In the 19th century, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs, who were both African American authors, narrated stories of their personal, yet compelling experiences as slaves in America. In the slave narratives, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and the Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, both authors recount the horrific experiences and the mutual yearn for freedom of the past they have now fled and showed how their experiences shaped who they become in their life after slavery. When most thinks of slavery, the first thing that comes to mind is chattel slavery in the American South, and for most individuals, slavery is essentially the same for everyone who was once enslaved. Unfortunately, this is not the reality, and this is demonstrated
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In the first sentence, she said, “I was born a slave; but never knew it till six years of happy childhood had passed away” (Jacobs). She went on to inform the readers with detailed information of all that she knew about her family. She spoke about the goodness of her biracial father, her mother and grandmother with whom she had a special bond. The first chapter of each novel laid the platform to highlight the idea that every slave experience is different regardless of who you were. With Douglass being of mixed race, this did not change the fact that he had a lack of personal identity and family. He knew little about himself, while Jacobs could tell her family’s history. Their knowledge of self helped to shape the rest of the narratives and how the readers see the way in which they make certain decisions to move forward in …show more content…
Douglass’ delivery was simple and straightforward while focusing on the raw details of his life as a slave. On the other hand, Jacobs wrote in a more melodramatic and sentimental form. Through their different writing styles, they both succeeded in engaging their readers and illuminating the horrors of slavery in its rawest form and showing that every slave experience is different due to numerous aspects, some including their genders and their family dynamics or their support
In the first sentence, she said, “I was born a slave; but never knew it till six years of happy childhood had passed away” (Jacobs). She went on to inform the readers with detailed information of all that she knew about her family. She spoke about the goodness of her biracial father, her mother and grandmother with whom she had a special bond. The first chapter of each novel laid the platform to highlight the idea that every slave experience is different regardless of who you were. With Douglass being of mixed race, this did not change the fact that he had a lack of personal identity and family. He knew little about himself, while Jacobs could tell her family’s history. Their knowledge of self helped to shape the rest of the narratives and how the readers see the way in which they make certain decisions to move forward in …show more content…
Douglass’ delivery was simple and straightforward while focusing on the raw details of his life as a slave. On the other hand, Jacobs wrote in a more melodramatic and sentimental form. Through their different writing styles, they both succeeded in engaging their readers and illuminating the horrors of slavery in its rawest form and showing that every slave experience is different due to numerous aspects, some including their genders and their family dynamics or their support