Bonus Blog "I Second That Emotion"

I enjoy reading all types of stories. Stories that impact me on an emotional level, or the kind of stories that make me want to skip ahead just to find out what happened, because I cannot wait to the end. My favorites are the ones that make the reader feel like they are in the story. As I was reading Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, I found that this story is the type of story that I enjoy the most. Jacobs’s story draws the reader right in. As I was reading, I found myself picturing how Linda looked and also thought about her facial expressions and how her voice sounded as she spoke. I found myself drawn into Linda’s world because the story is told in a sentimental and descriptive language. One instance where I found myself drawn in, was when Linda begins to explain how she became pregnant and how this helped her escape being raped by her master. Linda, states to her readers, “The remembrance fills me with sorrow and shame. It pains me to tell you of it; but I have promised to tell you the truth and I will do it honestly, let it cost me what it may” (Jacobs 1: 776). The words she uses are so expressive and emotional. As I reader, she already had my sympathy and compassion before she even divulged any details of the events. I believe she did this deliberately because she knows that her behavior is morally and socially unacceptable and needs to appeal to her audience’s sense of compassion. She makes certain that her audience knows that she could face repercussions just for being honest about the events surrounding her pregnancy. Another point in the story where I felt myself drawn in, is when Linda boldly asks her readers to excuse her scandalous behavior. The language and choice of words that Jacobs’s uses is so full of emotion, I can picture the tears as she says,” Pity me, and pardon me, O virtuous reader!” (Jacobs 1: 776) Not only is this a moving statement, which plays on the readers’ sympathies, but it also appeals to the Christian virtues of forgiveness and compassion. I can honestly say I have enjoyed reading Jacobs story, because of the language she used to tell her story. This has left me eager to read other slave narratives.