Harriet Jacobs "Letter from a Fugitive Slave"

Question 1

What did Harriet Jacobs write?

Answer 1

“Letter from a Fugitive Slave”

Question 2

Time period and relevant historical context “Letter from a Fugitive Slave”

Answer 2

1850s pre-civil war, precursor to her book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Question 3

plot summary “Letter from a Fugitive Slave”

Answer 3

In the form of a public letter arguing for abolition through an emotional appeal against the horrors of slavery, Jacobs anonymously details her experiences as a slave, focusing particularly on her sister’s experience of exploitation and abuse.

Question 4

key characters “Letter from a Fugitive Slave”

Answer 4

N/A

Question 5

notable formal or stylistic elements “Letter from a Fugitive Slave”

Answer 5

Public letter
First-person narrative, but frequent direct appeals to the audience

Question 6

important themes and recurring motifs “Letter from a Fugitive Slave”

Answer 6

Exposing the untold horrors of slavery from actual lived experience

Question 7

Where is this from: “But in Uncle Tom’s Cabin she has not told the half. Would that I had one spark from her store house of genius and talent I would tell you of my own sufferings—I would tell you of wrongs that Hungary has never inflicted, nor England ever dreamed of in this free country where all nations fly for liberty, equal rights and protection under your stripes and stars. It should be stripes and scars”

Answer 7

Letter from a Fugitive Slave

Question 8

Where is this from: “That child gave herself up to her master’s bidding, to save one that was dearer to her than life itself. And can you, Christian, find it in your heart to despise her? Ah, no!”

Answer 8

Letter from a Fugitive Slave

Question 9

other useful inter ID “Letter from a Fugitive Slave”

Answer 9

emotive style of righting, lots of exclamation