Jasmine Williams
Dr. Gwendolyn Harold
Southern Literature
November 5, 2017
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Women in Slavery
Linda Brent recalls her time spent as a slave in the book “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”. As other women during this period she suffered distress, misery, and torment for over twenty years. Brent gives her story so that readers would apprehend and have a better understanding of her journey from her firsthand insight on slavery. Brent’s journey showed the delight she receive from family, which at times could also be ripped away and how this made slavery much more brutal for woman than men during this time. I too believe this is accurate being that women were not only …show more content…
Flint, her master whom is evil and dedicated to breaking her mentally, physically and emotionally. Dr. Flint see’s Linda as an object and property and not a human being with emotions and feelings. She also tells of her envious mistress who is as equal brutal as her husband Dr.Flint treating the slaves with callousness and brutality. Linda Brent felt that although slavery was terrible for all slaves it was much more harmful and damaging to women. Mentally the mothers have to suffer knowing they are bringing an African American child in such an unpleasant situation, knowing their future holds abuse and brutal living. Brent wished her children would die in infancy she loved them enough to let them go to heaven and didn’t want them to suffer in the hands of the slave owners, Brent states, “I often prayed for death; but now I didn’t want to die, unless my child could die too”. This was Brent’s way of letting the readers know that the conditions were so horrible that she no longer wanted to live death would be a luxury compared to slavery but as a mother she couldn’t bare the feeling of leaving her child behind. The thought of family was both gift and a curse to Linda Brent, family brought her the only happiness and genuine love but also her experience and knowledge knew that family would cause her the most pain she wanted them to experience freedom not the life she lived. Linda Brent also mentions that all …show more content…
All slaves were in unpleasant and brutal conditions but the women during this time had it the worst. Not only did woman have to take the physical abuse from assaults, field work and rape but they also had to suffer mentally. Woman were also made to bring children whom they are emotionally attached to into these conditions, they had to birth innocent babies knowing that soon they would be sold into the same life they wanted to escape. Women during this time also had to go day by day not knowing if this was the last day they would see their children because children were auctioned off and sent to different plantations often. “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” showed Linda Brent’s journey ending with her and her children achieving freedom but this wasn’t always the case, many woman were not as fortunate they lost their family, they lost their lives and never achieved
Dr. Gwendolyn Harold
Southern Literature
November 5, 2017
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Women in Slavery
Linda Brent recalls her time spent as a slave in the book “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”. As other women during this period she suffered distress, misery, and torment for over twenty years. Brent gives her story so that readers would apprehend and have a better understanding of her journey from her firsthand insight on slavery. Brent’s journey showed the delight she receive from family, which at times could also be ripped away and how this made slavery much more brutal for woman than men during this time. I too believe this is accurate being that women were not only …show more content…
Flint, her master whom is evil and dedicated to breaking her mentally, physically and emotionally. Dr. Flint see’s Linda as an object and property and not a human being with emotions and feelings. She also tells of her envious mistress who is as equal brutal as her husband Dr.Flint treating the slaves with callousness and brutality. Linda Brent felt that although slavery was terrible for all slaves it was much more harmful and damaging to women. Mentally the mothers have to suffer knowing they are bringing an African American child in such an unpleasant situation, knowing their future holds abuse and brutal living. Brent wished her children would die in infancy she loved them enough to let them go to heaven and didn’t want them to suffer in the hands of the slave owners, Brent states, “I often prayed for death; but now I didn’t want to die, unless my child could die too”. This was Brent’s way of letting the readers know that the conditions were so horrible that she no longer wanted to live death would be a luxury compared to slavery but as a mother she couldn’t bare the feeling of leaving her child behind. The thought of family was both gift and a curse to Linda Brent, family brought her the only happiness and genuine love but also her experience and knowledge knew that family would cause her the most pain she wanted them to experience freedom not the life she lived. Linda Brent also mentions that all …show more content…
All slaves were in unpleasant and brutal conditions but the women during this time had it the worst. Not only did woman have to take the physical abuse from assaults, field work and rape but they also had to suffer mentally. Woman were also made to bring children whom they are emotionally attached to into these conditions, they had to birth innocent babies knowing that soon they would be sold into the same life they wanted to escape. Women during this time also had to go day by day not knowing if this was the last day they would see their children because children were auctioned off and sent to different plantations often. “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” showed Linda Brent’s journey ending with her and her children achieving freedom but this wasn’t always the case, many woman were not as fortunate they lost their family, they lost their lives and never achieved