Rape. A tragedy for virtually anyone under the standards of 21 century America. What if the injured party is considered property? What if they are a young black slave living in the 19th century? Does this change the standards? These are very real circumstances that were faced by many slaves. One particular instance is "The Trials of a Slave Girl" where Harriet Jacobs conveys an image almost too difficult to envision.
Harriet Jacobs was born a slave in 1813, but according to her book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, she "never knew it until six years of happy childhood passed away". After Harriet's mother died in 1819, she continued to live with her mothers benevolent mistress for the next six years of her life where she was brought up by her grandmother. After her mothers mistress passed away, Harriet and her grandmother were inherited by the mistress' brother-in-law, Dr. James Norco, "Dr. Flint". This seemed to be the moment in which her true trials would begin. With a new master, she thought she might have to become accustomed to new tasks and customs, but she wasn't ready for what she was really going to experience.
Unlike past slave-owners, Dr. Flint addressed her with pure disrespect. He did not believe that she deserved respect, and the laws combined with common opinion at the time made her property. He could do whatever he felt necessary with his property. That difference of opinion began many conflicts in Harriet's life, because she was brought up with strong morals that made her feel like more than a piece of property. At the age of 14, she says he "peopled my young mind with unclean images" and she began to view him as a monster. She goes on to describe the extremities of being a slave, a piece of property, "The degradations, the wrongs, the vices, that grow out of slavery are ...greater than you would willingly believe". She even touches on women's right by saying that no matter the color of a woman's skin, "there is no law to protect her from insult, from violence or even from death; all these inflicted by fiends who bear the shape of men". This showed that the law and so many other things were on Dr. Flints side, and in society she was not a real person. She felt as if there was nowhere she could go, and nothing she could do to get away from his overbearing grip. Understandably, she felt bewildered and alone. She could not disclose her secret to anyone. Although she 鈥渓onged for someone to confide in鈥?Dr. Flint threatened to kill her if she was not 鈥渁s silent as the grave".
The sexual abuse by Dr. Flint was not her only trial, Dr. Flints wife was not one who attempted to protect Harriet from the situation but instead, reacted as many wives would. She blamed Harriet for the things that were happening. Since she didn't have much control over the situation, she did what she could by treating Harriet unfairly and lashing out at her with jealousy and rage. Harriet started to perceive herself the same way the mistress did; with disgust. Harriet was once again alone, with nowhere to turn.
Another trial that Harriet was facing was an internal one. She felt as if she was betraying her grandmother by neglecting the morals that had been so carefully planted in her. She did not know how to reveal to her grandmother the person she believed she really was.
In the midst of all of this, she met a white lawyer named Samuel Sawyer, who became interested in her. She describes him as "an educated and eloquent gentlemen, too eloquent...for the poor slave girl who trusted him". His improbable interest in her gave her hope and pride in herself. It was strange to her that a single white man would have any interest in her and she states " there is something akin to having a lover who has no control over you, except that which he gains by kindness and attachment"
In a few months she learns that she is bearing Samuel Sawyers child. After telling Dr. Flint, she tells her grandmother who disowned her, without explanation, as Harriet feared she would. She found a friend of her mothers to confide in who convinced her to call for her grandmother and explain the story. "I knelt before her and told her the things that poisoned my life...I had hopes of obtaining her forgiveness". Finally, she had pulled herself out of the black hole that had become her life.
The good she gained out of her hard times didn't stop there. After she escaped to the north, she met other abolitionists who convinced her to share her story. She goes into great detail to show the reader conditions of slavery that hadn鈥檛 been mentioned very often. She was lucky to have escaped such a harsh time, and she shared her story for the people who couldn't share theirs. It may not have been received well by the majority of Americans at the time who still supported slavery, but it effectively put a face on the argument for the American abolitionists.
She couldn鈥檛 have known what the future would hold for the practice of slavery, but she was at the forefront of a changing tide of public opinion. Harriet Jacobs understood instinctively what it took present generations decades to conclude. That beyond their shallow differences humans were alike in the most important ways. In "The Trials of a Slave Girl" she accurately portrays this view. This being said, Its easy to understand how people could be blinded by the economic advantages slavery offered, especially at a time when many white Americans were raised to believe that they were the superior race. This was a case of a man who didn't believe he was doing wrong.
So, was Harriet Jacobs story a tragedy? or was it a triumph in American history? She portrayed a very controversial view of slavery at the time. She helped set ground to change the standards into what they are today by going where many hadn鈥檛. Your first paragraph uses some conflicting verbage. My suggestion is to keep the tone towards the victim which allows the reader to better undersand the narrative. An example of what I'm getting at would be:
"Rape is an all to prevalent crime that is still rampant in twenty-first century America. But, what if the victim is considered someone's personal property? And what if the victims were young black slaves living in the 19th century? Does this change the severity surrounding the crime? These are very real circumstances that were faced by many young female slaves. One excellent example is "The Trials of a Slave Girl" where Harriet Jacobs conveys an image that is almost too difficult to envision.
I think that your closing is pretty good and I wouldn't change anything besides some grammar changes. Remember that you are writing an essay not a newspaper article so be verbose in your verbage and descriptors. Perhaps you could move the question to the end of the paragraph thus leaving the reader with a question to ponder. give urself lumpkin. it will *** to u How about this:
Who, I wonder, will be the next Harriet Jacobs?
(Ending with a question leaves the reader wanting more...)
-MM |
