, he threatens Linda with violence. If he held any care for her, he would not intimidate her with such things. During Linda’s, or Harriet’s, second pregnancy, Dr. Flint symbolizes hypocrisy through his profession. While he is “tending” on Linda and her newborn, he says, “I swear to make you suffer,” (Jacobs 79). Dr. Flint’s occupation calls for him to heal and relieve people from suffering. He calls himself a doctor to Linda while threatening to thrust suffering upon her. Dr. Flint should relieve Linda’s pain when he is actually the cause of it. To white members of his community, Dr. Flint embodies healing, safety, and help. However, he imprisons slaves such as Harriet Jacobs in his own household, filling their souls with fear and hurt. Throughout all of the struggle, Linda finds security in her religion. Sharing of religion seems to be something that people of all skin tones can relate to. However, Dr. Flint is able to degrade Linda and the other slaves’ even through something as sacred as this. Linda tries to explain to Dr. Flint that she will become virtuous through her faith in only God himself, not through her services to Dr. Flint and his family. This clearly enrages him and he says, “How dare you preach to me about your infernal Bible!” (Jacobs 77). Dr. Flint describes “Linda’s” Bible as satanic and hellish. However, they truly share the same Bible, which by definition is a book of holiness. He tries to demean Linda by declaring that his religion is superior to hers while in reality, he should be following his own religion by respecting Linda. Dr. Flint’s utter malevolence towards Linda and his other slaves on all levels illustrates hypocrisy in its clearest form. Harriet Jacobs’ presentation of Dr. Flint proves to be a symbol for hypocrisy in people, mainly during times of slavery. This hypocrisy led Linda Brent and other slaves to become untrusting and questioning of people throughout their lives.
One of the elements standing out in Linda Brent’s account of her journey from slavery to freedom is words she chooses. It is generally known that few slaves could read and write. Brent mentions, as she teaches an elderly slave to read the Bible, the danger of teaching slaves to read or write: “I asked him if he didn’t know it was contrary to law; and that slaves were whipped and imprisoned for teaching each other to read” (Brent 74). While reading her account, readers would not be overly surprised to come across a few words they did not know due to the difference in time periods. However many words in Brent’s writing were modern, yet still difficult to understand. Sadly, today, sentences such as “This piece of indecorum…” (Brent 21) or the chapter entitled “Fear of Insurrection” make readers run for a dictionary. Today’s society seems to have forgotten the beauty of the English language. Although not a Romance language, its words can still flow with eloquence. When writing or speaking, many people resort to using words such as “like” or “um” instead of words such as “veracity” or “loquacious”. The truly irritating aspect of this shift is that society has not merely begun to use slang like “wanna”, but has almost ceased the usage of much of the language. Considering the reader speaks the same language as Brent writes in, it is frustrating that readers should struggle so much to comprehend what she tries to convey. When writing with such a broad and beautiful vocabulary, Brent unintentionally reminds today’s society of the beauty of our language.
In the autobiography “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”, Harriet Jacobs writes under the false name Linda Brent in order to share her life story. Through this narrative, Harriet expresses the wide range of hardships she faced and how she managed to survive. However, her style of writing reaches beyond simple facts and events. Constantly throughout her story, she addresses the readers directly. Harriet aims for a direct connection; a way to reach out and make the reader truly understand her despondent times. As the pages progress, her writing reaches a point where her words become more than words; they become a story that she is telling to a close friend. It is here where she begins to pour out her innermost thoughts. Harriet writes, “O, what days and nights of fear and sorrow that man caused me! Reader, it is not to awaken sympathy for myself that I am telling you truthfully what I suffered in slavery. I do it to kindle a flame of compassion in your hearts for my sisters who are still in bondage, suffering as I once suffered.” (Brent 28) Through this passage, she secures a bond with the reader and urges them to feel compassion towards all those who have suffered with her and those who are still suffering. She also tells of what she considers her most desperate act for freedom: becoming a mother. Jacobs describes the events that led her to this decision, “Pity me, and pardon me, O virtuous reader! You never knew what it is to be a slave; to be entirely unprotected by law or custom; to have the laws reduce you to chattel, entirely subject to the will of another.” (Brent 56) Here, she explains daily occurrences, clouded with ignorance and discrimination. Harriet looks for pity and forgiveness within the reader so she can feel that her actions were justified. This illustrates her strong kinship with the reader that she develops throughout the story. Her narrative is particularly chilling due to her relations with the reader where she causes them to develop compassion, pity, and a multitude of feelings towards her and those who faced similar struggles.
