Essay Sample on Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Slavery is the act of forcing labor on someone with very little or no pay (Lennon, 2019). It was a common act in the early years with most of people suffering from the actions of their captors. In the 19th century, there were many slave markets where people would go and get workers for their plantations and home chores (Murdock, 2019). In addition to that, most of the slaves were black and were chosen with racial discrimination. Some of the employed slaves wanted to make a life and defend their rights which were rather complicated considering their handlers who used to mistreat and disrespect the slaves. This paper is an analysis of the story - the life of a Slave Girl, which was written by Ann Jacobs in the early 1860s.

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Historical Events of the Period

The story was authored at a time when the slave trade was eminent- 1861. As seen earlier, the people were treated as property, and no dignity was accorded to them. It was in the same year that the abolitionist movement had begun. It was aimed at ensuring that the people in the USA no longer practiced slave trade. Due to its nature, the book had attracted many people to read it. The book's attention was, however, short-lived due to the civil war of 1861 to1865. The books aim was to speak to the abolitionists to help the female slaves, both black and white.

Besides, in the era, the ladies were not heard of, and many people only saw them as minor people in the society. This is the reason why Ann needed to help out the involved parties. Sometime before the book was written, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850. The act required that no one would offer refuge to the escaped slaves, and instead, they would capture and return them to their owners - the event as also a major motivation for the book.

Reflection of the Themes of Slavery and Suffering

The book reveals a lot about the slaves and their harsh treatment from their masters. The book begins by explaining the life of a slave girl who is at first happy that she is one of the rich slaves. She does well despite the death of her mother as she is taken by a mistress who teaches her how to read and write (Jacobs, 2019). After some time, though, she is taken by a new family which is cruel and mistreat her. The man of the house DR. Flint tries to molest her sexually, but the girl refuses due to her age. This shows that the slaves had little rights and would be involved in whatever their masters wanted.

The book also shows the vulnerability of the slaves in the following segment. Due to her fear for Dr. Flint, the lady gets into a relationship with a white neighbor Mr. - Sands. She does, not do it willingly and only gets into it with the hope that the white neighbor would protect him from the lousy doctor (Jacobs, 2019). She also hopes that the doctor would be angry and sell her to the neighbor, but he is adamant and keeps her in custody. The context explains how vulnerable female slaves were. They had no means of protecting themselves, and they needed to have someone who had some power to make it in society and avoid abuse.

Furthermore, this is seen when Linda has to make a deal with a slave master who promises to buy her children and free them later. At this point in the book, Linda is ill and cannot stand upright. She had escaped Mr. Flints home and hid in a friend's house, where due to continued stay in an enclosed space had undergone significant depreciation in her health. She later tracks down her children after they are led to New York by the relatives of Mr. Sands (Jacobs, 2019). The passing of the fugitive act would be negative impact on her course to free her children since they were in danger of recapture.

Authors' Contribution to Humanities

Ann was one of the most positive influences in the lives of slaves. With her book, the abolitionist's movement was strengthened, and the message got to more people only obey reading the texts she had composed. In addition to that, she addresses the rules that caused suffering to the slaves. An example is the fugitive act which would significantly reduce the chances that the slaves to escape (Lennon, 2016). In writing a book about Linda and her Children, the lady showed the community the ill effects of the trade and gave them a reason why it should be stopped.

In conclusion, the lady also encouraged slaves by showing them that they could resist the reign by harsh slave owners. The book also highlights the challenges that the ladies in the community suffered from due to sexual harassment from their managers. The use of slaves for sexual pleasure was demeaning to the confidence of female slaves and they had to look for means to avoid it such as by looking for other people in higher positions to protect them. Slavery was a very bad business and the people under it suffered significantly.

References

Jacobs, H. (2019). Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Lulu. Com. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=c1WZDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR3&dq=The+life+of+a+slave+girl&ots=wa2EK1i37s&sig=Ul0z3QLN-qh5FSeDGJ3uRqxG2HY&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=The%20life%20of%20a%20slave%20girl&f=false

Lennon, C. (2016). Slave escape, prices, and the fugitive slave act of 1850. The Journal of Law and Economics, 59(3), 669-695. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/689619

Murdock, D. (2019). Slavery in America. Network Journal, 26(1), 42-42. https://search.proquest.com/openview/60654c46f866cb69c8f5d84bf3b31a46/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=43721