Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs - Book Report/Review Example

“Incidents in the life of a slave girl” By Harriet Jacobs In her text, Jacobs relays a contradictory relationship between religion and community. This is despite throughout history and up to date religion known to unite people and give consolation to humanity. Enslavement, exploitation and numerous demoralizing experiences faced by the protagonist together with her people in the name of “obedience” to the religion tarnishes its reputation. Slaveholders whom majority of them comprise the whites used religion as a tool to fool and suppress any slight efforts by the Blacks meant to go against their rules. Ministers of the word manipulated it to their advantage citing slaves had the mandate of obeying their masters to the letter without questioning, hence fulfill what the Bible demands of them as servants. This study seeks to show how Jacobs’ text depicts religion and community in the context of African American female slave life as well as describing how is uniquely female. In reflecting religion and community in her text, Jacobs offers two sides based on one’s color or race. Blacks on their part majority used to seek solace in religion. This is because of the then dehumanizing experiences, which they were experiencing whereby based on their faith it was only supreme power that could eventually save them. This is despite Whites using religion to their advantage and more so to suppress colored people. Colored people used to gather to one place where according to Jacobs offered them a unique seclusion far from their slaveholders though surrounded by cemetery. This is evident in the Jacobs’ statement citing blacks had “had no higher happiness” compared to communing at their little church where in unison while singing hymns could “pour out their hearts in spontaneous prayer” (Jacobs 92). Hence, confirming the essence of religion among colored people’s lives despite white ministers most of the time distorting its core meaning to ensure their comfort and status. Conversely, slaveholders who were whites including ministers of the word utilized religion to dehumanize colored people. This was evident in their teachings whereby Jacobs relays how ministers compelled Blacks to practice total obedience to their masters by quoting biblical verses, for instance, Eph 6:5 (Jacobs 93). This verse demands servants (slaves in that context) to obey and comply with their masters’ principles not only when they are in their presence but also in absence. This is dehumanizing and distorted implication of the verse, which the then slaveholders especially through ministers used to advocate. However, this negative depiction of religion based on protagonist’s narration turns out to follow what the Bible contends when she manages to escape from her tormentors. This abrupt transition from what she used to experience astonishes her because the latter ministers of the word lives by its principles. Hence, the latter clergy in England was “a true disciple of Jesus” contrary to what people like Dr. Flint and other people in the name of ministers owing slaves used to do (Jacobs 259). In addition, reflection of religion and community in this text is quite different when it to comes to the African American women whom the whites enslaved. African American women assumed the lowest rank in the community besides being recipients of torture. This is evident with the protagonist’s life experiences whereby dehumanizing acts range from physical whipping to sexual abuse such that their male counterparts do not have any power to guarantee them the basic security normally needed by every woman. Dr. Flint all along sought the chance to sleep with Jacobs before barely being out of her puberty stage. To avoid this, Jacobs ended up being in a relationship with Mr. Sands to discourage Flint but this was in vain because throughout the entire account he is still tracing her whereabouts (Jacobs 191). Besides their Blacks male counterparts, whites due to their superiority availed then by both government and religion could sire children with African American females without held accountable for their actions. This is because many slaveholders not only owned male slaves but also their wives and daughters. This is the reason why Dr. Flint turned down Mr. Sands’ proposal to marry Harriet. Mere pretence of faithfulness especially when it comes to marriage vows is evident in the way whites had the freedom to receive communion even after committing adultery. Church laws allowed white males to receive communion if they sired children with African American women but not with their female counterparts (Jacobs 102). In the latter, they risked dismissal because they were considered to have committed adultery. Consequently, this reflects how the community disparaged African Americans and more so the women. This implied slaveholders and whites in general by sleeping with African American women was not an adultery act because to them they were only objects as well as assets purchased with money. Hence, they had the freedom to use them as they wished even fulfilling their body desires without Black husbands or their parents in the case of Harriet expecting any explanation. Despite the entire account generally relaying harsh hardships endured by African American slaves, it majorly focuses on the female gender. The first victim of these inhuman incidences is the protagonist who gives her account from her childhood to the time she managed to disentangle herself from Dr. Flint who was her cruel master. Based on this account, the narrator seems to give many details concerning the female gender and her experiences. This evident in the way she links sufferings starting from her family including mother, grandmother, Auntie Nancy, herself and Ellen. Throughout the text, Jacobs relays varied experiences encountered by women due to their vulnerability. This is because most of them could not manage to escape and if they dared returned to their masters. Since, they could not manage to feed themselves once they are free in New York. Hence, they ended up being in servitude until death; evident in the case of Jacobs’ Auntie Nancy (Jacobs 204). The entire account depicts woman’s struggle from slavery led by Jacobs despite loosing her Auntie whom she relied on for both advice and encouragement. Jacobs majorly relays how slavery had made people think their then situations were meant for them, hence thinking freedom is expensive. Majority of these are women who according to the author are half-starved working till dawn in plantations to feed their children (Jacobs 102). However, Jacobs contends “Doctors of divinity” were then blind besides majority of them being hypocritical when reporting about exact reality endured by slaves (Jacobs 102). Jacobs cites how any clergyman heading to the South despite being aware slavery is wrong seems not to care. In most cases, he visited his white counterparts’ families where they inquired him to invoke blessings for their luxury delicacies before eating and afterwards visiting some of the favored slaves residing in the compound. Here casually inquired whether the enslaved need any freedom where they in turn usually would say “No”. This is not because of being contended with the situation but fear inflicted on them by their masters. Many of these favored slaves included men living with their wives but had no power to confront their masters if they wished to abuse African American females sexually. In conclusion, Jacobs despite in her text revealing varied and numerous dehumanizing incidences that African Americans had to endure, she majorly focuses on the female gender. This is by relaying how their slaveholders abused them from whipping to abusing them sexually. The latter to the whites was not a sin or anything to worry about because slaves were part of the slaveholder’s property. Hence, the church allowed those whites who had then abused their female slaves sexually to take communion but not when they sinned with their whites female counterparts. These and other experiences characterizing protagonist’s life affirm the entire text is uniquely female. Work Cited Jacobs, Harriet, Ann. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (EasyRead Edition). ReadHowYouWant.com, 2008. Internet source. Read More