Harriet Jacobs
The short story by Harriet Jacobs shows the case of abuse and slavery that a girl called Linda went through. This girl suffers a lot from the incidents of slavery. Slavery and abuse of human rights is well elaborated .the parents of Linda died leaving her to the mistress to take care of her. This girl was abused by Dr. Flint on sexual grounds. Flint created a love nest in order to share influence Linda into sexual contact with him. He wrote dirty notes to Linda talking about sexual relationship.
The corrupting nature of slavery is elaborated in this book, in detail. The morality of the holders or bosses of slaves is destroyed. This is shown by the fact that Flint became very inhumane towards Linda. The torture and pain slaves go through is reflected from the way Linda was harassed and tortured by Flint. The slaves are treated by their masters in a manner that they appear as objects or animals and the aspects of humanity are not taken into consideration. Mr. Sand betrayed his own slave children in the case that is profitable or convenient to him. He never considered his slave children as human beings; He betrayed the children at a profit. It is, therefore, clear that slavery corrupts the love of a parent for his child as the case of Mr. Sands. Sand considered selling out their children in order to get himself free from the trouble. The aspects of emotional instincts are, therefore, corrupted by slavery.
The slave system has a great influence on the moral aspects in the lives of the slaves. The aspects of adultery and theft are common in the slave system. Linda confessed that the slaves have got no option other than engaging in such cases of immorality and theft in order survive. Slavery makes it difficult for the slaves to develop on the moral aspects and ethical behavior since they have the lack that environment. The slave system is dehumanizing on the lives of the slaves. The slaves have no opportunity to develop their moral characters and ethical aspects.
Jacob also shows the aspects slavery relating to psychological abuse. The slaves pass through deprivation and physical brutality. The cases of beating are also common in the slave system. The author also shows the spiritual and mental anguish that slaves go through at the homes of the whites. The slaves go through cases of beating as well as physical labor. The slaves like Linda are denied the right to choose the people to marry. The slaves were also forced to have sex with their masters. The mental torture that Linda went through was more than physical abuse.
Fredrick Douglas
The narrative by Fredrick Douglas clearly shows how the ignorance is used to facilitate slavery. This narrative shows that the people were made to believe that the black people are incapable of participating in the civil society making them only fit to serve as the workers of the Whiteman. This was facilitated through ignorance. The procedures and strategies used by the Whites to manipulate and make Blacks their slaves are well covered in this narrative. The slaves were main ignorant of the basic things and facts about themselves and their lives. The children of blacks are not allowed to know their fathers and their dates of birth. Slavery, therefore, denies the children a sense of self identity. The children of the slaves were also denied the opportunity to read and write making them illiterate. The denial of education will make them incapable of questioning the acts of slavery by the Whites. The illiteracy and lack of self-identity make the slaves incapable of claiming for their rights.
Douglas also shows that the issue of slavery has negative effects both to the slaves and the slaveholders. The slaveholders suffer from moral health problems. The issue of slavery is, therefore, unnatural to both the slaves and their masters. The masters of slaves also engage in the acts of adultery with their slaves and harassment of the slaves due to the psychological torture they go through in the slaveholding activity. Slavery is a vice that should be eliminated due to the tremendous it is associated with in the members of the society.
Douglas also shows the aspects of slaveholding in relation to Christianity. The slaveholders claim to be Christians while, at the same time, they are torturing the slaves. The aspects and norms of righteousness are highly criticized in this narrative. The hypocritical nature of the slaveholders plays an important role in showing the contradiction with the righteousness associated with Christianity. Christianity is associated with the aspects of peace and charity while slaveholding is shown the immoral and violent actions of the shareholders.
The female slaves are victimized and abused in the Douglas narrative. The female slaves are abused by their own masters. The women slaves are depicted as emaciated people. The slaves were also treated as property in this narrative. The aspects relating to fighting for freedom from slavery are also elaborated in the Douglas narrative.
References
Douglass, F., & Jacobs, H. A. (2000). Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave. New York: Modern Library
