Beyond the brutalities endured by all slaves, women suffered the added anguish of sexual exploitation and deprivation of motherhood . In “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” Harriet Jacobs focuses on racial subjugation but also gives voice to another type of captivity that men impose on women, regardless of their color. This form of servitude is not only imposed on women by men, but it is also accepted and perpetuated by women themselves. Jacobs's account faithfully captures the unique struggles of enslaved women, a perspective that has received relatively little historical attention, and shows how, even in this extremely difficult situation, one can fight for liberation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayCommunity and personal relationships are described as a key element in shaping the slave woman's experience. Jacobs attributes the success of his escape to a joint effort, but the importance of relationships in his narrative extends far beyond this aspect of his story. First, the slave mother's central concern is her relationship with her children. This relationship is the reason Jacobs does not escape when she could, but later it is the reason she becomes determined to do so. By emphasizing the importance of family and home throughout his narrative, Jacobs connects them to universal values ​​with which his Northern readers will sympathize. She goes on to point out that the happy home and family are those blessings from which slave women are excluded. Jacobs reveals that his first teacher taught him to read and spell. Her ability to read makes her vulnerable to harassment from her master; he begins to impose his immoral attentions on her through vulgar notes, which forces Jacobs to feign illiteracy. After Jacobs escapes to the North, her former master continues to harass her with letters, sometimes threatening her and sometimes trying to entice her to return. While her ability to read makes Jacobs vulnerable to her master's abuse, it nevertheless constitutes a source of power for her. For example, before even reaching the North, she is able to arrange for her letters to be sent from several Northern towns. Jacobs' decision to take as a lover a white man other than his master is more complex than a "bad choice" that rejects virtue in favor of illicit sex. The choice of virtue and marriage is denied him, and Jacobs' only possibility of asserting his sovereignty lies in the act of choosing. She chooses one illicit union over another, explaining: “It seems less degrading to give oneself than to submit to coercion. There is something akin to the freedom of having a lover who has no control over you except that which he gains through kindness. and attachment" (71). Jacobs takes responsibility for her choice, emphasizing that she "made it with deliberate calculation" (70). Even though she aspires to the same ideals of virtue and purity as her readers white, she emphasizes that for the slave girl and the conditions of slavery, this ideology is simply unattainable. Jacobs fully acknowledges her transgressions against conventional sexual morality while she was a slave. At the same time, however, she states a truth. unquestionable: the morality of free white women has little relevance or ethical authority when applied to the situation of enslaved black women in the South. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. personalized now from our editors..