Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Harriet Jacobs
Rather than have a more traditional essay on Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, I’d like to hear your informal thoughts on the book. What did the book teach you about slave life? What were some of the most moving passages for you? What disturbed you the most? Was the book an optimistic one? Are there any moral lessons we can take from it to assist us right now in our lives? Please consider these or suggest your own questions as you ponder the life of Harriet Jacobs.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
23 comments:
I thought the book was first and foremost sad and depressing, and also not original in its storytelling because many of the letters from slaves in the south before the civil war have very similar themes. However, i still think this book, and others like it, are extremely important and useful to us as Americans because they bring to life the horror and reality of America's gruesome, embarassing past and allows us to understand in depth some of the cruelties that took place in this country. So even tho i didnt like the story itself, i appreciate its meassage and usefullness as it can help Americans stray away from ignorance and prejudice.
I think that, no matter how common, any book that describes a horrible event in history is important because we must remember what has happened in history so it does not repeat itself.
For that reason, i felt like this book was useful. Although i have not forgotten the harsh treatment and cruelty that blacks suffered in our recent past, but reading this book has still put some things in perspective for me. I complain about homework and sleep and many other things, but i overlook the real atrocities in life. This book, although i think it got a little log with all of her journeys, was still a good effective book. It told the experience of one
African American woman. This book taught the ready in detail about the severity of Jacobs' life and the journey for her and her family to be free. This novel was an educating sad novel that i thought was worth reading.
I thought the book was interesting although at parts hard for me to read- because of what Harriet Jacobs was having to deal with and go through. In particular, when Jacobs was hiding after running away, she was able to see her family but not talk to them something i think would be very hard to do. THis book also reminds us of just how horrible the institution of slavery was- and in the end is something that we have learned from. Overall the book educated me more on the cruelties of slavery, in a way that i will never forget
This book emphasized the cruelties and hardships that slaves endured. Although at times it was difficult to read, this book gives us important insights into the brutal lives of slaves. For most of Harriet Jacobs life, she has a dismal future, but in the end her new employer buys her freedom. Although the ending makes this book seem somewhat optimistic, most slaves were not actually able to obtain their personal freedom.
I agree with Nick in that this book puts some parts of my life in perspective.Everydady, many people take basic things in life for granted. The account by Harriet Jacobs illustrates that the simple action of being able to walk outside without the fear of capture is a freedom that we never question. However, throughout history and in many parts of the world even today, freedoms that we enjoy in the United States do not exist. This book made me stop and realize how lucky we are to be free in this country.
I really enjoyed this book, i liked the idea that it gave us a real life experience of a slave girl and her problems she endured throughout her life. It is a great way for one to realize what they have and realize you cant take anything for granted because society has evolved so much from then.
JUAN LIZAMA
And i agree with Cary's comment that it is very embarassing to say that mankind relied on surviving by such abusive means is a very sad thing to say and the fact that many did not find it inhumane is very depressing thing to imagine
Juan Lizama
I thought the book was just very long, not by page length, but by the journey that Linda Brent/Harriet Jacobs went through. When I had finished the book, it was hard for me to think back to where the story started because of the journey she went through. They way the book was written, it feels like you are actually going through the years of this woman, which is probably why it took me so long to read it.
It also brought up thoughts in my mind of Uncle Tom's cabin; that even though some slave owners were "decent" it is impossible to live with an evil institution. Thia is shown when Linda's grandmother, I think (or was it her mother?), was saving up money, and her owner borrowed the money, promising to pay her back. She never did. (Also, Linda's daughter being sent North but not being happy)
It was sad to Linda's reaction to the prejudice in the North, and interesting to see that she went to England and didn't face prejudice there.
Interesting book, and it was definitely enlightening.
Molly-- It was difficult for me to read at times as well. What I find amazing is that other people were willing to help her hide, even though it put them in great danger.
I think this book gave a heavy emotional weight to what we are learning right now that it seems Conlin can't or won't convey. It brings us back to the brutal truth of the horrors of slavery, when up until this point I think that we have encountered only statistics by comparisons. By focusing on the story of just one slave, and a relatively lucky one, since her grandmother was free, she was able to read and write, and despite all her masters attempts she was never degraded at that level, we are confronted with the awful facts of life for slaves- and we are forced to imagine how much worse it could have been, had she not been able to read, had she been separated fully from her family. That a comparatively "lucky" slave could have so terrible a life is truly horrifying.
Angela, I think the point you make really strikes a cord- even the "better" owners were owners, and there can be no real rights or freedoms when you are a slave. You may appear to be treated well, even as a "man," as Paul D. was in beloved, but all of these are really illusions, privileges granted paternalistically by owners that think themselves altruistic. I think that with this in mind it is important to take granted liberties with a grain of salt, keeping in mind that they are granted.
yes juan, you bring up a good point, i am embarassed as an American to know our disgusting past, and yet this book makes me thankful and proud that i live in such a great society that this country has provided for me.
