The Black Womanhood By Linda Brent Essay - 1858 Words

Black womanhood is extremely complex because this is a group of people who have marginalized for centuries. There is a burden put on black women that other groups do not experience. Being a woman in today’s society is a burden alone, but on top of that being African American presents another set of obstacles. Linda Brent in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Janie Crawford in Their Eyes Were Watching God, are both black women who are oppressed by society as a whole, particularly males. Since they have to face twice the amount of oppression, they have even more of a reason to fight for their basic human rights of liberty and respect. By looking at Linda Brent’s fight for independence as a slave, we can see how even though Janie was not a slave, she still fights for independence within her relationships with men. This is important because it shows how Jacobs and Hurston believed that domesticity and over sexualization limits the power of black women therefore they have to be physically and mentally strong. Domesticity limits Janie and Linda’s freedom because it allows them to only control household responsibilities while still being ruled by men. Linda Brent was a house slave which some may say she was privileged but she was subjected to the master’s dominance as well. As a house slave, she got a taste of domesticity by cooking, cleaning, and caring for the master’s children. Unfortunately at the time society believed that women were meant to stay inside and take careShow MoreRelatedEssay about Harriet Jacobs Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl1355 Words   |  6 Pagesworld. The slave narrative became a powerful feminist tool in the nineteenth century. Black and white women are fictionalized and objectified in the slave narrative. 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An introduction by abolitionist Lydia Maria Child puts forth a comparative defense for the book and expresses that the occasions it records are valid. In the book, Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl, the author as by the pen name of Linda Brent tells her story of twenty years spent in slavery with her master Dr. Flint, and her jealous Mistress. She speaks of her trials and triumphs as well as the harms done to other fellow slaves. In her experience as a slave she encountered many problems