Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is a narrative written by Harriet Jacobs that tells about slavery during the antebellum time period. In this period of US history slavery was in full effect as the country was divided between the Free states of the North and Slave states of the South. The Mason-Dixon Line was partitioned in the 1700s to divide the North and the South along the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland. The North at the time had become a place of refuge for slaves and many attempted to escape the horrors of slavery by fleeing to these Free states. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for example was home to a large number of black populations that congregated in churches, day schools and societies. Many Vigilance communities reached
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She hoped that her narrative would lead the people to act upon the atrocities done to the enslaved and take a stand with them.
Speaking to the common free man and sharing the horrors of a slave’s life enables her to reach out to the people who could truly change the law of the time and abolish slavery once and for all. Narratives like hers had the ability to touch the hearts of Americans across the country and aid an understanding in their hearts of the true nature of slavery. Her audience is to all willing to listen because any man moved by her work could make a difference towards their country. It in fact did inspire abolishment movements later in the time period.
Harriet’s story under pseudonyms for almost all characters is told through accounts about how events occurred and how they affected her life and that of her children. Because of the style of the narrative we are able to see her emotional warfare through the struggles of gaining her freedom and relate these points to readers. Harriet begins her story with telling about her birth and the early stages of her life up until six years old where …show more content…
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was one of the most famous narratives written during the time period and was very influential to the movement of abolishment. Just like Jacobs. Douglass describes throughout the interaction between slaves and their masters. In the end they are both able to escape to the North with the help of many friends. Another popular slave narrative during the time was Twelve Years a Slave written by Solomon Northup. Although Twelve Years describes a free man who becomes a slave when taken to the North, it still accounts the torment of the enslaved life style. He describes daily life including treatment of slaves from their masters, living conditions and what happened to slaves when they attempted to escape. His narrative has also been said to share similarities between that narratives told of escaped slaves like Frederick Douglass and
She hoped that her narrative would lead the people to act upon the atrocities done to the enslaved and take a stand with them.
Speaking to the common free man and sharing the horrors of a slave’s life enables her to reach out to the people who could truly change the law of the time and abolish slavery once and for all. Narratives like hers had the ability to touch the hearts of Americans across the country and aid an understanding in their hearts of the true nature of slavery. Her audience is to all willing to listen because any man moved by her work could make a difference towards their country. It in fact did inspire abolishment movements later in the time period.
Harriet’s story under pseudonyms for almost all characters is told through accounts about how events occurred and how they affected her life and that of her children. Because of the style of the narrative we are able to see her emotional warfare through the struggles of gaining her freedom and relate these points to readers. Harriet begins her story with telling about her birth and the early stages of her life up until six years old where …show more content…
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was one of the most famous narratives written during the time period and was very influential to the movement of abolishment. Just like Jacobs. Douglass describes throughout the interaction between slaves and their masters. In the end they are both able to escape to the North with the help of many friends. Another popular slave narrative during the time was Twelve Years a Slave written by Solomon Northup. Although Twelve Years describes a free man who becomes a slave when taken to the North, it still accounts the torment of the enslaved life style. He describes daily life including treatment of slaves from their masters, living conditions and what happened to slaves when they attempted to escape. His narrative has also been said to share similarities between that narratives told of escaped slaves like Frederick Douglass and