In this excerpt, Harriet Jacobs recounts when she was a fugitive slave, forced to live in a tiny attic in her grandmother's house for months. At the beginning, she describes the attic, "The garret was only nine feet long and seven wide. The highest part was three feet high" (Jacobs 106). Jacobs also describes how she can barely move and can't even stand up. One thing that made an impression on me was not only the size of the attic but also how she describes the rats and mice running over her. The part about the bugs was also terrible! The conditions in the attic were extremely rough, as there was little protection from the heat and the cold. Jacobs also talks about her mental struggle being confined in a tiny space. Her relatives can only risk talking to her at night and she can only hear her children talk from a distance. Finally, she decides to makes a whole that she can see and hear out of better. From this whole, she hears snippets of conversation and even sees her master, Dr. Flint, who believes she might be in New York.
After reading, a few questions came up. For example, I wonder what prompted her to run away. Was it a single event or was this planned over time? How long does she stay hidden in the attic? How will it ever be safe for her to come out? I know slaves were extremely valuable to masters, but Dr. Flint seems really determined to get her back. Is there a reason why?
- Mika Gothard
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