Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Questions and Answers
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Who is the intended audience in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
The audience in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was middle-to-upper-class Christian white women. Harriet Jacobs's narrative was published during the Civil War and sought to gain her audience's...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What's a strong thesis statement for an essay on the portrayal of women's experiences in slavery in Jacob's Incidents...
A strong thesis statement about the unique experience of women in slavery as portrayed in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl could discuss Linda Brent’s particular vulnerability to sexual assault.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What might have motivated Harriet's mistress to bequeath her as a slave to her niece?
Harriet's mistress bequeathed her as a slave to her niece likely due to ingrained racism, viewing Harriet as a commodity rather than a person. Despite teaching Harriet Christian values, the mistress...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Compare and contrast Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Frederick Douglass's An American Slave.
"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is a slave narrative written by Harriet Jacobs, a fugitive slave from North Carolina. First published in 1861, the book details Jacobs's life as a young woman...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Why is Harriet Jacobs hesitant to write Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
Harriet Jacobs faced some hesitation in publishing her book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. She was concerned with how the public would see this (incredibly bold) act and whether or not they...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What prompts Linda's decision to escape in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
Linda's decision to escape is prompted by the master's plan to use her children to control her. When her children are brought to the master's house, she realizes they will be treated as servants and...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, what is the author's main purpose?
Harriet Jacobs's main purpose in "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" is to expose the specific horrors and unique challenges faced by enslaved women, urging free women to oppose slavery. Unlike...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Why does Linda choose to be with Mr. Sands in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
Linda chooses to be with Mr. Sands due to her lack of rights as a slave, leaving her vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Initially, Sands appears as a protector, contrasting with the abusive Dr....
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What critique does Harriet Jacobs give to Northerners visiting the South in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, author Harriet Jacobs, through the narrator, Linda Brent, offers a critique of Northerners who come to the South and try to assume the role of a Southern...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Jacobs' motivations and methods for seeking freedom in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs is motivated by a desire for personal freedom and the safety of her children. She employs methods like hiding in a small attic space for seven...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, why does Jacobs believe slavery is a curse to both whites and blacks, and...
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Jacobs claims that "slavery is a curse to the whites as well as to the blacks" because she believes that slave ownership corrupts the souls of white people....
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
How is irony portrayed in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs?
Irony is the most significant element in Jacobs’s novel. At first, Linda's grandmother was freed from slavery, but later she was kidnapped and sold to slave owners. The irony behind this is that her...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What rhetorical devices are in Harriet Jacob's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs employs rhetorical devices such as pathos and ethos. She uses pathos by emphasizing her writing difficulties to evoke sympathy and emotional...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, how does Harriet feel about her life before and after turning six?
The change in Harriet’s life is very clear. When she is six, she lives a happy life with her family and has no idea that she is a slave. After the death of her mother, her life changes in several...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
How does Jacobs in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl define freedom versus not being enslaved?
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs defines true freedom as living in a free society in which there are no slaves. This is why she says that she felt "pure, unadulterated...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What does the gold chain symbolize in this passage from Jacobs's story?
In Harriet Jacobs's story, the gold chain symbolizes the oppressive nature of slavery. Although intended as a gift, Jacobs views the chain as a metaphor for slavery's yoke, expressing her hope that...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Why does Harriet Jacobs believe slavery is harder on women than men?
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs says that slavery is harder on enslaved women than on enslaved men because men sexually abuse women and girls. In addition, enslaved women...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What implicit and explicit arguments does Jacobs make against slavery in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
In "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," Harriet Jacobs makes explicit and implicit arguments against slavery by highlighting its fundamental evils, particularly for women. She describes the...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
The significance, story, and identity of Harriet Jacobs in "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl."
Harriet Jacobs, in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is significant as one of the first African-American women to write a slave narrative. Her story details the severe oppression and abuse she...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What challenges did Linda Brent face under Flint in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
Linda Brent faced numerous challenges under the Flints, rooted in the cruelty of slavery. She endured inadequate clothing and food, constant threats, and the jealousy of Mrs. Flint, who subjected her...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What actions do the Flints take after discovering Linda's departure in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
After discovering Linda's escape, the Flints frantically search for her, starting at her grandmother's house, where they question her grandmother but are relieved the children remain, believing Linda...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, who supports and opposes Linda?
Linda is supported by her family, her first mistress, and the Bruce family, while opposed by the Flints. Her early life is decent, with her parents being respected members of their community. Her...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What are 5-7 quotes from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl that demonstrate the inhumanity of slavery?
The 5–7 quotes that show the inhumanity of slavery are 1. When she recalls how her grandmother was promised freedom in her mistress' will but was then told she would be sold. 2. The quote referring...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
How does Jacobs's gender shape her experience in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, gender shapes Harriet Jacobs's experience as a female person in a patriarchal society, especially during the years when she was enslaved. She made several...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Which parts of Jacobs's narrative most convincingly portray the evils of slavery?
Harriet Jacobs's narrative powerfully illustrates the evils of slavery through various incidents, including the dehumanization and abuse faced by slaves. A poignant example is when Jacobs, at 15, is...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What is the theme of Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
The central theme of Harriet Jacobs' work is the unique and harsh experiences of female slaves, highlighting how slavery is particularly brutal for women due to sexual exploitation and lack of...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What are the main points raised in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
The main points in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl highlight the unique and severe hardships faced by female slaves. While male slaves endure physical suffering and harsh conditions, female...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
How are the narratives in Rowlandson's A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration and Jacobs's Incidents in the...
Both narratives explore themes of female victimization and family disruption, with Rowlandson's colonial-era captivity narrative and Jacobs's 19th-century slave narrative highlighting the role of...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
How did Dr. Flint's wife influence Harriet's life in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
Both Mr. and Mrs. Flint have profoundly negative influences on Linda Brent, the fictional character that Harriet Jacobs uses to tell her story. Mr. Flint is a sexual predator, and his wife blames...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What role do friends and family play in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?
In "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," friends and family provide crucial support for Linda, offering refuge from slavery's brutality. Her friend Betty hides her, and her grandmother offers...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Which does Harriet Jacobs's narrative present as the bigger danger: threats to the individual or to the family and home?
In her narrative, Harriet Jacobs emphasizes the danger of threats to the family. Slavery undermines the family because slave holders, not parents, have legal authority over children. Jacobs based...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, how does Linda Brent's choice of freedom over marriage challenge...
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Jacobs’s closing thought about marriage and freedom could be read as a response to Jane Eyre. In Jane Eyre, the eponymous character tells us, "Reader, I...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
The garret in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl symbolizes both Linda's degradation and her salvation
The garret in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl symbolizes both Linda's degradation and her salvation. It represents degradation because it is a cramped, oppressive space where she is forced to...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
How do Linda in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Sethe in Beloved resist enslavement and cultural myths...
Linda in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Sethe in Beloved resist enslavement through their maternal actions. Linda's determination to protect her children from slavery leads her to escape...
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
What was the strongest force in Harriet Jacob's life: slavery, religion, or her ethnicity?
The strongest force in Harriet Jacobs' life, as depicted in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is slavery. This institution profoundly shaped her experiences and is central to the narrative,...