Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs - Term Paper Example

A critical reading of Harriet Jacobs "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" Introduction In general analysis of Black womens scholarly works, the focus is on the viability of scholarship or its ulterior function of emphasizing class differentiation, racism and/or gender bias. Historically, there has been great criticism of black womens works, whether narrative or scholarly, in which opponents question their authenticity and practicality of such voices. Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl published more than a century ago is still criticized for its inadequate power to move readers because it has been structured on a tragic British romance novel, rather than information on a black woman struggling for survival. Opponents fail to realize that given any medium or structure black writers follow, they would still be criticized. The pleas of black womens suppression have time and again been negated because of its non-appealing ideology - freedom for women of a colored race and letting them be at par with white society intellectually. Thesis statement Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl should be considered a monumental work in black women’s emancipation because it juxtaposed literacy as the key to freedom during an age of slavery and degradation of basic human rights. Discussion Social discourse often begins with people concerned with an issue, and wants it to be understood by the society. If it is of interests to the society, it would be forwarded and reformed. Such transformations pervade hierarchical power relations, race, gender, economic status and social construct because the society desires it. Jacobs narrative Incident has been one such discourse which demonstrated that her society was one in which "white men" compelled slaves to live base dishonorable lives under the guise of the Fugitive Slave Law and indulged in the vilest act to exploit slaves as would bloodhounds (Jacobs 69). Basic social norms of today were unheard of during Jacobs time. A slaves child was born a slave (Jacobs 11). She was the property (and not a human being) of her master regardless of the relations she had with her family. A slave did not have the right to bond with her family. This was evidenced in Jacobs words about her father who was a carpenter: "His strongest wish was to purchase his children; but, though he several times offered his hard earnings for that purpose, he never succeeded." (Jacobs 11). There was nothing novel in Jacobs experience if compared to other slaves in the country during the Revolutionary War time. But her experience did make a difference because Jacobs was fortunate to be raised, educated and protected by her family, mistresses and other slaves until eventually she was exposed to the world of slavery. For Jacobs, it was a life changing experience but for many slaves it was the norm because the society in which they lived decried any voice coming from the slave community. For them, their existence as slaves was not an option but the status quo, just like white slave owners had the right to bargain, sell or buy slaves. Collins in her article "Coming to Voice, Coming to Power" reminded readers that it’s not that Black women did not realize their value or they did not have anything to say against social inequality and power relations of their race, they have not been given the right to voice them (Collins 44). “O, you happy free women, contrasts your New Year’s day with that of the poor bond-woman!” (Jacobs 13) wrote Jacobs of her silent plea. Her awareness of her bonded state became her awakening. In fact, Jacobs had ambitions to voice her right to freedom while growing up which motivated her to file incidences in her life to be published later evidenced from this statement: "This has not left me much leisure to make up for the loss of early opportunities to improve myself; and it has compelled me to write these pages at irregular intervals" (Jacobs 5). In her autobiography, she raised her voice against slavery, in particular female slavery. Through her initiatives she became the change agent and she possessed this capability because she was educated and had been intellectually exposed to what was rightfully hers (or other slaves for that matter) - the right to decry brutality, racism, gender bias and social segregation. She learned from her mistress "the precepts of Gods Word: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Jacobs 16). In Marnia Lazregs article "Feminism and Difference" the author wrote that at the heart of feminist struggle was the "sorry scheme of things and the tools they use to shatter it to bits" (Lazreg 81). She was of the view that whether Western or Middle Eastern, when a society was bound by its internal frame of reference, external standards and ideology of womanhood, realization or even an outcry for personal liberation did not affect outsiders. Only when the society was willing that the social construct could be changed. In Jacobs case, she was lucky to have been educated during her childhood, which was her tool for survival, but even luckier to be able to use it to publish Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl during the Civil War. Abolitionists capitalized on her work with others to establish anti-slavery claims not because they cared but because it served their purpose. They needed to divide the Southern States in order to have access to lands and lay rail tracks across Slave States to boost trade. She was very much aware that she was fortunate in her masters and employers who gave her respect even though she always remained in the lower social ladder to them. Her education, intellect and enterprising self contributed to these achievements. Despite this