"...but it is far more terrible for women."

In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Jacob’s gives great insight into the life of an African American (mulatto) slave woman.  Her gender plays a huge role in different things she experienced as a slave.  Being an African American (mulatto) slave meant being at the bottom of the social ladder and adding female in front of that title meant even more prosecution.  Jacob’s paints the picture of her tragic life and the struggles that she had to endure because she was a woman slave.  It amazes me that this type of treatment took place in a nation that was founded on the ideas of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Obviously there were extensive measurements that needed to be taken to ensure these rights to all races and peoples, and it incredible that America has come so far. 

Jacob’s is restricted in numerous circumstances because of her gender.  First of all, since she is a slave woman, she is restricted in whom she can marry.  At the beginning of the story, she falls in love with a free African American, but her owner will not allow her to marry him because she is a slave woman.  She could only marry a slave man and her master does not give her an option, he says, “if you must have a husband, you may take up with one of my slaves” (773). One of the main themes that Jacob’s emphasizes is the idea that, “the child shall follow the conditions of the mother, not the father” (780).  This places restrictions on women because most women did not want their children to have to endure the life they were apart of, but if masters had relations with his slaves, and they became pregnant, the mother was responsible for the child.  The woman could not ensure a better life for her baby because he/she would be born into a life of slavery.

The power relationship between women and men during this time period, especially between a slave woman and her master were colossal.  The difference was night and day.  In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Jacob’s displays this power struggle in the relationship that she has with Dr. Flint.  The master is in control; he is the ruler over the slaves and more specifically the women slaves.  He has the ability and authority to do what he wishes.  He can have sexual relations with any of his women slaves and treat them as he please-like dirt, less than dirt.  Jacob’s describes the way Dr. Flint looks at her by explaining, “no animal ever watched its pray more narrowly than he watched me” (774).  He was predator and she was his pray.  She was at his mercy and he had complete power.  He treated her and watched her as if she were an animal; this also displays the idea of dehumanizing the African American race.  The relationship between Jacob’s and Dr. Flint only change after Jacob’s runs away and resorts into hiding.  While in hiding Dr. Flint still had power over Jacob’s but in a different form.  He still could instill the fear factor into Jacob’s and for this reason she remained in hiding.  His power/ male dominance power is still present, even after there is not contact between the two characters. And then finally after Dr. Flint dies and Jacob’s receives her freedom the power struggle dies down.

I believe that Jacob’s tries to resist the gender roles that society has stamped on her life.  She wants to be an independent woman.  She can read and she can write, which was uncommon for a woman, much a less a slave woman.  She does not want to be confined to the life of slavery.  She resists her master in the beginning and does want to obey him because she values her self worth and dignity.  As a mother, she resists her roles a little because she leaves her children and goes into hiding.   From the story, you can tell that she desires to be with her children, yet she still decides to go into hiding and abandon her children for sometime.  This defiles gender roles because the mother was usually the caregiver especially when the father was a white man.  She had sole responsibility of the children, however Jacob’s still decides to go into hiding to escape percussion.

Gender was a large aspect of life during this time, especially for women.  I find it very telling that Jacob’s expresses, “ when they told me my new-born babe was a  girl, my heart was heavier than it had ever been before.  Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women” (780).  This quote displays the difference between gender and degree in which mistreatment was felt.  Women suffered the most difficulty.  They were abused sexually, mentally, and physically on countless occasions.  It is incredible that this took place and people did not see how awful these women were being treated.  Before Jacob’s baby girl was born she was in morning because she knew what kind of life her daughter would have to endure.  I cannot imagine as a mother knowing the mistreatment your daughter will go through in the future and there is nothing you can do to stop it from happening. Jacob’s opened my eyes to what it would really be like to be a woman during this time period especially as a slave.  She was the lowest of lowest and was treated even worst.        

We are called to love, yet did we?

When European’s came to America, they came seeking freedom from the British Empire.  The new world gave people the opportunity for religious freedom and a dream of a better life.  The freedom that people desired when they arrived in America developed into the free society we have today, but I find it very ironic that while the colonists were seeking freedom from Britain they were mistreating the Native Americans and not giving them the freedom they deserved.  The white man came to America and took over, along with that, they pushed the Native Americans off their land, killed them, and took their women for wives.  The European white men robbed the Native American’s freedom that they had for centuries and treated them very poorly.  It is amazing that no one stepped back and thought something was wrong with this picture- we are seeking freedom while taking the exact thing from someone else? How did that make sense?  Did the white man not see a problem with this?

The mistreatment of the Native American people is an overarching theme in “An Indian’s Looking Glass for the White Man” by Apess and “Indian Names” by Sigourney. Apess expresses the mistreatment of the Native American people from a religious perspective, while Sigourney shows how much the white man owes to the Native American people.  I think that both Apess and Sigourney have very valid points in displaying the mistreatment of the Native American’s and they each do it in a unique way that displays the importance of the Indians. 

