In American Studies, we've been reading the narrative of Frederick Douglass. Before this year, I thought I had a general idea of slavery from previous classes, but after going in depth about it i feel different. About half way through
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass there are multiple incidents where violence is immensely shown through words. Parts that really struck me were when women, the wives of masters, brutally murdered a slave or brutally whipped a slave for the smallest of reasons.
"The wife of Mr. Giles Hick, living but a short distance from where i used to live, murdered my wife's cousin, a young girl between fifteen and sixteen years of age, mangling her person in the most horrible manner, breaking her nose and breastbone with a stick, so that the poor girl expired in a few hours afterward" (pg. 15)
Later in the page, Douglass explains that the girl was briefly buried and the woman was not pursued for the warrant out for her. Mrs. Hick killed this young slave because she was deprived of rest and fell asleep tending for the master's child.
"Mrs. Hamilton used to sit in a large chair in the middle of the room, with a heavy cow skin always by her side, and scarce an hour passed during the day but was marked by the blood of one of these slaves." (pg. 21)
After reading this, it struck me that a woman of this time period would have such nerve to commit an act such as this. I feel that white women during slavery would be..sensitive towards slavery, like they wouldn't tolerate the violence thrown at the slaves. Reason? Because the women were belittled by the men, they were powerless. But after thinking about this, women during this time had no power. They were a minority and lacked power and equality. On the plantations, or in their homes, they had power over the slaves. Could it be that, they were so angry and misconstrued that the men were greater than women, that they lashed out on the slaves? I didn't expect a woman to perform such harsh acts towards a slave, maybe that's just my opinion of women at that time, or lack of knowledge on the subject.
Emily,
ReplyDeleteIt's really cool that you were able to pick up on that. I definitely think you're right...women in power in this narrative are acting more cruelly than you would expect because they have little power themselves. You mention that the women were probably angry and resentful,and saw slaves as a way to get their power back, and that makes a lot of sense seeing as they had so few rights back in those days. I think that another reason why women would be unnecessarily cruel towards their slaves is they just don't feel as bad for them. The women at that time don't have the right to vote, they don't necessarily always have the right to choose who they marry, and they certainly aren't treated as full human beings. I think the idea of a person not being treated as a full human being today is completely unimaginable, but in their day the southern women were no strangers to being dehumanized, therefore they weren't as repulsed by the thought of slavery. Just as some people were born women, some people were born slaves and they had to deal with the consequences.
Actually, contrary to what both of you are saying, I really feel as if a woman's lack of rights should in fact be more of a reason for them to be more sympathetic towards slaves. Women at the time understood what it was like to be born in a position with circumstances they didn't have the power to change. For this reason, wouldn't it make sense for them to be more empathetic?
ReplyDeleteIt seems like the brutality of the women exemplified in the book was not just to show the cruelty of women in particular, but was meant to show the cruelty of slave holders in general. I view the examples of the women as simply another example of the terrors of slavery, equally as terrifying as the punishments of the men.
Emma: I agree with your thought on "Just as some people were born women, some people were born slaves and they had to deal with the consequences" because it shows that they couldnt help the fact that they lacked power or control. I wonder how slaves viewed women and their lack of power..thank you for your input!
ReplyDeleteKasia: I completely agree with your feeling that a woman should be more sympathetic towards slaves because of their treatment as well. That's what came to my mind when I read the two quotes. I thought the same thing, but it does show the cruelty of slavery and slave holders in general. I think it would make sense for them to be more empathetic.