Slave Language of Truth
Abolitionists supported slave narratives for obvious reasons, but how can we know the formerly enslaved were writing the truth? After all, slaveholders believed slaves to be lesser humans whose emotions and intellect were not fully developed; they couldn’t love or grieve in the way Whites did. Plantation owners believed slaves were dependent on owners for shelter and food. So, how did language of slave narratives change that perception? And, how do we know what happened to people, really did happen?
Check the list summarized from an article by Charles Nichols for The Phylon Quarterly. Compare that list with the excerpt you’ve assigned to read to decide if Jacob’s narrative is true. You don’t have to, but you may want to use Olney’s conventions too—and the conventions of memoir. Do you think the idea of writing about past life experiences was evolving?
You may want to consider the interactions Jacobs (under the name Linda Brent) had with her master and mistress. Think about what Jacob’s story tells us about the corruption of power. Is the interaction between Jacobs and Norcom about race and power or gender and power? If any of this rings true for you, you can use it in your essay. From chapters 1,5, & 21 500 words
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/11030/11030-h/11030-h.htm#link2H_4_0004
