Response to “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”

“Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” is a memoir source. It is an autobiography story authored by Harriet Ann Jacobs. The author was an African-American writer born into slavery in 1813 and later escaped. Her mother died in 1819 and Jacobs lived with Margaret Horniblow, her mother’s mistress. Horniblow taught her how to write, read and sew. The book was produced by L. Maria Child and officially published in 1861. It contributed to the genre of the slave narrative at the time when slavery was rampantly practiced in the North and the South.

The source documents the life of Jacobs as a slave and the way she managed to gain freedom after several unsuccessful attempts. It explores the accounts of sexual abuse and presents the horrors that slaves suffered. The source also showcases that women attempted to practice motherhood and wanted to protect their children from being sold. As such, the book is an account of black women who navigated the complex terrain of slavery in the white-supremacist civilization.

Historical Context

Upon its publication, Jacobs’ book was overshadowed by the events of the civil war which started at same time. It attracted significant attention as it vehemently addressed the issues highlighted by the abolitionist movement. Besides, in the antebellum period, the concept of true motherhood was prevalent. As such, Jacobs explained the importance of motherhood virtues to spur actions that would protect black women and children from enslavement. The book was also published at the time when the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was enacted. It called on the private citizens and law enforcers to corporate in recapture and returning the fugitive slaves to their masters. However, activists and abolitionists continued to help the slaves escape.

Interpretation

The source intended to expose the corrupting power of slavery. Indeed slavery was heartbreaking as it evidences how Linda Brett struggled to escape.  It destroyed the morality of the slave masters, turned them into monsters and inflicted torture on their servants. Jacob envisioned to showcase that the slave system was dehumanizing and this made the slaves to desire freedom.  Again, the article intended to tell the reader how vital womanhood was at the time of slavery. Women found their fulfilment in caring for their children and homes. Perhaps, one of the major objectives was to present the psychological abuse of slavery. Jacobs emphasizes sexual abuse, deprivation and physical brutality. Slaves were forced to endure lynching, beatings and all types of mistreatment (Jacobs, 1987). They were denied legal protection and basic human rights. The source intended to chronicle the remarkable journey of Jacobs in the quest to seek liberty.

The target audience is quite wide. The larger audience was the Americans who were not convinced that it was necessary to join the abolitionist movement and fight for the rights of the slaves. Women are the primary audience. In the book, the author used sexual harassment to stimulate Christian women to fight against slavery. Jacobs reached her audience by using convincing and persuasive messages that capture the attention of her audience. The use of the first person account narration makes the source more convincing and authentic, and this was fundamental in changing the minds of many Americans who later joined the fight against slavery. The article is filled with misery, heartache and sadness (Jacobs, 1987). Jacobs could also have included the accounts of male slaves rather than just concentration on female encounters.

Significance

The memoir was significant in castigating the horror of slavery and sexual abuse during the time of its publication. It was thus an anti-slavery source that presented to be a valuable historical record the need for freedom. It fervently depicted the quests of women as it was written by a woman.  The source significantly indicated true womanhood and the scars brought by sexual exploitation. It, therefore, took great influence on other black women activist writings as it created a sensational and melodramatic ambience.

Work Cited

Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Ed. Jean Fagan Yellin. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987.