Although the people from Africa already new slavery on the African continent, they experienced totally new insights into slavery when arriving in the New World in the 19th century. Henceforward, a new era of dehumanization, depersonalization, brutal and dreadful mistreatments of Afro-Americans took place, which still in these days influence the history of the United States.
Harriet Ann Jacobs’ Incidents in a Life of a Slave Girl (1861) and Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845) are two autobiographical slave narratives which show on a very impressive, personal and emotional level the repercussions, the atrocities and effects of slavery on the individual slave as well as on the slaveholders.
However, it can be read that under an economy of slavery, both male and female slaves are feminized or “ungenered” and that the denial of subject status is linked to the exclusion of slaves from participation in the gender system that structured the dominant society (cf. Boesenberg 1999: 119). In this paper it will be analyzed and discussed in how far these gender-defining statements made by Boesenberg in particular can mislead the reader. Actually, a lot of gender-bound experiences of slaves will be pointed out in this paper which illuminate that the individual slave acts and lives accordingly to his or her gender.
The aim of this paper is to emphasize differences of gender-bound experiences between Douglass’ and Jacobs’ narratives. Firstly, a depiction of slavery will help the reader to empathetically imagine the conditions of the situation in which the slaves and the slaveholders lived together. In a second part the influences of slavery on the social environment will be analyzed while focus will be given on the one hand to the slave families and on the other hand to the slaveholders. In a third part punishment and abuse, which are split into physical and psychological abuses, will be discussed. In the end the conclusion sums up the results from the previous chapters and analyzes the view on gender in a slavery-controlled society mentioned in Boesenberg’s as well as in Matterson’s essay.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Depiction of slavery
- Influences of slavery on the social environment
- Slave families
- Slaveholders
- Punishment and abuse
- Physical abuses
- Psychological abuses
- Conclusion
- References
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to examine the distinct gender-bound experiences of slaves as depicted in Harriet Ann Jacobs' Incidents in a Life of a Slave Girl (1861) and Frederick Douglass' Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845). By analyzing these autobiographical narratives, the paper will demonstrate how slavery impacted the lives of both male and female slaves, highlighting the specific challenges and perspectives of each gender.
- The dehumanizing and depersonalizing effects of slavery on both male and female slaves.
- The impact of slavery on slave families and the challenges faced by enslaved mothers and children.
- The role of gender in the experience of punishment and abuse, with a focus on physical and psychological abuses.
- The ways in which slavery affected the social environment, highlighting the interactions between slaveholders and slaves.
- The limitations of existing theories on gender and slavery, as revealed through the individual experiences of Jacobs and Douglass.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter of this paper introduces the reader to the concept of slavery as presented in both Jacobs and Douglass' narratives. This section examines the metaphorical language used by the authors to depict the brutal reality of slavery, focusing on the specific experiences of women as slaves.
The second chapter delves into the profound impact of slavery on the social environment, with a specific emphasis on the experiences of slave families. This chapter explores the ways in which slavery disrupted family bonds and how enslaved mothers and children navigated the challenges of their situation.
The third chapter will focus on the different forms of punishment and abuse endured by slaves, considering both physical and psychological abuses. The analysis will pay close attention to the ways in which gender influenced the nature and severity of these punishments.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper explores the theme of slavery through the lens of gender, examining the experiences of both men and women enslaved in the United States in the 19th century. The primary focus is on the gender-specific experiences of slaves as depicted in the autobiographical narratives of Harriet Ann Jacobs and Frederick Douglass. Key concepts include the dehumanization and depersonalization of slavery, the impact of slavery on families, and the various forms of punishment and abuse endured by slaves.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Sonja Schasny (Autor:in), 2009, Different Insights into Slavery due to Gender-Bound Experiences , München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/144413
