— Kevin Lliguichushca
Harriet Jacobs’s, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is such a powerful novel because it comes from her point of view. She had to build up the courage, to express her firsthand experience in order for others to get a deeper message. The author even had to use a pseudonym, to protect her identity.
The first line “born a slave” was so disheartening because that was the reality for colored people at this time. It was a disastrous cycle that placed colored people at the bottom. They were looked at as property and not as human being’s with heart and potential. As we see when Dr. Flint gets married and inevitably acquires Harriet. Dr. Flint and his wife are nasty and mean people. Their characters portrayed how most slave owners acted.
Chapter Five is the most eye-opening one because it was a way of catching other female readers in the North. Ruthless, Dr. Flint had been consistent in trying to sexually assault Harriet. He had threatened and strike fear into her. Unfortunately, around this time female slaves were often raped and or killed for trying to avoid the lust of their masters. Although it may have been difficult for Harriet to explain her story, I believe her courage to express her own experience was the only way to bring the greatest amount of attention and change. Harriet had been afraid to talk about her situation with everyone including her grandmother. She even tried to look for guidance through Mrs. Flint. But all Mrs. Flint had was anger towards her. As it mentions in chapter 6, she was jealous. It felt like she was insecure herself. She even made Harriet swear to the Bible, in which Harriet did with no trouble. This strikes a similarity to what you mentioned earlier in the discussion. That although the name “slavery” isn’t as active as it uses to be. Human trafficking is basically the same. Stripping away a human being’s freedom and rights. When people are taken against their will. It’s such a traumatic state to be in, that they can’t trust anybody. Just how Harriet had trouble looking for help.
