The Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriett Jacobs - 1037 Words

TaSheena Moore December 7, 2015 Professor Anita M. Diop African American Studies The Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is a story about a young girls experience during slavery in the south. She talks about the many struggles for self-definition and self-respect, and the disturbing details of a risky escape. Harriett Jacobs’s story highlights the special problems faced by female slaves, mainly sexual abuse and the anguish of slave mothers who are separated from their children. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl starts off introducing Harriett Jacobs, the author of the book under the name of Linda Brent. She was born into slavery in Edenton, North Carolina in 1813. She begins by telling us†¦show more content†¦Jacobs was very fond of her new mistress who treated her as if she was a second daughter. When Jacobs was 12, Margaret passed away. Margaret made it within her will that Jacobs be placed with her niece who was five years old at the time, so Mr. Flint became her new master. Throughout the years, Dr. Flint tried to pursue Harriet. Being strong willed and rebellious. She learned how to stand up for herself and she became really stubborn. Harriett struggles against Flint’s offers for several years. He pressures and threatens her, and she confronts and outsmarts him. Years later, Jacobs had a love affair with a white neighbor named Mr. Sands. She felt ashamed of the relationship but preferred that instead of being raped by Dr. Flint. She also has reasons for agreeing to the affair in hopes that once Dr. Flint found out about it, he will sell her to Sands in disgust. Instead, in 1835, Dr. Flint sends Jacobs to his plantation to be a field hand. Still a teenager, she ended up having two children, Benny and Ellen both by Mr. Sands. After being at the plantation for quite some time, Jacobs runs away from the plantation. She spent seven long years hiding in a tiny crawl space in the attic of her grandmother’s house. She was unable to sit or stand, and she eventually became physically disabled. Reading this story, I found that Jacobs, Loophole of retreat was her way of staying clear of Dr. Flint. Although, she remained confided to that area, she made due with her new