Apess highlights the fact that God called His people to LOVE one another and this was not taking place in America during this time.  Many European’s were Christians and in fact came to America seeking religious freedom and knew the word of God, yet they did not always live by it.  Apess calls out the white man for not treating the Native American people as Christ would treat others.  They do not love on the Indians; they do the exact opposite.  Apess brings to light the fact that “we find that Jesus Christ and his Apostles never looked at the outward appearances.  Jesus in particular looked the hearts…” (643).  This shows Apess’ desire for the white man to look beyond the red skin of the Native Americans and look deeper into the heart of the people who have lived in America long before the white man showed up.  Apess also presents the idea that, “God is the maker and preserver of both the white man and the Indian, whose abilities are the same and who are to be judged by one God, who will show no favor to outer appearances but will judge the righteousness” (640).  God is the God of ALL people, and no one deserves to be treated differently because of race.  God is the judge of souls, not the white man. 

In the poem by Sigourney, the white man mistreated the Native American people, yet America and the names of many landmarks are all due to the Native American people.  The Indians died and suffered treatment that they never deserved and the only thing preserving their culture are the names of different places in America.  But without the Native American people these places would not be known as they are today.  The white man owes much to the Native American people, yet in return they received mistreatment.         

The Beauty in "The Tenth of January"

Beauty is a unique characteristic in life, but it surrounds so many different aspects of life in our society.  What is beauty?  Is it solely a person’s outer appearance? Is beauty seen as an inward quality?  Is beauty really in the eyes of the beholder? What qualifies a person to be seen as beautiful? These are all valid questions when America as a society is dominated by material success.  Americans are infatuated with beauty.  Advertisements and movies are filled with what America sees as “beautiful people.” Women need to be thin, tall, have long bond hair, and blue eyes in order to be beautiful by American standards.  However, this truly does not encompass what beauty really is in life.  Beauty is a driving force in America society, and this theme is also seen throughout “The Tenth of January” by Elizabeth Phelps.  

            During this time in America, there was a standard of beauty just as there is in today’s culture. Asenath is not seen as beautiful to the outside world.  She has a humpback and a scar on her face and she tries to hide herself from others.  One day when she was walking home, someone passing her said, “Look at that girl! I’d kill myself if I looked like that” (Phelps).  This is sad and just shows how inconsiderate people can be and just how important society views outer appearance.  The theme of beauty is also seen between the comparison of Del and Asenath, in which Del represents the ideal American beauty and Asenath displays the opposite.  However, it is interesting that Asenath is the one with the fiancé and Dick has promised to love her and be with her.  I think this displays that beauty is not always what is on the outside because Dick really does care for Asenath.  He may not have looked at her the way he once looked at Del, but he was faithful to Asenath.  The love that Asenath’s father shows for her is not conditional to her outer appearance; he loves her greatly and encourages her when life is challenging because of her condition.

            Physical beauty, especially during this time period was influential in American society and it is amazing that it is still a driving factor today.  I do think that things have gotten better surrounding this issue, but Phelps did a good job of displaying throughout the story how important this one factor was during this time.    

And the two shall become one...

“The Wife” by Irving displays the importance of marriage and women in America.  Marriage and women are a vital aspect of life in America because the companionship in marriage with a woman provides not only support and comfort for her husband, but she also provides an uplifting and tender spirit.  Men and women are different in multiple ways, but in the context of marriage, they balance each other out in a way that cannot be described. Irving displays the fact that a man needs the companionship of a woman to get through each day and especially during the hard times in life. He states, “I have observed that married men falling into misfortune, are more apt to retrieve their situation in the world than single men” (526).  The support system that is in the context of marriage is unlike any other.  However, it is interesting that Irving has this stance on women during this time period because women did not have the same rights as men.  “The Wife” presents women as a necessity in life for men and demonstrates the need and importance of marriage in American society. 

Irving also addresses the economic issue at hand in “The Wife” with the story of Leslie.  At the beginning, Leslie was ashamed of his circumstances and did not want anyone to know the predicament he was in, especially his wife. But after talking to his friend and then his wife, by the end of the story he realizes that sharing his struggles with others and having a support system was more important than being embarrassed about his circumstances.  This shows the value that Americans have for working hard and overcoming adversity with the support of others.  Irving shows that relationships are vital in overcoming economic adversity. I also think that this concept relates back to the Bible and the importance of marriage that is displayed throughout the Old Testament and New Testament.  The idea that the two become one is demonstrated in "The Wife" in many ways and this would relate to the people reading during this time period because life was centered on the Bible.  

The Effect of the Printing Press

From our class discussion and the reading over American Literature 1750-1830, I constantly see the importance of the printing press during this time period.  It revolutionized not only America, but also the world as a whole!  The printing press allowed individuals the accessibility to books, articles, pamphlets, newspapers, and other texts on a whole new level.  And in return there was a rise in education.  For instance, in America, the Puritans focused on education and wanting everyone in their society to be able to read and interpret the Bible as an individual.  This would have not been possible without the printing press.  The idea of the printing press seems simple to us today and I have never really thought of how it was a central point of development and the way in which it transformed America.    

“The changes in print culture between 1750 and 1776 were crucial to the development of both colonial unity and a growing sense of national identity” (314).  It is amazing that because of print culture, the colonies in America developed a sense of unity and identity as a country.  What would have happened if this didn’t take place during these crucial years of developing as a country? Would we be where we are today? The effect of print in our culture and nation has transformed America into the society we are today.