Abuses of Enslaved Women

While slavery in the United States represents an especially abusive institution for all enslaved, enslaved women had an especially precarious situation to deal with that most of their male counterparts did not. Interestingly enough, enslaved women at various historical moments in the system of US slavery even had very different experiences. Not to say that each woman did not have her own very individual experience, because she did. What is to say, is that in the 17th century enslaved women were treated, with what one could argue, with relative dignity (considering she was in bondage). This is in contrast with the last days of slavery when abuse and degradation were rampant. Phillis Wheatley and Harriet Jacobs represent two examples of the contrast of time. Wheatley was thoroughly educated by her "masters" and encouraged to write. Her "masters" even saw to the publication of her poetry. Jacobs, on the other hand, was psychologically tormented by her "master" and threatened with sexual abuse (if not sexually abused) to the point of her running away and leaving her children behind.

Notes on Truth

Two versions of Sojourner Truth’s speech that is directed to a clergyman who spoke of the weakness and helplessness of women support link between the writer’s portrayal of slavery and the inaccessibility of the truth. Both speeches claim to be the words of ST from her speech at the women’s rights convention in Akron, Ohio in 1851. On the one hand, her words are written down days after her speech in the Anti-Slavery Bugle June 21, 1851. The author, after a brief introduction of the speech, writes down her speech in whole form as he claims. Her speech seems rationally spoken as she argues for the rights of women and the precarious situation of the enslaved man. According to the writer, she logically sets up her argument against some of the other speakers at the conference and rebuts them calmly and powerfully. Naturally, the Anti-Slavery Bugle would like to portray this emancipated woman as an intelligent and controlled woman, but still, the depiction seems more accurate than not. On the other hand, there is an excerpt from the The Narrative of Sojourner Truth written down by Francis Gage in 1878 that portrays Truth in a radically different light. Twenty-seven years later, Gage remembers the speech much differently. After emancipation, gage portrays Truth as the stereotypical black woman in bondage. She uses the so-called dialect of slaves that was popularly depicted in literature and seemingly embellishes the speech, perhaps to gain a wider reading audience. It seems Gage had her own motives for reinventing the speech. Regardless of the exact wording, Truth eloquently and wittily describes her physical feats as a woman as reproduced in all types of labor.

Wisdom from Mansfield Park

"We all have a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be." Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

The 1999 film based on the Jane Austen novel Mansfield Park offers so many great words of wisdom to consider--both in relation to the historical and social context of the novel, as well as our contemporary situations. The quote above points quite nicely to the character of Fanny, her wisdom and her moral superiority in the novel. Recall the scenes involving the attention paid to her by Henry Crawford. With his proposal for marriage all parties tried to influence Fanny to accept. They were convinced that, basically, he was a great catch--money and power and all that. At all costs, they attempted to convince Fanny to marry him, but she adamantly refused. She listened to her instincts and followed her own common sense...until, she seemed to have lost her moral compass. Living in the stressful and poor conditions of her early childhood home, and with the temptations of Henry Crawford's promises of love and comfort, for a short moment she said "yes." However, her unconsious mind would not let her rest, and she experienced distressful dreams until she took back her word. Naturally, Henry was disappointed, but Fanny had to follow the guidance of her inner-most self. She had to follow her instinct, and it was only a short while before Henry revealed his unchanged womanizing self.

I wonder how many times we refuse to follow our own instincts, we refuse to follow our own hearts, but instead follow the lead of others even when we know their lead to be misled. The incredibly morally correct Fanny has taught us a valuable lesson: we should indeed listen to our inner voice or we may end up in an unbreakable contract with a Henry Crawford, or dishonored living with Aunt Norris.

Women in Literture

What means women and literature to me?

It means struggle, education, work, literacy, space, brilliance, creativity, challenge, prejudice, fight, fun, freedom, words, words, words, voice, power---loss, gain, lost, survive, sisters who could but could not, mothers who wished but wanted, roles and reassignments, hidden faces behind fictitious names---that which will never be because it never was---that which was born and that which was killed---words written, words erased, words imagined---Women in Literature---women writing, women living, women reading, women succeeding--that means women in literature to me.