The paper analyzes the connection of slavery and gender depicted by literary devices in Harriet A. Jacobs’ "Incidents in the life of a slave girl" compared to Frederick Douglass’s "Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass". This paper is going to examine a few examples of the language and literary devices in these narratives and how they function.
In the first section of the paper the focus is on the literary depiction of slavery and gender in "Incidents in the life of a slave girl". In the second part the portrayal of these two characteristics is examined in "Narrative in the life of Frederick Douglass". In the third chapter, the attributes already mentioned are compared to each other. Finally, a conclusion follows. The literature used contains these two slave narratives by Jacobs and Douglass, as well as other writings about these narratives, literary stylistic devices, and the slave topic in general.
The year 1773 was essential to the beginning of African American literature in general and also for the genre of slave narratives. By publishing her first book of poetry and being the first female black writer, Phillis Wheatley paved the way for the development of black literature. As part of this development, the genre of slave narratives emerged as well. Slave narratives are written stories of African American slaves and their personal experiences and sufferings during their time of enslavement.
Their escape into freedom was often a turning point in the story. The author of these stories wrote them to depict the dehumanising and degrading effects of slavery. Furthermore, slave narratives were written especially for a white audience, since the narrators wanted to obtain that readers believed in the horrors they had to endure and to show the importance of abolishing the institution of slavery. To achieve that the narrators often used a very distinctive and vivid language in their narratives to support the imagination of their readers.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Literary Devices in ‘Incidents in the life of a slave girl; written by herself’ and ‘Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, written by himself’
2.1 ‘Incidents in the life of a slave girl; written by herself’
2.2 ‘Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass’
3. Comparison Jacobs and Douglass
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines how the connection between slavery and gender is represented through various literary devices in Harriet A. Jacobs’ 'Incidents in the life of a slave girl' and Frederick Douglass’s 'Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass'. By analyzing the authors' strategic use of imagery, symbolism, and narrative structure, the study highlights how these devices function to expose the inhumanity of the institution of slavery while illuminating the distinct experiences of male and female slaves.
- Analysis of literary devices in slave narratives
- Symbolism of the 'snake' and 'blood' in the context of slavery
- Representation of sexual abuse and gender-specific exploitation
- Comparison of female and male perspectives on enslavement
- Reflections on the 'male gaze' and the concept of 'open prisons'
Excerpt from the book
‘Incidents in the life of a slave girl’
In the narrative „Incidents in the life of a slave girl; written by herself” Harriet Ann Jacobs tells her story of growing up as a slave in a white household. Jacobs uses the pseudonym Linda Brent to represent herself. She tells her reader how she experienced the horrors of being a female slave and how she managed to escape. To support her story, she uses a lot of strong literary devices. The following pages are going to examine a few of these literary devices and how they function in telling the story.
The cover and the title of the narrative are already contradictory, as Professor Lynn A. Casmier-Paz from the English Department of the University of Central Florida claims in her article “slave narratives and the rhetoric of author portraiture”. Since the title is called “the life of a slave girl” and the portrait on the cover shows an old woman, Jacobs wants to show that due to the circumstances slave girls were forced to grow up to womanhood too fast. This point is often supported in the book because Linda doesn’t articulate in accordance with her age. In Chapter seven Linda talks back to her master like an adult even though she is just 15 years old at this point. She tells him that she despises him for having struck her for an honest answer. This discrepancy in the way of expressing herself and her age creates a feeling of sympathy for her and supports Jacobs’s narrative to convey the point that girls had to already be mature at the age of an adolescent person. Another example for this is that Linda also gets pregnant at the age of 15. Linda thought of the pregnancy as a means to escape slavery since slaveholders often sold female slaves together with their children. Having to go to such lengths and hoping to be sold portays the hopelessness and cruelty of Linda’s life as a slave.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This chapter introduces the historical emergence of slave narratives and outlines the thesis regarding the depiction of slavery and gender through literary devices in the selected works.
Literary Devices in ‘Incidents in the life of a slave girl; written by herself’ and ‘Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, written by himself’: This main section provides a detailed analysis of the symbolic imagery used by both authors, specifically focusing on the snake and blood, and examines how these devices represent the brutality of the slaveholding system.
Comparison Jacobs and Douglass: This chapter contrasts the two narratives, highlighting their structural similarities while distinguishing between the authors' respective focal points—Jacobs' emphasis on the sexual exploitation of women and Douglass's focus on manhood and physical liberation.
Conclusion: This final section synthesizes the findings and reaffirms that both texts successfully use stylistic devices to portray the dehumanizing conditions of slavery, acknowledging the unique gendered experiences revealed by the authors.
Keywords
Slave narratives, Harriet A. Jacobs, Frederick Douglass, Slavery, Gender, Literary devices, Imagery, Symbolism, Male gaze, Abolitionism, Sexual exploitation, Freedom, Dehumanization, Patriarchy, Identity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this scientific paper?
The paper explores the literary representation of slavery, specifically focusing on how gender influences the experience of enslavement, as depicted in the narratives of Harriet A. Jacobs and Frederick Douglass.
What are the primary thematic areas covered in this study?
The study covers themes such as the use of literary devices, the symbolism of power and cruelty (e.g., blood and snakes), gender-specific abuses, and the struggle for freedom.
What is the central research question or goal?
The goal is to analyze how Jacobs and Douglass utilize language and imagery to depict slavery's brutality and to compare how the intersection of gender affects their respective portrayals of their experiences.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The paper employs a comparative literary analysis, utilizing close reading of the texts and incorporating secondary literature on literary tropes and historical contexts.
What is the focus of the main section?
The main part of the paper examines specific literary devices in each text—such as the symbolism of the snake—and analyzes the differences in how each author approaches the themes of exploitation and personal agency.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is defined by terms like slave narratives, literary symbolism, gender-based violence, abolitionist literature, and the comparison of traumatic experiences under the institution of slavery.
How does the author characterize the 'snake' symbol in both narratives?
The snake is interpreted as a symbol for the deceitful, cunning, and dangerous nature of the slaveholder (e.g., Dr. Flint and Mr. Covey), representing both the psychological threat and the perversion of moral order.
What distinguishes Harriet A. Jacobs' perspective from Frederick Douglass's perspective?
Jacobs focuses more on the specific sexual exploitation and vulnerability of female slaves, whereas Douglass emphasizes the struggle for physical autonomy and the reclamation of manhood.
How is the concept of the 'open prison' applied to Jacobs's situation?
The 'open prison' serves as a metaphor for the offer of a private cottage from her master, which would have granted her a illusion of freedom while keeping her trapped within a system of sexual objectification.
- Quote paper
- Anna Schmiedehausen (Author), 2023, The connection of slavery and gender depicted by literary devices in Harriet A. Jacobs' "Incidents in the life of a slave girl". Comparison to Frederick Douglass's "Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1478863
