Relevance to Today

Relevance to Today

Reward Notice for Harriet Jacobs

Harriet Jacobs faced many problems in her 27 years as a slave. Harriet Jacobs’s narrative, The Incidents Life of a Slave Girl is still relevant in today’s society because there were major matters that took place in her novel that are still being faced today. Jacobs allowed her readers to get an insight of what really took place during her years as a slave, mother, and mistress. Rape, leaving her children, and self-doubt are just a few of the problems Jacobs was forced to deal with. 

Harriet Jacobs was a slave for Dr. Flint, like many slave owners he raped and tortured. In today’s society there is still rape going on and also human trafficking which is relevant to what Jacobs went through. Jacobs was bought as a slave and forced to work and obey to the sexual tendencies Dr. Flint forced upon her. Human trafficking is essentially exactly what Jacobs went through. Dr. Flint would rape Jacobs and women, as well as males, are raped every day. In the Narrative Jacobs tells her readers how she has finally understands that yes she is a slave but she can stand up for herself and because of that she takes a stand, although she may regret it in time, she does what she thinks is best.

Harriet Jacobs had 2 children and thought the best way to protect them was to leave them. Parents are unfortunately faced with this issue all of the time in today’s society. It can be seen that if they leave the situation than their children will be protected from the danger. When children are involved in today’s society, sometimes it is seen as easier to leave them because of the harm that could be faced from abusive spouses, families that disapprove, financial problems, and any other difficult situation. So when Jacobs left her children in hopes to protect them and return home to them again it is relevant because many parents do this today.

When Harriet Jacobs had an affair with another white male, Mr. Sands while she was being raped by Dr. Flint she was dealing with many internal issues. When she was going through these issues she saw herself as being impure. Many women are faced with having self-doubt and seeing themselves as lesser because of society. Society is giving women the inclination that they have to be a certain way just like Jacobs, which is why women deal greatly with internal issues.

      Harriet Jacobs and women in today’s society are strangely interactive. It is amazing, but yet also unfortunate that the troubles Harriet Jacobs went through are still taking place today. Society should take what Jacobs has said and went through and put it to use by trying to stop what happened to her. The fact that what has happened in the 1800’s is still going on today in 2013. Women are still be rapped, leaving their families, and having incredible self-doubt. Society should take what has happened in our past, like Harriet Jacobs, and work from it.