Slave Narrative 2
After reading the beginning of a slave narrative by John Jacobs, I’ve realized how much slavery tore families apart and affected slaves socially. The first few paragraphs are an explanation as to why Jacobs’ father has such a quick temper. After reading through his reasoning I can’t believe I hadn’t realized any of this beforehand. For a father to be a slave is complete torture. He’s the protector of his family, yet has no power at all to protect or care for them. He doesn’t even have the strength to keep his family together because any of them can be sold. For a female slave it is impossible to raise your children. I can’t imagine how painful it must be for a mother to watch her children work inside some slaveowner’s home or outside in a field when they’re not even five years old. I don’t appreciate what I’ve had to grow up with compared to those kids. They didn’t have a workfree, painfree, or sorrowfree day their entire childhood, let alone toys and all the other luxuries we have as kids. It’s definatley a reality check.
