Discussion 4 - When did you realize or begin to wonder

Discussion Forum 4

1) When did you realize or begin to wonder what was really going on the San Dominick? What made you suspicious? How does Melville use an unreliable narrator and the reader's expectations to mislead and confuse us? Discuss a specific scene that was revealing to you.

2) Harriet Jacobs was the only woman to write an ex-slave narrative because to write an honest narrative, an ex-slave woman could not avoid writing about the sexual exploitation and abuse enslaved women were routinely subjected to routinely. Remember that an enslaved person had no right to his or her body so an enslaved woman could not legally be raped. Discuss a specific statement that Jacobs makes or a particular experience that she details that was particularly enlightening or disturbing for you.

3) The Declaration of Sentiments is very intentionally based on the Declaration of Independence. Why do you think the delegates at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention used this particular strategy? Use a particular quote from the document to discuss the effectiveness of that strategy.

We have to post two analytical observations about 1 or 2 of the assigned readings. Each post should be on separate documents. 

 "Letter from a Fugitive Slave" New York Daily Tribune, June 21, 1853 (unc.edu) 

 Diary of a Slave Girl: Harriet Jacobs’ Blunt Biography a Rare Fugitive Slave Narrative (historynet.com)