Jacobs

Question 1

Who was the first African American woman to author a slave narrative in the U.S.?

Answer 1

Harriet Jacobs

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861)

Question 2

What inspired Harriet Jacobs to write her narrative?

Answer 2

Success of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

None

Question 3

Why did Harriet Jacobs write under a pseudonym?

Answer 3

To mask the identity of characters in her story

Form of protection from readers whose empathy was not a given

Question 4

What accusation was commonly made against Harriet Jacobs?

Answer 4

Accused of not having written it herself

Common accusation at that time

Question 5

How did Harriet Jacobs contribute to the abolitionist cause?

Answer 5

By capturing attention of Northern white women, showing how slavery debased/demoralized women & deprived them of the right to make their own homes

“Angel in the House” ideal of the era

Question 6

What truth did Harriet Jacobs expose in her narrative?

Answer 6

Sexual exploitation & use of her own sexuality as a weapon against exploitation

None

Question 7

What is sentimentalism?

Answer 7

Arousing emotion, especially sadness & tears

Example: grandmother’s letter expecting reunion in heaven [256]

Question 8

What does sentimentalism stress the importance of?

Answer 8

Family

Example: dead uncle finding rest in heaven [260]

Question 9

What is the desirability of death according to sentimentalism?

Answer 9

Looking forward to the afterlife as a better place, reuniting with lost loved ones

Example: story ends with freedom [260]

Final paragraph [261]

Question 10

No Legal protection for slaves

Answer 10

slaves couldn’t have property
slaves couldn’t legally testify on their own behalf
children of slaves legally ‘followed the condition of the mother’

Question 11

Dehumanization of slaves

Answer 11

Lslaves occupied positions similar to animals, or machines

Question 12

Sexual abuse of female slaves

Answer 12

female slaves faced an additional form of exploitation

Question 13

Hypocrisy of slave owners

Answer 13

slave owners claimed to be Christian, but did not behave in a Christian manner

Question 14

What does Harriet Jacobs excuse her affair with due to different moral standards for women like her?

Answer 14

She excuses her affair due to different moral standards for women like her.

Example sentence: Jacobs justifies her affair by explaining that society holds different moral standards for women like her.

Question 15

What significant event occurred in 1831 in Virginia related to rebellion?

Answer 15

1831: Nat Turner’s slave insurrection in Virginia occurred.

Recent film: The Birth of a Nation

Question 16

What does Harriet Jacobs use direct address for in her narrative?

Answer 16

She uses direct address to connect with and motivate readers.

Question 17

What guides Harriet Jacobs when she escapes?

Answer 17

The significance of the North Star guides Jacobs when she escapes.

Question 18

What was the impact of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act on the black population in New York City?

Answer 18

The impact of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act on the black population in New York City is discussed.

Page reference: 253-54

Question 19

What was the network used to help slaves escape to freedom?

Answer 19

The Underground Railroad was the network used to help slaves escape to freedom.

Question 20

What double standards are highlighted in Harriet Jacobs’ narrative?

Answer 20

Double standards such as a runaway who ‘stole from his master’ and the inability to worship freely even in the free city of New York are highlighted.

Page references: 255, 258

Question 21

What does jacobs do instead of living as a slave?

Answer 21

Hides in her grandmother’s attic for years rather than live as a slave, despite being one of the more fortunate ones.

[244]

Question 22

How does jacobs secure her freedom?

Answer 22

Resists paying money for her own liberty, but is sold at last to secure her freedom.

[259]