1 page response to "incidents in the life of a slave girl" by harriet Jacobs

Essay by BanettiUniversity, Bachelor'sA, December 2002

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Harriet Jacobs was born into a family of African American slaves. Unlike Frederick Douglass, she was not taken away from her parents when she was born. Her parents tried to make their home as normal as possible. They succeeded for a long period of time. Harriet didn't know that she was a slave until her parents died when she whilst she was still a young girl. When they died her grandmother took care of her.

One part of her life that really stood out to me was when she ran away from her master. This event posed a serious threat on her life. Most of the slaves thought about running away, although they did not because they would have to deal with severe punishment if they were caught, and even if they did, most did not have anywhere to go. Harriet had it all planned out well. She would hide until her friend could smuggle her to the free states.

She was hiding right under her master's nose the whole time he was looking for her. In her grandmother's house they had a secret room built. The room was incredibly small for someone to live in. Her grandmother would sneak her food threw a tiny opening. She stuck it out and stayed hidden until it was the right time to escape. When the time came, she made it safely out, and made it to the free states.

This was an extraordinary scene in my eyes. I don't think that I could have survived what she went through. She was a brave and dedicated woman, who was willing to sacrifice her own life, just to be free, and to give inspiration to others in the same position as her.