Comparing and contrasting the slave narratives of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs Free Essay Example, 1500 words

This new focus has been evidenced in the narratives of Douglas and Jacobs (Jacobs 107). Jacobs’s narrative depicts the story of a woman who addresses their painful sexual past in order to publicize it and insist that the issue of sexual abuse of slave women be integrated in public discourse of the slave question. Her slave narrative tackles the issue of gender role and the strength of a person’s spirit. Her focus is not only on the slavery system but also the life of a slave. It enables one to trade in the mind of the slave and understand what went on in their minds. We can see what deterred the dreams of the slaves and also what made them possible, i.e. their community and culture (Jacobs 115). Jacobs, just like Douglas focuses on the role of the ancestor in the individual’s life and also that of the community. She portrays Lelinda grandmother as a woman who is full of skill and spirit. The slave narratives of Jacobs and Douglas differ from earlier literature s ince they highlight directly the pains the slaves went through and the reader is forced to experience what it is like to be an American slave. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing and contrasting the slave narratives of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page They were also kept uneducated and their illiteracy prevented them from understanding their world. Those who learnt to read and write such as Douglas and Jacobs always rebelled against their masters. The lives of Jacobs and Douglas in their narratives included different experiences but which allowed them to relate to each other’s stories. Both are born in slavery but experience happier times during their early childhood, until the time they both experience the loss of their mothers at an early age. They are both of the view that slavery destroys families. Douglas explains his emotions after losing his mother and says, â€Å"Never having enjoyed to any considerable extent her soothing presence, her tender and watchful care†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Douglas 117). Popular films and literature at the beginning portrayed slavery as field work that wasn’t as harsh as it was made to appear but narratives such as Jacobs and Douglas changed this view.