React to the picture of slavery that Jacobs describes. What makes it powerful? How does she present a broad view while still giving us her individual story?
The first sentence in the book says, "I was born a slave, but I never knew it till six years of happy childhood has passed away. I think this quote is very powerful because it is unusual for someone to not know that they are a slave. She never knew she was a slave until she heard people telling her she was. I think that the story that Jacobs tells is so powerful because it is something that we have never heard of before. She presents a broad view by telling us her story but tells us about the others in her family and her new master. I thought it was very interesting that she believed that she was never a "piece of merchandise." She always believed in her family and knew that they would keep her safe. That is different from the "normal" slavery we hear about because they know that the slaves are available for money. I enjoyed reading about this because it was so different and the first chapter was looking at a side of slavery I had never seen before.
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