Recently in our Communications class we've been listening to audio books. Our current selection, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, has been chosen to help us learn more about early life in the Thirteen Colonies, particularly in relation to the lives of slaves in the U.S.
We know that the people who were forced to leave their homelands to work for others did not have an easy life by any means. We know that their owners were often cruel, if not outright brutal toward those slaves who were in their care. We also know that slaves had little to no protection under the law.
Based on the book that you've listened to so far, what has surprised you about the slaves' experiences? What have you learned that you wouldn't have expected to have happened? What would you have done if you lived during that period?
First of all, I had never realized that the slave owner's were so cruel. They were all cussing at them and calling them the "N word". I am also surprised that they actually put up with that. If i were them I wouldn't put up with that.
ReplyDeleteI have learned at least two new words including, "Flog", at least I think that is how it is spelled. Anyway the word "Flog" is another word for getting spanked, but getting "Flogged" hurts much worse. I probably wouldn't have been able to survive during this period. I didn't think that the slave owners would be so brutal to the slaves.
ReplyDeleteI thought the audio book that we were listening to was a very good book. It was talking about the life of a slave girl and how she was treated. She was never treated fair, she was sold several times, and her owners treated her badly some even liked her and there wives got mad. She had two children and named them Benny and Ella. They even took her children to jail to get there mom to come back, it didn't work and before they took them to jail Ella had the measles and so the doctor took her in and Ella screamed until she went back to jail. Her mom was thankful that she screamed until she went back to jail otherwise they would have treated her very badly. She was hiding at one of her grandmas friends house until they stopped looking and she was only 20 years old when she ran away.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a great book, and that I learned that they were REALLY mean. I liked the book a lot and would like to read it again.
ReplyDeleteIt shocked me that the owners treat their slaves that badly. It makes me wonder why they do it, because they don't have an actual reason to act that way. It's good that, for the most part, people aren't treated this way now though just because of their color.
ReplyDeleteI think one thing that shocked me was that it was illegal for a slave to teach another slave how to read or write, which in my opinion was a cruel law. They were treated as if they had no right to a education at all. Also, I was shocked to find out the extensive detail of the cruel remarks said to Harriet Jacobs and her family.
ReplyDeleteThe book is really interesting so far. And I do believe that it was so cruel when they beat and whipped them when nothing was for it. It would've killed me to see the whole experience myself. Because the "masters and mistresses" of ALL ages ended up very cruel.
ReplyDeleteI find the book itself very good. It's the story that it's telling that makes me sad. The slave masters were very cruel, and did some unspeakable things to their slaves. Oh, and @Omaraboy7 Actually, I think flogging is a form of being whipped.
ReplyDeleteI think it is terrible what they do to the slaves. They treat them terrible and how they force them to do stuff. If they disobey just for a second they will get in trouble. They will be hung,slashed,cut,and more.They just have to make them suffer for no reason.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy this book, it tells about what happened by telling of personal experiences. Although it is a sad book, but knowing that she lived through it all and wrote a book is encouraging. I'm surprised that the masters and mistresses can go from kind and nice to mean and cruel so easily and quickly. I didn't expect the slaves to be allowed to have kids, I thought they just brought over more slaves from africa when they needed them. I probably would have had a slave but I would be nice to them like her first mistress.
ReplyDeleteWhat really surprised me was that they use the "N" word so freely throughout the book. I know she meant for this book to show how the people were treated but I think that she shouldn't have used the "N" word so much. Personally I don't think I would be able to survive through being called names and being "flogged", the slave life was horrifying!
ReplyDeleteSome of the things that surprised me was that they used the "N" word in the book instead of using a different choice of words. I was also surprised that they were beat as much as they were. I thought that was really brutal. I didn't think that they would get treated so bad either. I honestly don't know exactly what I would do if I lived back then. I would probably listen and do what the master says so I wouldn't get in trouble or get beat as much.
ReplyDeleteI think it is terrible what they do to the slaves. They treat them terrible and how they force them to do stuff. If they disobey just for a second they will get in trouble. They will be hung,slashed,cut,and more.They just have to make them suffer for no reason. I mean they barely let them eat drink and they made them do everything for them. If they dont they could be whipped to death hung by a lung and bleed to death. They were killed in so many ways just for not doing what they ask. It is crazy.
ReplyDeleteI think it is terrible to own slaves and to do to them what they did was even worse. But it is easy to say what you would do now and not be able to do it and live back then and have a hard time knowing what to do it would either mean that you are hated and disliked by all your friends or be a slave holder. I myself would much much rather be hated by everybody than be a slaveholder.
ReplyDeleteI think that the book is okay. The storyline is sad, but it had a happy ending. I thought that it was cruel of the slaves not being able to learn to read or write.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was quite amazing how slaves would handle putting up with the things there masters do to them. I guess that there is some convincing in the consequences, like lashes, or having your fingers or toes cut off.
ReplyDeleteIf I would have lived there during that time, I think it would have been difficult to see how many people were brainwashed. I also would want to do something about it but, I probably would be terrified to do so.
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ReplyDeleteI was terrified when I really heard the way slaves were treated. The way they were used like tools that could be thrown away because they have a darker skin color. That doesn't mean they deserve a life of pain, filth, darkness, and finally when they can't take it anymore… death. This book really shows the way life was for slaves in that time.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that some actually had to hide in little holes in the grounds for months with out much anything. I also learned that they would use dogs to take down runaway slave or ones that misbehaved. I wou;d like to think that if I lived in that time if I had slaves that I would treat them more like a worker instead of a slave.
ReplyDeleteThere is no good reason for the slaves to be treated like that. I think the slave owners were to lazy to get off their lazy butts and actually do something for themselves besides buy a slave. This information was not news to me because I read about these kind of things a lot. If I was a Slave, Honestly, I would have killed my master and made way for a boat and go back to Africa.
ReplyDeletewhat surprised we the most was that they would whip slaves over a hundred times.one thing that i didn't expect to happen was how slaves would stay in holes underground for months with no food or water if i lived in that period of time i would perches a whole bunch of slaves take them to the north and free them all and do that all around the south.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the book was very moving and informative when it came to the treatment of the slaves. Normally the masters/mistresses were cruel and unfair but sadly the slaves had to put up with it. I'm glad that slavery has ended
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