The Audience of a Slave Girl

Paper Summary:

This paper describes how Jacobs' novel describes her life as a slave in the South, while the narrative is specifically directed toward Northern white readers. It explains how the text is not just created to describe her life, it is also intended as a plea for help and understanding. The paper discusses how Jacobs created a narrative incorporating stereotypical assumptions and views, while effectively using them to force the Northern white reader into responding in the way she intends.

From the Paper:

"Jacobs opens her narrative by describing her parents and grandparents. In doing this, she ensures that they are presented in such a way that the Northern reader would judge them to be good people. This is important to the meaning of the text, since Jacobs needs the readers to believe that slaves like her deserve something better. The way Jacobs describes her parents offers an insight into what Northern people would consider a respectable person. Jacobs introduces her father saying, My father was a carpenter, and considered so intelligent and skillful in his trade, that, when buildings out of the common line were to be erected, he was sent for from long distances, to be head workman (Jacobs 430). This description emphasizes that her father was considered valuable to society in general. He was not merely a hard worker, he was so capable and skillful that he was desired for his abilities. This suggests that the Northern people value men for what skills they can offer to society as a whole, with the worth of a man determined by what he can contribute."

More papers on The Audience of a Slave Girl:

• Book Review # 75582 : "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" and Womanhood"
• Analytical Essay # 72278 : "Harriet Jacob's "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl"
• Comparison Essay # 54960 : "Male and Female Slavery in America"

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