In Linda Brent’s novel, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” the hypocrisy of society in the early 1800s is shown. She shows time and time again the hypocrites that are said to be religious. She recalls Mrs. Flint needed her dinner served at the same time every Sunday. If the meal was a minute late the cook would be ruthlessly whipped or chocked with the food they prepared. This same monstrous woman was at church part-taking in the Lord’s Supper the very same day. When Brent’s son gets attacked by a dog all this holy woman has to say is, “I’m glad of it, I wish he had killed him. It would be good news to send to his mother. Her day will come. The dogs will grab her yet”. Doesn’t the Bible teach of kindness and peace and this pious woman wishes death upon a young boy and his mother. Another horrifying example of religious hypocrisy is when Brent describes the master who owned her friends, James. This master, malicious and heartless, shot a women through the head when she was caught after running away, whipped slaves mercilessly and if they resisted let bloodhounds attack them. She the writes “The master who did these things was highly educated, and a styled perfect gentleman. He also boasted his name and standing of a Christian.” Linda Brent’s novel is a novel the shows the horrifying nature of slavery and low standards slaves had for life. They were so low, even religion exempted them from its kind practices.
Religion plays a huge role in slavery whether it be keeping slaves under control or alleviating the hardships on both sides of the beast known as slavery. In the autobiography "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" by Harriet Jacobs(Linda Brent), Linda and fellow slaves us christianity as a beacon of hope. In christianity, jesus was "the messiah" who came to save his people. It wasn't difficult for the slave-masters to get their slaves to follow their religion because slaves could truly relate to this story. They were waiting for their messiah, the north, to come. Many saw that the messiah wasn't coming soon so they escaped from their shackles to be free.
Not only was religion good for the slaves, it was good for the slave-masters. Christianity has a strong bases of punishment. Sinning is equivalent to a one-way ticket to hell. Slave-masters twisted this concept to scare slaves from running away. Before the Civil War, southern christianity had completely reversed the basis of true christianity which is being kind. Prior to the Civil War, the christianity of the south had aloud the owning of slaves not to be worth punishment, but attempting to taste freedom was. Religion, when used right, can give hope to millions. When in the wrong hands, however, religion can be warped to control millions.
Desperation is an intense, gripping emotion that can lead individuals into rash, potentially harmful situations. Linda Brent's autobiography "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" relays a message of needed forethought even in times of struggle through revealing the sense of helplessness experienced in slavery and the consequences that can result from it. Linda, suffering under the harsh rule of slavery, facing continued sexual harassment from her master, and seemingly left with no options, thoughtlessly seeks a way out of her situation by entangling herself in one far more serious: motherhood. While the goal of this is originally to help herself, instead she is further plunged into the depths of despair as her master inflicts emotional torture on her and her children. In hindsight, Linda looks back on her decision of course with joy because of the love of her children, but also with regret and shame for the pain caused to her family and ultimately the children themselves. As she matures, Linda is able to reflect on her mistakes as a young teenager and learns how she must draw strength from inside herself in order to maintain a level head despite troubles. In passing along her story, Linda Brent passes on a desire for people, from slaveholders to common folk, to think before they act and in turn prevent potentially threatening situations from ever occurring.
In the outstanding autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, the author, Harriet Jacobs, describes a slaveholder whom she called Mr. Litch. This particular slaveholder was known to have very strong opinions of the crime called stealing. He punished his slaves cruelly if they were caught in this act. I find this extremely hypocritical. Slaves should not be punished for stealing the necessities that their masters refuse to give. Due to slavery, white men stole many things from the innocent slaves. Jacobs proves to be a constant victim of thievery throughout her life. For example, the horrible Dr. Flint stole her innocence from her with his foul language when she was just a child, and if she had not been a slave under his authority, perhaps her virginity would not have been lost either. Also, Jacobs’s dreams of marrying the kind free black man were stolen from her when Dr. Flint refused the marriage and her many requests to be sold. She was on the run constantly because her freedom was denied from her until the end of the autobiography. The rights of a being a mother were also stolen from her when Mrs. Hobbs sees her daughter as her property, greatly upsetting Jacobs. Throughout the autobiography she retells many occasions where slave mothers have their children stolen from them as well as lives being lost because slaves tried to escape. Even more simply, the slave owners and other white men deprived the slaves of their rights as a human being. I have a hard time accepting that such beings could be considered free of crimes and civilized. During the Insurrection, one soldier, when found grasping jewelry that belonged to Jacobs’s grandmother, comments “’What d’ye foller us fur? D’ye s’pose white folks came to steal?’”(Jacobs75). Jacobs does not respond to the statement of white men stealing, but I believe that the “white folks” having been stealing all along. The slave owners should not punish slaves for stealing necessities when they have been stealing much more valuable things such as lives, relatives, rights and innocence.
