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Jacobs used the book to highlight the unique cruelties of slavery experienced by women, including sexual abuse, exploitation, and violence. As a teenager and young woman, Jacobs was subjected to violent sexual advances by her married enslaver Dr.
To prevent her victimization by Norcom, Jacobs sought out a relationship with another white man, Samuel Tredwell Sawyer, with whom she had two children. In order to escape and save her children from a future of enslavement, Jacobs ran away by faking her escape to New York. In , Jacobs escaped to the North, where she reunited with her children, became acquainted with abolitionist circles, and eventually wrote her autobiography in her free time outside of her work as a caretaker.
Jacobs and her brother John each wrote about their upbringing, enslavement, and escapes to freedom. Ask students to choose another figure in Incidents and write an account of the same years from his or her perspective. After the birth of her first child, Harriet goes to live with her grandmother because of Mrs. Norcom's outrage at her pregnancy.
Harriet lives there for many years, even after the birth of a second child. Norcom is growing impatient and tells Harriet that either she move into a cottage he has had built for her or he will send her to live on his son's plantation and sell her children. Harriet chooses the plantation, but decides to run away rather than allow Dr. Norcom to sell her children.
Harriet runs to a friend and hides in her home for some weeks, then is moved to several other places until finally ending up in a tiny garret cut above the store room in her grandmother's home. Norcom, frustrated with his inability to find Harriet, arrests her brother, aunt, and children. Harriet refuses to expose her hiding place and Dr.
Norcom runs short of money, finally selling John and the children to Sawyer, unaware he has just played into Harriet's hands.
Harriet lives in the garret for seven years, watching her children grow up in the yard below her. After a time, Harriet begins sending letters to Dr. Norcom, convincing him that she is living in New York. With each passing year Harriet feels safer and safer, but still cannot expose herself for fear of hurting her free grandmother or uncle. Harriet lives each day hoping Samuel Sawyer will free her children, but instead he takes their daughter and gives her to a cousin in New York as a servant.
Harriet has the chance to escape on a ship going north, but she passes it up due to her grandmother's fear. However, when a nosy neighbor spots her in the store room of her grandmother's house, Harriet is forced to flee. Harriet arrives in Philadelphia and quickly makes her way to New York to reunite with her daughter. Many slave owners believed that the slaves were happy living as they did.
One of the arguments that the mas'ers used as proof was that the slaves sang and played music all the time. After reading Clotee's diary, do you believe this argument?
Activities Make a freedom quilt. First, write about your vision of freedom. This will help you to visualize your art for the quilt.
Your description should be very specific and detailed. Next, sketch out your idea on paper. Around the border, print a brief explanation of your depiction of freedom. Now, transfer your sketch onto fabric, allowing an extra inch around the outside edge for sewing the pieces together. Don't forget to sign your name! When the quilt is finished, display it proudly where everyone — including visitors to your school — may see it. Publish the Quilt Chronicle, containing the stories of each patch, so that everyone can understand your concept of freedom.
This lesson will examine the remarkable life of. Harriet Jacobs' through her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Harriet Jacobs in Weber Reads Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs Lesson Plan: Junior High. Lesson Title: Slavery In her book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, .. Write several letters from your character to another character in the story explaining the .
In the diary, Uncle Heb told a spider-man story to Clotee and Spicy as they helped him in the garden. Go to the library and find some "Anansi the Spider" folktales from Africa. Select your favorite Anansi tale and create a dramatization which includes information on the background of the Anansi stories. When you have practiced your production, stage a performance for a class of younger children. McKissack says that she used much of the research she and her husband did for their non-fiction book Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters to help her write Clotee's diary.
Which book did you enjoy more? Using entries in Clotee's diary as a place to begin, find out more about the slaves' songs and dances.
Is any of this music still popular today? Where did the songs and dances come from? Can you find any pictures of slaves singing and dancing? Are there any recordings of these songs available today? Prepare a class presentation on the Sights and Sounds of Slavery. Although Clotee and her friends are characters the author invented, there are several real heroes from American history who are mentioned in the diary: See what you can discover about one of these special people, and share your report with the class. A Picture of Freedom.