fact, Jacobs never hesitated use her knowledge to challenge the prevailing social order to establish her right to freedom. Jacobs wrote, "What a disgrace to a city calling itself free, that inhabitants guiltless of offence, and seeking to perform their duties conscientiously, should be condemned to live in such incessant fear" (Jacobs 287). She boldly exposed the hypocritical condemnable attitude, psyche and perception of slave owners, and at large the white society because she was “resolved that knowledge should be increased" (Jacobs 287); and because she believed slaves needed the education to recognize their human rights. Her initiatives were not different from ideas expressed by the whites in the Free States but because she was a Black woman and a slave she was not heard. According to Collins (2), even contemporary society witnessed similar struggle to resolve the black feminist discourse. Race, gender and sexuality may not be taken for granted today as categories of biological truths, but the marginalized, excluded and silenced dimensions of social life, and other notions have been easily be diminished under the header of black feminism (Collins2 41). Jacobs had after all accomplished much during a time of slavery, rising from a slave to a respectable author, and became a voice of freedom for the slave community. Her success was hampered by historical settings, as well as social construct. Ironically, the same factors were responsible for her freedom. During her enslaved years, Jacobs was separated from her grandmother and later on from her children because she was living in slave States and was mandated by law to remain with her owners who did as he pleased: whether to buy, sell or give the slaves their freedom. The incident of Jacobs grandmother being auctioned and sold to freedom could be taken as an example of the tight social construct which gave inhumane rights to the owners exclusively to the extent of overriding other owners (mistress) requests (Jacobs 20-22). On the other hand, when Jacobs escaped to New York (an anti-slave State) she was freed because she was working with a prominent abolitionist, Nathaniel Willis. She got her freedom because the new society which was well constructed against slavery, did not allow slavery. She got her freedom not because of her own struggle but because slavery did not served the Northern society. Those aware of the law and social norms bent it to their liking as she recounted here of her mistress Mrs. Bruce, who risked her child to save Jacobs: "It is better for you to have baby with you, Linda (Jacobs); for if they got on your track, they will be obliged to bring the child to me; and then, if there is a possibility of saving you, you shall be saved." (Jacobs 291). Her mistress was able to make such a decision because she belonged to the social group which was wealthy, aristocratic and aware of the law, but most importantly because she was a white woman. But even she has come to realization and despair the fact that her society would not support that which it believed did not serve its purpose, "It is imprisonment and one thousand dollars fine. Shame on my country that it is so." (Jacobs 291). This was the status quo which hindered Jacobs from succeeding in altering the history of slavery but she was not discouraged. Her approach to her autobiography may be criticized for being romantic but it was the only medium that would convey her message to the elite class of white society who could make a difference. She effectively used her knowledge and education to advance her cause – to gain freedom for herself and the slave community. Conclusions Jacobs’s narrative Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl has become a frame of reference for Black feminist struggle today. Opponents decry her work as a success and judge her work as ineffective. However, in this authors opinion, Jacobs work has been a bold initiative, a voice in the dark which has exposed the hypocrisy, cruelty and illegal aspects of slavery which would have remained hushed and shoved under the rug for more years. The fact that her work coincided with the Civil War and the legal debate on anti-slavery was providential, no matter whether opponents acknowledge it or not. This along with other slave literatures which promulgated the drive against slavery was a success only because she was more educated than the others. But more importantly, because she was living in a turbulent time when the States were divided, and it was opportune for her to be protected by masters and owners who were fighting for the same cause during her later years. Her work could be said of phenomenal development at the time and even relevant today, in outlining basic human rights - freedom to live with family, right to make a choice, and right to education, but more importantly, the right to live a respectable life. Her themes, such as racism, genders and class, very much resonated with the struggle that black feminists undertake against today, which makes her work a powerful voice for black freedom. References Collins, Patricia. "What’s going on? Black feminist thought and the politics of postmodernism." St.Pierre and Pillow, 2000. Collins, Patricia. Fighting words: Black women and the search for justice. University of Minnesota Press, 1998. Print. Grewal, Inderpal and Caren Kaplan. An Introduction to Womens Studies. 2nd edition. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2006. Print. Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Google Ebook, 1861. Print. Lazreg, Marnia. "Feminism and Difference: The Perils of Writing as a Woman on Women in Algeria." Grewal and Kaplan, 2006 p.321. Print. St.Pierre, Elizabeth and Wanda S. Pillow. Working the ruins: feminist post structural theory and methods in education. Rutledge, 2000. Print. Read More