All throughout Linda Brent's autobiography, "incidents in the life of a slave girl," examples of hope are displayed. Linda's life progressively became worse and worse, but she held in their and kept going on, hoping, that one day she could see a way out of it. Most people would break down and give up after losing so many loved ones, such as Linda's parents, her uncle and her loving mistress. When the sick Dr. Flint started sexually harassing her and sleeping with her, she had every right just to give up, especially at such a young age, but she held in there hoping to find a way out. After the man who had a baby with her promised to free her and their child from slavery, but did not, she could have stopped trying, but she still had hope. While hiding in the attic of her grandmother's house she held on to hope. Hope kept Linda alive and after all of those years of hope and hardships with her children, she was finally granted freedom. Just a sliver of hope in even some of the harshest times and with the harshest conditions, can keep you alive until it is all over.
Hypocrisy is one of the many literary elements in the autobiography "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." When Rev. Pike calls the slaves together, he is supposed to inform them of the word of God; however, he is really preaching his instructions. The things he tells the slaves are supposed to help them become better people, but Mr. Pike is only benefitting himself and the other slave owners. These poor slaves were told that by disobeying their earthly masters, that they were offending their heavenly master and they would be punished for their crimes. He points the finger at the slaves, despite the fact that the slave owners are the real criminals because the are trying to fill the slaves head's with false ideas. The slaves are being preached to not about the word of the Lord, but about what their masters want from them. Using the slave's faith in religion to benefit themselves is the ultimate goal of the slave owners. They're trying to convince the slaves to follow their orders to make them work harder. Rev. Pike uses his position of authority in order to convince the slaves to obey without question, and they believe him because of his occupation. All in all, the slave owners are being hypocrites because they tell the slaves that they will be punished if they do not obey; however, the owners themselves are the committers of the crime.
Slaves undergo serious psychological abuses throughout their lives. Harriet Jacobs, under the pseudonym Linda Brent, focuses on the mental effects of slavery in her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. To start, Brent is subject to sexual harassment from Dr. Flint. She explains, "He peopled my young mind with unclean images, such as only a vile monster could think of," (Brent 26). Linda fears these inappropriate thoughts, since her grandmother raised her with a pure mind. She cannot go to her grandmother for advice or sympathy, out of embarrassment. Thus, Dr. Flint plagues her mind with corrupt thoughts and images, as well as the pain of having to hide something from her grandmother. Additionally, many slaves are torn away from their families by being sold. Fanny, a friend of Linda's, watched each and every one of her children be sold to different slave traders and master across the South. Hence, she felt agony so extreme, that she ran away and hid in her mother's house, eventually reaching the North. To conclude, the psychological effects of slavery are exorbitantly great, and as Katie M explained, they leave a permanent scar on the victim.
The lives of slave women and slave men differ immensely in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Linda Brent, an alias for Harriet Jacob. A slave woman faces more hardships than that of the slave man. The slave women are subjected to foul insults and sexual harassment by their male slaveholders. “If God has bestowed beauty upon her, it will prove her greatest curse.” (Jacobs 27) It is hard enough for a black woman to be a slave, but when she is cursed with beauty it only makes her matters worse. Slave woman have no one to protect them from the ungodly abuse bestowed upon them by their masters. “There is no shadow of law to protect her from insult, from violence, or even from death; all these are inflicted by fiends who bear the shape of men.” (Jacobs 26) A slave woman’s family and friends can not protect her from the harassment she is faced with, for fear of their own punishment. Not even the mistress, whose husband has deceived her, protects the helpless victim. Her husband’s actions only bring feelings of jealousy and rage towards the slave victim. Although the slave male may suffer more physical abuse that comes with being a slave, the women carry the large burden of sexual harassment, sexual oppression, and the loss of their children. The suffering of slave males does not amount to the agony and suffering of the slave women.
