Humanization, or recognizing qualities of an individual that are typical of a human to portray them as worthy of fair treatment, is prevalent in both Harriet Jacob’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Booker T. Washington’s Up from Slavery. Both narrators possess a desirable trait that drives them to escape the devastating effects on their life from slavery. Washington’s desire for knowledge throughout his life motivates him to reach the school in Hampton and establish himself. His passion for education indicates that he is just as human as readers and deserving of their empathy. Similarly, Jacobs portrays Linda’s connection with others as her primary motivation for escaping slavery. She makes sacrifices to provide her children with a life of freedom, which indicates her humanity. Humanization was used by both authors to prove to white readers that they are deserving of empathy and fair treatment amidst their distressing experience as a slave.
Washington, in Up from Slavery, dreams of going to school but lacks the privilege of receiving an education as a child. When describing carrying books to the schoolhouse for one of his mistresses, he writes, “The picture of several dozen boys and girls in a schoolroom engaged in study made a deep impression upon me, and I had the feeling that to get into a schoolhouse and study this way would be about the same as getting into paradise” (Washington, 5). Although most children take the privilege of learning for granted, his greatest aspiration is to gain knowledge. He lacks basic resources but feels the most significant absence in his lack of education. Taking night classes and working in the salt-furnace, his eagerness for learning motivates him to work hard to get into school. Even when Washington is finally let in, he works in the furnace every morning and night. His passion for gaining knowledge motivates him to make these sacrifices when advancing himself and creating educational opportunities for black people. Washington’s eagerness in learning shows readers that he is human and deserving of access to education as a basic human right. Therefore, whether he intended to or not, Washington humanizes himself by consistently describing a quality that makes readers more sympathetic towards his experiences as a slave.
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Jacobs humanizes Linda by incorporating descriptions of her connections with others. Specifically, Linda cherishes her grandmother and children. When she hides in a confined space for seven years, her children are her source of hope. She describes, “Season after season, year after year, I peeped at my children’s faces, and heard their sweet voices, with a heart yearning all the while to say ‘Your mother’s here’” (Jacobs, 124). Despite suffering physically and mentally from hiding for many years, she continues hiding to escape the control of Dr. Flint and give her children a better future. Linda making sacrifices to provide her children with a better life than her own shows readers that she is human and deserving of fair treatment. Readers can relate to having deep connections with loved ones and are likely to feel sympathetic if they can see themselves in Linda.
Linda’s connection with others and Washington’s passion for learning are examples of traits that urge readers to see them as humans that are worthy of empathy. However, constant descriptions and examples of these humanizing qualities should not be necessary to show that black people were always deserving of basic human rights. Authors should not have had to prove that these characters are human, and people should feel sympathetic towards Linda and Washington simply because they experienced the cruelty of slavery. Although humanization should not have been necessary in these narratives to show that black people were deserving of fair treatment, the humanizing qualities that both authors described indicate their motivations for escaping the constraints that slavery set on them.
Hi Noreen! Great blog post! I did not think about the aspect of humanization when I was reading these stories so it was very interesting to see what where you saw humanization throughout the story and what that represented. I think Booker T. Washington's passion to recieve an education was something that many people can resonate with. However, I do agree with you when you say humanization should not be necessary to evoke sympathy. People should feel empathy regardless if humanization is present. Overall great blog post!
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job describing how they both use humanization! I think these narratives were definitely written to prove something to white audiences and I think it's interesting to consider how that influences the perspective they were written from. I also think that it's really interesting to think about not just what humanization meant including but also possibly what it means excluding. I wonder if there were other stories that show more negative emotions that they felt needed to be excluded.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that slavery put black autobiographical writers in an unfair position in which forced them to have to prove their own equality through a demonstration of their humanity. As we discussed in class, the main audience of these was white readers in the North, and perhaps black writers felt like the only way they could try to usher in change which worked to improve the situations of African Americans across the country was by appealing their humanity through a depiction of things like Washington's pursuit of knowledge and Linda's care for her children. Without depicting themselves as humans whose virtuous characteristics make them "valuable members of society", it's likely that these black writers feared they would not be heard as writers.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's clear these stories were in part meant to be directed at white people and the different approach they take is interesting. I also agree that it shouldn't be necessary, and I can see why later black writers pushed back on this idea that there was anything they should have to prove to white people. I think it's interesting how that shifted as the Harlem renaissance progressed.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog, Noreen! I feel like you did a great job at explaining the aspects of humanization within the story, especially as I missed these for myself when reading. I agree with your points about how "authors shouldn't have to prove these characters are human" and humanization in these narratives *shouldn't have to be necessary*; because people should already carry basic human empathy toward others regardless of whether or not we see an aspect of humanization represented in these stories.
ReplyDeleteI like how you brought the concept of humanity into your interpretation of these texts; the struggle for equal representation and treatment as a human was likely the most important conflict in both Jacob and Washington's writing. I also like how you note the differences in what each author considers "humanity" to be (i.e. protecting your family and pursuing an education). This furthers the point that no one person or group of people should ever have the ability to take this right away from another.
ReplyDeleteI think it's good that someone brought up the point of humanization in the story of Harriett Jacobs, because the whole story is recorded and published for this purpose: to humanize and create sympathy for the black people who are still in slavery or were in slavery. You do make a a good point though, that it is laid on pretty thick in this story so to speak. While I have no doubt that similar things happened not only to her but many other people, if not worse, no one should have to beg and go this deep into tragedy to get basic human respect and rights. Additionally, the presence of a white publisher/editor in control of what is in the story and the whole foreword to the story feels like it loses a lot of the impact of the story, as we now know that things have been cut and polished for its white audience.
ReplyDeleteThe humanization in the two stories was very prevalent, and the point you made about how this reflects the need for people to recognize that black people deserve basic human rights was very interesting. I completely agree with you, its terrible that this need existed and it shouldn’t be necessary for the two autobiographies to describe such awful treatment to prove their humanization to people at the time. You did a great job of conveying the amount of humanization there is in both stories, I think it was very effective.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Noreen! I think your analyzation of how humanisation plays a part in both of these stories is very interesting. Though they have different goals, Washington wants and education and Brent wants safety for her loved ones, they both work incredibly hard to achieve their wants. I also agree with what you wrote in your last paragraph, that even though both of these stories have humanising elements, it doesn't mean that the narratives are necessary for people to be treated as humans.
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