The Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriot Jacob - 1454 Words

I never really paid attention to slavery as I did right now. I heard, of course, of all the basic details of it like everyone else and hated the idea of it, but after reading this story, it really hit me on what slaves went through back in the day. In the novel â€Å"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl†, Harriot Jacob chronically writes about her personal struggles and sufferings and that of her families throughout the better portion of her life from childhood to adulthood. Throughout this revealing story, this brave and courageous woman opens my eyes on the extent of the extreme hardships, unfairness, and cruelty that many slaves have faced and lived through every day and every hour with just the hope and faith in God to get them†¦show more content†¦119). While the men do work from dawn to dusk, they do have the comfort of having rest at night most of the times. The women however, work all day and are called upon the master and mistress’s every request even during the night, away from their own families. Most mistresses have women as their child’s nurses through the early periods of birth so that the mistress is not bothered in her sleep by the baby. These women were to be found sleeping on the floor at the entry of their owners bedroom, ready to be awakened if the child woke up. One person that I recalled reading that had this unfortunate position was Jacob’s aunt. While in the pregnancy of her own kids, she â€Å"was required to resume her place on the entry floor, because Mrs. Flint s babe needed her attentions.† (Jacobs, pg. 217). It shows to show that female slaves own needs was not even thought of at all and was shown no respect. They were treated like animals without even a proper bed to sleep on while their owners slept peacefully away, undisturbed. Every day throughout the country, slaves live through the fear that their loves one will be ripped apart from them, sold off to other states and never to be s een again. And in most cases, this happens. That is one of the most difficult hardship many African slaves face because since they are just property with no rights, they have no say in this and can’t stop it. One of the most tragic and