Slavery is an unfortunate piece of our countries past. In "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," Linda Brent faces many difficulties that come with being a slave. Even though she was not exposed to the most harsh conditions, she still had to face problems no human being should face. I felt that Linda's character carried her forward to becoming free at the end of this autobiography. She is strong, independent, courageous, and faithful which are characteristics that I don't think one would find in many slaves. With these few characteristics, Linda made her dream come true of being a free woman and freeing her children. Linda's character alone kept me interested in reading this autobiography. Her writing made me understand just a few of the horrors of slavery and I felt like through her text I knew who she was personally. I felt she was quite stubborn at times but in the end met her goal in life, to be free. Her mind made me feel like anything is possible even in the worse circumstances. While reading, I began to feel like I was Linda and felt the pain she felt through her writing although the detail could have been a little more precise. I think that Linda Brent did well in trying to give the reader a taste of what slavery was by telling her story and putting her soul into this autobiography because I personally understand the horrors of slavery now more then I have in the past.
In the memoir "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" faith saved Linda from becoming subordinate to her master.Her strong love in faith came from her beloved grandmother.Linda's wise grandmother told her to "put [her] trust in god"(Brent,21) and god would forgive you.Once Linda escaped slavery she had many difficult situations to deal with and returning to Dr. Flint was always the last option.Even though escaping slavery was the most difficult task of her life she always looked to God to help her through the difficult times. Linda felt that god pointed her in the right direction and had the right answer for hard decisions. In Linda's colored church her reverend tells his followers that they must seek approval from their earthy master to please their heavenly master. Linda did not know if she should believe her reverend, but she did know that she had to believe in God to help her through her tough times. Without god to guide her it would be difficult for Linda to keep moving when times
"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", by Harriet Jacobs, can be interpreted in various ways. However, "Incidents in the Life Of A Slave Girl" exploits that the misuse of power is able to corrupt those that are feeble minded. In the book, the masters and mistress that are cruel are corrupted because they are simple minded and feel that slavery must remain so they can remain supreme. Their power over their slaves has warped their minds to where they feel they must remain dominant. Since they feel they are dominant to their slaves because they own them, they think they can do anything they want to them. The masters and mistresses that are corrupted by such power put their slaves through much physical, and emotional turmoil. The women endure the hardest part of this because they can be molested, which brutally affects them not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally. The people that feel slavery should be abolished understand that everybody is meant to live equally and in harmony. They realize that human beings being treated like dirt just because their masters own them, is wrong. The corrupt people that do not bother to think of a world outside of their own are feeble minded because they are narrow minded for not thinking of anybody else's lives. The people that feel everybody should be equal are intelligent because they think of what will happen, not only in their world, but to the entire world. Since the masters and mistresses own their slaves, they feel they can treat them any way they wish.
In Linda Brent's historical narrative, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" many different things and people are seen or used as symbols. The most important symbol is the attic where she retreats to while she hides from Dr. Flint. The space is so small and cramped she can't even move. She can't do anything but look through a small loophole which is the only thing that lets her see the outside world. Those are all restrictions that keep her from being free. While she is in the little space above her grandmothers shed she loses the ability to walk and speak. Not only physical damage is done but also psychologoical damage is being done also. In this attic she is a prisoner. Being a slave, she is a prisoner. Nothing is different. In both places, the only place for peace she can go is in her mind. Not only is this a symbol of her unability to be free but also of how horrible being a slave actually was. She chose an attic where she can't move, speak, or live over being a slave. No one can imagine the feeling of being a slave. Slaves were treated as items. An inanimate object. It is impossible to describe the feeling of being a slave no matter how hard you try. Linda uses the attic as a symbol to show how bad it was to be a slave. She wants you to feel how it would be living in an attic where you can't move or interact with people. That is the closest she can come to make us feel the actual pain and effects of being a slave. The horror and long lasting effects on your body and mind are indescribable. Linda Brent does a fantastic job of making us feel like we witnessed the horror of being a slave.
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