The action of escaping is the breaking free from confinement or control. Individuals all over the world long for some sort of escape, whether it is from family struggles, financial issues, or any arduous and tough situation. Harriet Jacobs, an African-American abolitionist speaker, wrote a story of a slave girl who longed to escape the brutality of her owner. In the midst of her run away to freedom, main character Linda had to remain in hiding, resulting in her lack of verticality. Sylvia Plath, an American poet, shares a poem of a woman who lies on the ground horizontally and too desires an escape, an escape from the world. Both Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and “I am Vertical” share the commonality of the narrators positioning to the ground and their yearning to break free. These two pieces of literature portray many aspects of escape. In one situation, a slave has nothing and craves freedom, compared to a girl who has given up on life and wants to escape. When looked at both pieces together, it is apparent that no matter what one has in the world, there is always some search for freedom.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl recounts the narrative of slave girl Linda who has grown up under the ownership her vicious owner, Dr. Flint. As the story progresses, Linda runs away from her owner. Finding shelter in an attic above her grandmother’s home, Linda finds herself in a cramped and dirty space: “ Some boards were laid across the joists at the top… and the roof was a very small garret, never occupied by anything but rats and mice… The garret was only nine feet long and seven wide… ” (Jacobs XXI). Linda remains under these conditions for quite some time and believes that staying in this small space above her grandmothers home is better than being under the rule of Dr. Flint.

Sylvia Plath’s poem, “I am Vertical”, exhibits a narrator positioned upon the Earth. As the storyteller’s back is on top the grass-covered land, she is in another world, escaping from the one she is living in. The narrator’s body is taken over by the nature around her. As she lays on the ground, she feels as if she’s living in another world, and ultimately longs to be one with nature.

The concept of escape is the breaking free from confinement or control. Individuals all over the world long for some sort of escape, whether it is from family struggles, money problems, or any arduous and tough situation. Harriet Jacobs, an African-American abolitionist speaker, wrote a story of a slave girl who longed to escape the brutality of her owner. In the midst of her run away to freedom, main character Linda had to remain in hiding, resulting in her lack of verticality. Sylvia Plath, an American poet, shares a poem of a woman who lies on the ground horizontally and too desires an escape, an escape from the world. Both readings share the commonality of the narrators positioning to the ground and their yearning to break free. These two pieces of literature portray many aspects of escape. In one situation, a slave has nothing and craves freedom, compared to a girl who has given up on life and wants to escape. When looked at both pieces together, it is apparent that no matter what one has in the world, there is always some search for freedom.

Both Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Sylvia Path’s poem “I am Vertical” share the commonality of lack of verticalness. With this lack of verticalness, both narrators are looking from the ground up in search of some sort of escape. However, both pieces differ in the type of escape the characters are looking for. In Jacob’s excerpt, the narrator is looking for an escape from captivity. But in Path’s poem, the narrator is looking for an escape from the world, ultimately desiring death.

Both Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Sylvia Path’s poem “I am Vertical” share the commonality of lack of verticalness. With this lack of verticalness, both narrators are looking from the ground up in search of some sort of escape. However, both pieces differ in the type of escape the characters are looking for. In Jacob’s excerpt, the narrator is looking for an escape from captivity. But in Path’s poem, the narrator is looking for an escape from the world, ultimately desiring death.

Throughout these two chapters, Harriet Jacobs continuously uses imagery to paint a vivid picture for the reader. By doing so, Jacobs is able to have the reader visualize the conditions she was living in in order to escape her life as a slave.

We leave here in hope of change. We hope you will keep our speech in mind as you consider how to make yours, and our, school better. It is time to fix these elevators, make the dorms feel closer to home and truly make Baruch home- everybody’s home. Imagine walking outside of your dormitory and getting on a free shuttle that drops you off right in front of your school. after taking your ID card and walking through the revolving doors, you see no lines for the elevators and you decide to take it all the way to the top, since you have time before your next class. You get off at the top floor, the “green-roof” . You find a nice bench underneath and tree, and you sit down to review your notes before class. This is something that seems almost impossible, but can easily be achieved. We would like this to be an ordinary day at Baruch College, but we need your help in order to make that posssible. Ever since Baruch has renovated the Newman Vertical Campus, student loyalty has sky rocketed. The same can be done for the Lawrence and Eris Building with both your support and help. If we did it once- we can do it again and we will do it again and we must, do it again.