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Women in Literature-Sexually related plots Sexuality This is one the strongest driving forces of the social progress and art development. In society sexual aspect and satisfaction has played the major role. The majority of outstanding personalities liked to mention that sexual attraction had been consciously or subconsciously the goal of all their inceptions. The ordinary people do not differ here from the notorious icons; the common people are also driven by sexuality for the most parts of their lives. The literature has always been one of the most versatile means of art for expressing the sexual innuendo or statements. The book Iliad by Homer is of the most ancient and the greatest works of art, the book which has been for many years a traditional foreword of literature studies.
Iliad is the first literary work that emphasizes the role of sexuality in the society and in the lives of its every member. From the times of Iliad and until present times the themes of sexuality have always been the most recurrent in literature. Literature has always reflected the societal distinguishing of male sexuality apart from female sexuality and the rules by which the latter was bound. The history of Western society is characterized by social segregation. The Western Europe of the ancient times was characterized by noblemen and their vassals, the Russia of XIV XIX centuries was characterized by villeinage and pre-civil war America was characterized by slavery. It is important to notice that the segregation existed not only between the races or classes but also between the sexes.
This segregation ran deep within the society norms and values and it determined the behavior of woman and the treatment of them by the men. The slaves of all epochs were aspiring for freedom starting with biblical Moses Exodus from Egypt. The same was with women. They aspired to get free from the boundaries in which they were confined by masculine society. This work will review two literary works: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora N. Hurston and discuss the roots of sexual motivation in these works in relation to female emancipation.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself was written by Harriet Ann Jacobs in 1861. This work is primary the autobiography of Harriet Ann Jacobs, who was born as a slave, became an orphan in her early ears and became the victim of her evil master. The book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself portray the fight for freedom by a plain slave girl, who found in herself the strength to resist the existing reality. The author set out to describe the life of female slave in the American East. She said that owners of slaves used people not only like workers but also like sexual objects. The life of slaves was full of hardships, toil and gloominess, but the life of female slaves was also full of terror, sexual harassment and terrible shame.
The slave women were giving birth to children from their masters and those children remained slaves. The households could consist of white legitimate children and their white or black illicit siblings who remained slaves. I once saw two beautiful children playing together. One was a fair white child; the other was her slave, and also her sister. When I saw them embracing each other I turned sadly away The fair child grew up to be a still fairer woman her slave sister drank the cup of sin, and shame, and misery, whereof her persecuted race are compelled to drink (Jacobs, p. 47 - 48). This extract fully describes that white children and slaves were segregated from the moment of their birth despite their relations and their destiny was settled.
The author of the book described her autobiography and her narration style is very calm and unhurried. Such narration is meant to relate the events of a nice country life and being applied in this text it creates the juxtaposition, which eliminates the horrors of the surrounding reality. The idea of feminine sexuality is very omnipotent in this book. The woman is described here in all fazes of development: from early childhood through adolescence and adulthood to maturity.
In all phases of development the womans perception and awareness of herself changes, which depends on her internal physical and emotional state and her place in the society. The idea of feminine sexuality is very omnipotent in this book. The woman is described here in all fazes of development: from early childhood through adolescence and adulthood to maturity. In all phases of development the womans perception and awareness of herself changes, which depends on her internal physical and emotional state and her place in the society. I WAS born a slave; but I never knew it till six years of happy childhood had passed away. (Jacobs, p. 11) The author did not associate herself with slavery, and this ignorance is related to her childhood phase of development. To certain degree sexuality is subconsciously associated with slavery by the author and the ignorance of the child equals here the purity of a virgin and innocent mind.
The girl lost her parents early and psychologists usually associate orphanage with early and compulsory beginning of physical, emotional and sexual development. As the girl passes into adolescence she becomes aware of the full truth of slavery. The seductive behavior of her master symbolize the girls first awareness of her sexuality, the female power over men and her denial of this fact, which is very characteristic to the majority of adolescents. The reality of slavery is pictured on the background of this fabulous revelation of physical growth and development. Commonly slaves were not considered as humans, that is why they were not expected to be treated humanly and they could not bear jealousy.
The owners could not be condemned of crime, because according to the society and criminal laws one cannot commit a crime against a beast or an animal. As the girl comes to physical adulthood and into full bloom of her sexuality he becomes aware that sex is the weapon which not only hurts but also defends. The girl entered into the affair with the prominent person in order to rid of Dr. Flint. The years which the protagonist of the story spent in hiding symbolize the middle age crisis in physical development of the personality. At this stage the person has already required sufficient life experience but physically is still in her prime.
The personality is totally formed and ready for action. The years of hiding were the time required for making final decisions and choosing the right path in life. At this age the person is not ruled by sexuality and only conscious decisions can determine the choice. It is very interesting to follow the authors unique method of statement that not only women slaves were discriminated but all women of the American East.
Feminine sexuality plays the major role in this statement. Through the expression of sexuality the author makes two statements: all females, slaves and mistresses were equal and they all were discriminated. The author says that the society of the American East was well aware of the situation with slavery: Southern women often marry a man knowing that he is the father of many little slaves. They do not trouble themselves about it. They regard such children as property, as marketable as the pigs on the plantation. (Jacobs, p. 57) The slave men had no say in that matter as in any other matter, the white mistresses closed a blind eye on that and the white masters were free to humiliate their property. But not all mistresses expressed such indifference towards the matter.
The author described her mistress in the following words: My mistress grew weary of her vigils; they did not prove satisfactory. She changed her tactics. She now tried the trick of accusing my master of crime, in my presence, and gave my name as the author of the accusation. (Jacobs, p. 54) In this passage the author states that the laws of nature, the laws of Christianity and moral are above the laws of slavery. The mistress acted according to her ancient primary sexual instincts, she saw the competitor in the slave woman and in this way she recognized her as the equal. Harriet Ann Jacobs successfully narrated the life of the female in the masculine society, the gradual physical and emotional development of the personality. The author openly states that female sexuality is the very essential factor of her life, it can create obstacles to her plans or it can help her but it can never go unnoticed.
This is the important reality of life which determines the persons behavior and her choices. It can reveal the secrets and break the laws; it always brings the person or society back on the track of natural development. Sexual motivation is essential in this book. The author describes that all human actions are dictated by their sexuality, to certain degree we are all slaves of our sexuality.
Jacobs tells...
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Research essay sample on Life Of A Slave Girl Feminine Sexuality
