History of Black Women, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Essay Example

History of Black Women Black women are the women of African origin who live in numerous parts of the world such as America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. The black women who live outside Africa arrived at their locations mostly during the slavery period in the nineteenth century. The women were sold as slaves to work in the farms of the white men and women who undertook various roles in white collar jobs (Pillow 30). The portrayal of black women’s history is ever present in the modern times. The presence of the history of the black women is enhanced by literary works that are written by the women who were affected by the history in the past. Harriet, the author of the book narrates the experience that she underwent as a slave. This experience enables the modern reader to understand the history of black women. The presence of the history is also enhanced by the media’s portrayal of the women. This essay will analyze how the history of black women is ever present as described in the literary work of Harriet Jacobs and the media’s portrayal of this group. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl The author of the book who is known as Jacobs Harriet uses the character Linda Brent to narrate her experience as a slave. Linda lives in a nuclear family with her parents, siblings, and grandmother. The girl’s parents and relatives are all slaves, but she does not realize this until when she attains six years and after the death of her mother. When Linda’s mother died, she lives with a mistress and later on, the mistress sells her to her niece (Jacobs 21). Linda becomes the property of her new owner, and she is forced to do everything that the master commands her to do. In order to escape the sexual harassment of Mr. Flint, Linda entices Mr. Sands to fall in love with her and they bear two children (Jacobs 26). After bearing the children, Linda escapes to New York where she is bought once more as a slave by Mrs. Bruce. Linda escaped so that she could not watch her children undergoing the same experience as hers. Black women’s history indicates that their families supported and protected them with everything that they owned. The fact that Linda did not know that she was a slave means that her parents, especially her grandmother cared for her well during childhood. The grandmother hid Linda from the masters who owned the place where they lived for seven years. This prolonged period of protection indicates that Linda’s grandmother who was also a woman played the role of protecting her grandchild so that she could not undergo the suffering that others experienced. The protection of black women by their families is also portrayed by Linda’s father who teaches her to feel and behave like normal human beings (Jacobs 24). At that time, slaves were required to be inferior to the whites and they were supposed to always behave and feel lesser than their masters. The protection of women did not, however last long, because when they grew up, they were forced to work in their master’s farms. Black women were owned by their masters like pieces of property. When Linda’s mother died, she was adopted by her mistress who later sold her to her niece. The act of selling Linda to the mistress’s niece means that the niece would do anything that she would like to the poor girl. The act of being owned also indicates that black women were controlled by their owners. For example, Linda argues that her master kept asking her to do sex with him because he owned the girl. Even when Linda defied the actions and words of the master, Linda argues that he kept nagging her by writing to her sexual notes. Mr. Flint, the master, also kept reminding Linda that she wanted her to be his sexual property whenever they met at a corner (Jacobs 26). These actions indicate that the masters of black women controlled them both physically and emotionally. This is because Mr. Flint kept reminding Linda that he would use her for sex because she was his property. These words tortured the poor black woman whenever she heard them and this made her to feel sad most of the time. The history of black women also indicates that they were highly prone to sexual harassment. The women would, however, chose the individuals with whom to sleep because they controlled their bodies. In the text, when Mr. Flint becomes a nuisance to Linda, she finds a white neighbour so that she could sleep with him out of her will instead of being harassed sexually by her master. Although Linda had the courage to do this, other women were afraid to do it during those times. Linda gained courage because her father had taught her how to live and behave like a respectable human being (Jacobs 22). Therefore, black women were harassed sexually by their masters on the basis that they were not equal human beings and also because they were considered to be personal property. The history of black women also indicates that they tried as much as they could to protect themselves from sexual harassment by pretending to be mammies. Mammies were the most loyal domestic workers who worked in the farms of the whites. These women were neutral and they were not harassed sexually like their counterparts who performed other functions in the farms where they worked. The neutrality of the women to sexual harassment happened because they made themselves unattractive by not wearing smart clothes, keeping unkempt hair, and using uncommon lotion (Pillow 43). This strategy helped them to keep off their masters. The media also reminds women of the history of black women by how it uses figures of black women to advertise products and write articles (Pillow 49). The media mostly uses films to portray what women underwent during the slavery periods. An example of this film is Twelve Years a Slave that was released in 2013. This film shows how a young black woman was tortured in the farms of the whites. The torture that the woman undergoes reminds black women about their history because such actions do not take place in the modern world. The media also exposes the history of black women indirectly through advertisements. The media portrays women to be submissive and objective instead of being subjective (Pillow 65). The media also uses few images of black women when advertising appealing products, and when they use them, the black woman in the image is usually one while the others who are white are numerous. This indicates that the white women are superior to black ones and they have control over black women. Another way in which the media exposes the history of women is through programs. Numerous programs in the media use black women as the domestic workers of white women. The blacks take the roles of mammies in the programs, a role that was there even in the past (Pillow 67). The media also reminds black women about the freedom that they had of controlling their bodies. This is by using images of black women who admire their bodies by touching it and protecting it from being harmed. The history of black women indicates that the women suffered because they were sold as slaves in the farms of the white men. The women suffered because they were harassed sexually and they were owned as property that was used to do anything that pleased the master. Linda Brent, a character in the incidents of a slave girl represents the black women and their past experiences. Since the text is read in modern times, it reminds black women about their life in the past. The media through images, programs, and films also portrays the experience of black women during the past slavery period. Works Cited Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Cork: Sheba Blake Publishing, 2013. Print. Pillow, Gloria T. Motherlove in Shades of Black: The Maternal Psyche in the Novels of African American Women. Jefferson: McFarland & Co, 2010. Print. Read More