Joanne Delices 03-30-2012 Ms.

Crawther

Enslave By Power In the 1800s, a dark time in American History when human beings were treated as property, slaves were as valuable as cows. Harriet Jacobs, born a slave, lived for many years under the tyranny of an evil master. Through extreme circumstances and hard work, she gained her freedom. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriot Jacobs (writing as Linda Brent) exposes slavery for what it really was and what the life of a slave girl was like. Jacobs wanted to tell her story in order to rally the women of the North to help the women of the south rise out of slavery. This was a time where the struggle for freedom was not only between black and white, but also between men and women-for women have been the minority throughout history. This was a time ripe with possibilities of gret changes. Slavery is an obamination, it exposes the degradation, evil and terrible things men are capabble of. In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Jacobs conveys the horrors visited specifically on the women of slavery, and all in the name of power. Any nation that is indignant and outrage about its freedom being threatened should not dare sullied its hands in the dirty business that is slavery. Because once your hands are dirty, its easy to roll in the dirt. This is how we find slavery at the heart of American history. Once it was itroduce, people became intoxicated by the power of owning a human being- power only brings out the worst in people. It morphs a perfectly normal person into an

unrecognizable evil doer. A key example of what power can turn a man iinto is Dr. Flint, Linda's master. Recognizing the unshakable spirit that Linda has, he went on a hunt to bring her down to her knees, "he told me I was his property;that I must be subject to all his will in all things." For years, this man stalks Linda, a girl with no rights, no freedom so that he can lower her even further and therein feel superior. Not only did Linda life was not her own, she was being tormented, so he Dr. Flint could get the only thing she had left, her belief that she is not inferior to him though he owned her like a common proerty. Power has been the fall of men since the beginning of time, and it will continue to be as as long as men continue to feel superior to one another. The Slaves New Years Day is a key example between the differences the slaves life and those who are free. For the free, its a happy occasion, full of love, presents and well-wishes. For those who are locked in bondage, it is hiring-day, meaning that " at the appointed hour the grounds are thronged with men, women and children waiting like criminals to hear their doom pronounced (12)." For these helpless human beings, the dawn of a new year bring not happy tidings, it brings only fear, sorrow, pain and a future full of uncertainty. For the slave that gives birth in bondage, it is heart breaking for that night "she sits on her cold cabin floor, watching the children who may all be taken from her the next morning; and often does she wish that she and they might die before the day dawns (13)." That is the life of a mother locked in bondage; no control over your life, none over children you brought into the world. The only solace from this dreary life fill with misery, hate, degradation, brutality, rape and broken heart is Death. That is not how the world is suppose to be, but if the world was the way its suppose to be we all would live to make

the world a better place for each and single one of us. In man's need to feel superior we destroy this wonderful ideal idea and in its place we find men enslaving men. The life of a slave girl is like a game of cat and mouse with their master. Guess whos the predator? With no laws to protect them from their masters, they are subject to every deprave, immoral whims that strike ther masters. We are all program to survive and to survive these girls do what they must and are judge most cruelly for that. "But O; ye happy women, whose purity has been sheltered from childhood, who have been free to choose the objects of your affection, whose homes are protected by laws, do not judge the poor desolate slave girl too secerely.(58)" The poor desolate slave girl need to live and the price is steeped. The price is satisfying a masters whims at your own expense, hatred from a jealous mistress and being locked further into bondage. These girls will only breed more slaves and the slaveholders are clever enough to make it law that "the child shall follow the fate of the mother." Ignorant as she is, she is a mother and cannot leave her children even the opportunity presented itself. Slavery is cleverely constructed to beat down the already beaten, to crush all hopes out of the hopeless, to remove all self-esteem from those who cannot indentify themselves. Slavery is an abysmal business and slaveholders know how to put on a show for outsiders. To the outsiders they show only their best fed slaves, the outside of slaves huts where inside a bed often cannot be found, the grounds of the plantation. These visitors ask the slaves if they wish for their freedom, and the only answer tthey can give is no. When the visitors visit is done, any wrong answer will have consequences to pay. So the result is, these visitors

leave the South with a new idea of slavery where initially they thought it wrong and they go out and share this new found idea with others of their ilk. This only hinder the slaves cause and strenghthen the evil that is slavery. But "what does he know of the half-starved wretches toiling from dawn till dark on the plantations? Of mothers shrieking for their children, torn from their arms by tradeslavers? of girls dragged down into moral filth? of pools of blood around the whipping post? Of hounds trained to tear human flesh? Of men screwed into cotton gins to die? (82)" He knows nothing about slavery, only illusions carefully constructed to pull the wool over his eyes. All these terribles are done to these ufortunate human beings and are done in shadows, secret and they dare not speak of it, less they suffer the same fate. Enslaving a human being or any creature is wrong and no amonut of illusions shoud ever tear that truth from our knowledge. You only need to ask yourself if you want to live your life as a slave-your freedom, your rights gone and another person making all your decisions for you and you know that slavery is wrong. Harriet Jacobs told her extraordinary story not to rouse sympathy for herself, but to make the woman of the North aware that many are toiling uunder the tyranny of masters that strip them of their identity and to do something about it. What formed the fabric of American Society in the 1800s,were the issues of freedom, white versus black and men versus women. "These issues became the target for her self-identity, self-preservation and freedom." Each of these issues are linked to power, a need to feel superior to one another. In that vsearch for power we find men enslaving one another, treating each other worse than they would treat an animal. The truth is, power does not only enslave the ones toiling for the supposed "superior" the

"superior" himself is is enslave by power. Power eats away at our kindness, sympathy, empathy and in its path, cuetlty is all that is left.Cruelty itself is at a constant need to be fed, satisfy its craving. Power is cruelty's ultimate goal and favorite meal.