Thursday, April 5, 2012
Horrors of Slavery
Quite a few of the passages in Incidents in the Life are similar to passages in Uncle Tom's Cabin. These books were written just about 10 years apart, with Incidents being the later book. Uncle Tom's Cabin is studied in school, but some in literary authority think that it is not well written enough or too sensationalistic to be included in the category of classic literature. Since Incidents is coming from the perspective of a slave, that might be the reason that it is viewed as being more realistic. As far as I am concerned the negative criticism that is given to Uncle Tom's Cabin is baseless considering that Stowe depicts the life of a slave as factually and with as much detail as Jacobs. Another criticism about Uncle Tom's Cabin is that it is Sentimental. Jacob's book is truthful, but I think it also verges on being Sentimental. Both books depict the lives of slaves and both were written to tell people about the truth of slavery. Any book that shares the horrors of slavery so that the average reader can see the truth should be praised.
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Ann, I am glad you posted this because I have been feeling the same way. I really like the point you make about sentimentalism. When I think about the definition of sentimentalism, I think about a work that attempts to convey a point by appealing to the reader's emotions. Stowe clearly does this in Uncle Tom's Cabin--but doesn't Jacobs do the same? In many ways, Jacobs writing reminds me of modern-day books such as Fast Food Nation, which are overly detailed and harsh in order to affect the reader's point of view. I would argue that by continually bringing up the grievances against slavery, Jacobs is in fact attempting to alter the reader's perception of the world through a one-dimensional, calculated portrayal.
ReplyDeleteJacobs' writing* (correction from last post--gotta love the word auto-change function!)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate Jacob's text so much because it is true. There are so many times in this text when I ask, "Did this really happen?" I find it so hard to believe that Linda hides right under Dr. Flint's nose and does not get caught. Because the work is nonfiction, I feel like the horrors of slavery are magnified. Even though Uncle Tom's Cabin may be historically accurate, I can still wonder, "Did this really happen?"
ReplyDeleteI would call texts, like Uncle Tom's Cabin and Incidents effective. Both text describe grotesque acts commited against humanity causing the average citizen to question the system. The most remarkable of all is woman are causing this gut check of emotion and conscience. The power women from this time is not longer possed domestically. The spark of independence for all races, religions and genders is ignited. The fire must catch and with text like Incidents and Uncle Tom's, they are just adding fuel to the equality fire. This blaze will ultimately lead to the end of slavery and the equality of woman.
ReplyDeleteGood discussion, folks!
ReplyDelete