Summary Of Harriet Jacobs Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl

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Rape, beatings, hangings, whippings, starvation, all these words can be used to describe slavery. Slavery is the total and unwilling lack of freedom, forced upon millions of African Americans in the South alone. Slave women consistently being exposed to rape and sexual abuse. “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” recounts the horrors the author experienced in her childhood. Sexual threats, victimization, rape and abuse, extremely common in the south and were not recognized by the law. Harriet Jacobs composed her narratives to educate women in the North of the terrors of slavery for women and to promote the anti-slavery movement. In conclusion, Jacobs promoted and educated millions, we should never forget history no matter the horrors. …show more content…
To boast the Underground Railroad movement and to be a voice against pro-slavery. Jacobs wrote this to inform America, to tell the truth of the horrors she has endured in her life of slavery. Originally published in 1861, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”, was well taken and reviewed. The intended audience was mostly white women in the North. In the preface Jacobs mentions, “I do earnestly desire to arouse the women of the North to a realizing sense if the condition of two millions of women at the South, still in bondage suffering what I suffered, and most of them far worse”, making her objectives clear. Seen as a white woman’s worst fear, this autobiography penetrated and appealed to the consciousness and aided in the form of the resistance. Throughout these memoirs, Jacobs strongly opposes slavery, and discusses the abuse that female slaves were forced to undergo. A well accepted ideology was that slaves were well treated. That they were content with what their masters have given them, and that they were just servants. Conversely , they were not well treated servants, but suffering, tormented human beings, longing to be free. The free individuals, usually white citizens of the United States of America did not see it that way. Harriet Jacobs, along with hundreds of other slaves tell their story, what they have suffered, informing a nation on the brink of war. Jacobs initially released her …show more content…
The horrors of the past will promote a different future. Personal, on hand, horribly graphic accounts of what slavery was is imperative in today’s culture. These were oppressed human being, expressing themselves, getting a genuine expression of their lives; it would be immoral and insolent to ignore their sufferings. I think it is extremely interesting, we see how the slaves adapted to their horrendous lives. When we read their accounts, they seem unimaginable, tortuous even and that was their life, day in day out. They found a way to survive, live even in incredible horrific situations. Personally this would enlighten someone and bring them to comprehend the importance of humility; perhaps even provide them with humility. Slavery is illegal, but still exists. There is still slavery out there today, and it is horrible and needs to be stopped. We all need to take time from our petty lives and look at others, in worse situations, those who need help, in today’s society. Human trafficking is prominent in many cultures across the globe, even in the United States. Accounts of past sufferings can open your eyes to sufferings today. People may think that we are civilized, more than in the past, but are we really? We as children are brainwashed, blindsided to the sufferings of others, especially in America. There are thousands in human trafficking, slavery. Those who have kidnapped, abused, neglected. Today, right now, and we can stop it. Past

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