Literary Analysis Slave Narratives Essay - 1188 Words

Prior to the publication of any slave narrative, African Americans had been represented by early historians’ interpretations of their race, culture, and situation along with contemporary authors’ fictionalized depictions. Their persona was often â€Å"characterized as infantile, incompetent, and...incapable of achievement† (Hunter-Willis 11) while the actions of slaveholders were justified with the arguments that slavery would maintain a cheap labor force and a guarantee that their suffering did not differ to the toils of the rest of the â€Å"struggling world† (Hunter-Willis 12). The emergence of the slave narratives created a new voice that discredited all former allegations of inferiority and produced a new perception of resilience and ingenuity.†¦show more content†¦Like Douglass, Jacobs also exposed the harsh treatment towards slaves while proving that American â€Å"blacks could succeed at the same activities as whites† (Hunter-Willis 26) through her own narrated experiences. Her resolve to write demonstrated a â€Å"resistance to the patriarchal system of slavery† (Peterson 158) by sharing the exploits of slavery through her own point of view. Shielded from the atrocities of slavery during her childhood, Jacobs depicts family life among slaves as one that remains intact in a â€Å"comfortable home† (29) through the example of her own family. Each member held limited rights along with the ability to work and the privilege to use their earnings as they pleased. It is not until the death of her mistress where she finally begins to feel the effects of slavery in the sudden separation of her family who are â€Å"all distributed among her [mistress’s] relatives† (Jacobs 33). The separation of family is one of the most integral subjects of her narrative since â€Å"motherhood [plays a great role] in her life† (Wolfe 518). Jacobs appeals to the emotions of her female audiences by contrasting a slave mother’s agonies in her separation from her children with the â€Å"happy free women† (40) whose children remain with her since â€Å"no hand† (40) has the right to take them away. The s eparation of families in Douglass’s narrative does call for some pity but the event is not as tragic in comparison toShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1450 Words   |  6 PagesReid Champlin Mrs. Stack AP English, Period 7 14 August 2015 In His Own Words: Analysis of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass They say that one can never fully understand a situation until he/she is put into that scenario themselves. Too often, history is written by those who have only read and researched the issues, remaining distant and objective to get all the facts straight. While there is honor in this approach, one cannot experience the horror of war, the thrill of victory, orRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay858 Words   |  4 Pagesfaced these challenges and liberal statesmanship. Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2005. Print. This a book about Frederick Douglass’s remarkable life. He was born a slave in 1818 on a plantation in Maryland. He taught himself how to read and write becoming a renowned writer and orator. 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A plethora of similarities exist between these works, both of which include the education of an African American protagonist, the aid of Irish benefactors, and social conventions that seek to prevent both of the aforementioned occurrences from taking place. The principle difference between both of these works is that Douglass excerpt depicts the epoch of chattel slavery, in which educating of slaves, particularly toRead MoreMansfield Park; Empire Orientalism from Edward Said Essay1437 Words    |  6 Pagesargument in his essay ‘Jane Austen and Empire’ and then show whether you support or refute it. Edward Said’s analysis of Jane Austen’s narrative in her 3rd novel ‘Mansfield Park’ (1814) is based on his own studies of ‘orientalism’. This term is defined by Said as a variety of false assumptions /depictions of Eastern people within Western attitudes. This is achieved, he argues, through the literary discourse provided by post-enlightenment, post-colonial American/European (Western) authors. Said draws ourRead MoreNarrative Structure Of Maxine Shore s The Captive Princess1303 Words   |  6 Pagesdomain of the possible or imaginable† (White 147). This essay will articulate an analysis of the narrative structure of Maxine Shore’s The Captive Princess, along with the character development of the protagonist Princess Gwladys Ruffyd, the antagonist, the Holy Roman Emperor Claudius, and the motivations behind some of their more notable characteristics. There are three basic components to the structure of any narrative; conflict, crisis, and resolution. Brian Upton, author of The Aesthetic of PlayRead MoreMetaphors from Slavery to Post Emancipation: An Exploration of The Loophole of Retreat and The Veil1613 Words   |  7 Pagesattract some and action to attract others. 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