Race and Culture

Both the, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," and "The Quadroons" were extremely sad stories. From history classes I have always known slaves were treated poorly and unequally, but after reading these personal stories I feel like I have learned so much more and now realize what their lives were like on a whole new level. I am choosing to write about race and culture because, being African American, both Rosalie and Jacobs experienced an usually difficult life. 


In "The Quadroons," Rosalie did not have as bad as life as most slaves in that day because of her wealthy owner, for she lived in a beautiful cottage in Sand-Hills and fell in love and wished to marry a man named Edward. However how great can a life be when you are "owned" by someone. Her marriage would not even be recognized in the state because of her race. It is so sad that just because of her ethnic background that society would place such restrictions on her. In the future they had a daughter together named Xarifa, but when Edward left Rosalie, she grew into depression. For she longed to move Xarifa to England because Rosalie knew her fate here in America would not be a good one, and knowing what her fate would be (a slave), Rosalie's "soul was filled with anguish." Once Rosalie passed, Xarifa was then bet on as a slave. One man says "I bet two thousand dollars." It amazes me that society as a whole back then thought of humans as property solely because of the color of their skin. 


In Jacobs account, she had a terrible life. Not only did her master not allow her to marry the man she loved, he abused and cursed her, even threatened her life. Just because of her race, her owner believed it was just to treat her the way he did. Eventually Jacob ran away from her owner and hid in a small hiding place, in which she had gotten frost bite and wombs from bugs that lived with her. Although she went through these tragedies she would of rather been anywhere else besides with her cruel owner as she explains, "Yet i would have chosen this, rather than my lot as a slave." In the end she and her children were freed alas even though she still had the painful memories from her past. 


Due to Americas culture of believing that whites were so superior to blacks and they had the right to actually own people and do whatever they wanted with them, Jacobs, Rosalie, and Xarfia all had painful experiences in their lives.  For race was the reason in which they were treated so unequally. It is sad to me that just being a different race would cause such horrible things to happen to you. But I am glad to know that our culture has changed drastically over the years and now everyone, no matter what race, is treated equally and given the life they wish to live.