If a slave is unwilling to go with his new master, he is whipped, or locked up in jail, until he consents to go, and promises not to run away during the year.
Harriet Ann JacobsRead
Southern women often marry a man knowing that he is the father of many little slaves. They do not trouble themselves about it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the complex dynamics of relationships and societal norms, particularly in the context of racism and gender roles.
Harriet Ann Jacobs, through this quote, critiques the moral indifference of Southern women who marry into a system of slavery. It reveals not only their complicity in a deeply unjust system but also reflects on how personal relationships can be intertwined with social and ethical dilemmas, prompting a deeper examination of conscience and responsibility within the context of societal injustices.
Themes
SlaveryRelationshipsEthicsIndifferenceSociety
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on historical injustices, this quote can illustrate the moral complexities of personal relationships in oppressive systems.
More from Harriet Ann Jacobs
All quotes βThe war of my life had begun; and though one of God's most powerless creatures, I resolved never to be conquered.
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No pen can give an adequate description of the all-pervading corruption produced by slavery.
Harriet Ann JacobsRead
But I now entered on my fifteenth year - a sad epoch in the life of a slave girl. My master began to whisper foul words in my ear. Young as I was, I could not remain ignorant of their import
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I would rather drudge out my life on a cotton plantation, till the grave opened to give me rest, than to live with an unprincipled master and a jealous mistress.
Harriet Ann JacobsRead
If you want to be fully convinced of the abominations of slavery, go on a southern plantation, and call yourself a negro trader. Then there will be no concealment; and you will see and hear things that will seem to you impossible among human beings with immortal souls.
Harriet Ann JacobsRead
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