Oh, goodness. I realize I've waited rather late to post, but I like to think that these dialogues and considerations continue to be built upon regardless of dead-lines. I'd like to start by saying that I was relieved by Incidents. I know that sounds strange, but in a way, I was. Our history text-book has a tendency to really de-humanize the more disgraceful and atrocious parts of American history, and I think that the human element is a thing that (especially in history) cannot be exempted. It is an absolutely essential angle. So in a way, it was refreshing to finally read something so utterly enfused with humanity - a first-hand account of the horrors of slavery. However, I mustn't make this sound like too much of a joy. I was incredibly moved and horrified by the incidents recounted in this novel. It is truly hard to believe that such a cruel practice was ever allowed to exist in this country. I remember speaking of how it was strange to imagine that a country so advanced as ours would have been allowing slavery for so long, even when other nations had long ago done away with it. It was heartbreaking. I was, however, quite thankful for such a painfully human view. The stories of true survivors and sufferers must not be forgotten.
- Phoebe
This book is a very important testimony about the life of the slaves. I like the fact that it is told from firsthand account. I find it very admirable how much slaves were willing to put on the line for the sake of their freedom. In English class we just finished reading Beloved by Toni Morrison, and I think that reading the two novels parallely was beneficial because each backed up the other. It is hard to believe that the forefathers of our country were capable of such atrocities such as slavery.
The hardest part in Incidents of A Slave Girl for me to read was probably the separation between Linda and her children.
Angela-
I think you brign up a very good oint about hwo the book was a very long read. And i agree taht it took me a while. I think that it took a while to read was, like you said, because of all the stories going on.
When a reader is given multiple different journeys of one woman's life, that reader is forced to think in depth about each part. For that reason, i found myself analyzing each journey in depth before continuing onto another part of her life. For that reason, this book was a long read, a hard read, but a useful one as well.
I agree with Lian in that i liked how the book was written by someone who had actually experienced the cruelites first hand. I also find it interesting how many slaves risked alot to help her sometimes even their own life.
I think this book was a very important one for us to read, even though it was a tough book to read. I thought it was extremely difficult to read about how she had to stay in a small confined space watching her family, but not be able to speak to them or be a mother to her children. This book teaches us about how wrong slavery is and I think it really shows the misery we made slaves go through. I think this book is extremely important because it really goes into detail of the horrible things we did to slaves and how important it is that we understand the cruelties white Americans imposed on slaves.
-Claire
A good many of you have brought up how many problems we complain about in our lives seem like nothing compared to the struggles slaves had to endure. This is true, and I think it's very important that we all look at events that are going on in present time and wonder if they too will be viewed as atrocities in times to come. For example, if torture gets passed, isn't that as barbaric as slavery? It may be argued that torture may "help," but slavery was something that people thought could help the country's economy... Anyhow, I guess I shouldn't open up that whole can of worms again, but I can't help but say it. Why teach about the past if people don't apply it to the present and future?
-Phoebe
Like Ben, I am also happy that finally we were exposed to the graphic cruelty of slavery rather than just reading the numbers Conlin provides us. As for Phoebe's "can of worms" (lol)...I really want to be optimistic and hope that our country has learned something. I believe that none of our atrocities today is quite as bad as slavery. I think it is important that we read this novel. It not only teaches us about the ugly part of the history of our country, but also educates us, the future generation, and hopefully commands us to not commit similar crimes
This book showed me the horrors of slave life. It sounded so horrible that Linda Brent had to spend seven years in a space where she could barely move. But she said that she would rather stay in that small space instead of being Dr. Flint's slave. Slavery must have been really horrible for her to choose to stay in a confined space for 7 years rather than being a slave. I really liked the part when we read about the white man that her uncle benjamin encountered while he was in hiding. That white man was concerned about benjamin's well being and didnt even tip off benjamin's master about his whereabouts. This showed that there were some people at that time who were kind to slaves, and that not all white people treated slaves like property. This book was definitely not an optimistic one. Also, I believe that by reading this book, people will understand how terrible slavery actually was.
--Nina Kim
Claire, I completely agree with you. I cannot even imagine going through what Harriet Jacobs went through. It must have been extremely physically and emotionally painful for her. I also agree that everyone should know how injustifiable, cruel, and unusual the slave institution was. And from the video we watched in class today, I find it repulsive that the money the slave instition had more money circulating than the money in the federal government.
-- Nina Kim
while reading incidents in the life of a slave girl, i was struck by the fact that even though Jacobs eventually escaped to the north, she was still the victim of copious racism and i fealt that this in turn gave the book a sour ending. However, it was interesting to see how much more advanced Great Britain was than the US in terms of integration. This gave some hope to the book because it seems as though Britains relative maturity to the United States is what was responsible for the racial equality there and that eventually, America would attian this level of enlightenment with age.
molly-
it was definitely hard to read about how slavery crippled the relationship between harriet jacobs and her children. it was also really sad reading about january first when families were broken up purely for profits.
Post a Comment