Mary Wollstonecrafts A Vindication of the Rights of...

Mary Wollstonecrafts A Vindication of the Rights of Women and Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Although Mary Wollstonecraft and Harriet Jacobs lived almost 300 years apart from one another, the basic undercurrent of both of their work is the same. Wollstonecraft was a feminist before her time and Jacobs was a freed slave who wanted more than just her own freedom. Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and Jacobs’ Incidents In the Life of a Slave Girl, Written By Herself were both revolutionary texts that were meant to inspire change and the liberation of a group of people. For Wollstonecraft, this was women; for Jacobs, it was the slaves. On the surface, these two works do not†¦show more content†¦This training from birth is also like that of slavery, in which humans of a different skin color are subjected to servitude for no other reason, insignificant objects owned by a powerful master. Jacobs tells of an incident in which her brother was forced to choose between his natural rights and the ones forced upon him, â€Å"One day, when his father and his mistress both happened to call him at the same time, he hesitated between the two; being perplexed to know which had the strongest claim upon his obedience† (Jacobs 423). Even though the little boy knows that his father has claim to him, he still goes to his master, knowing that she has complete control over him, defining him, even above the law of his parents. This objectification of women and slaves leads to their dehumanization; by treating them as objects, those that are oppressing them are destroying their senses of self-identity. Jacobs says more of her father, â€Å"Moreover, they thought he had spoiled his children, by teaching them to feel that they were human beings. This was blasphemous doctrine for a slave to teach; presumptuous in him, dangerous to the masters† (Jacobs 424). This illustrates a key point: the dehumanization of the slaves, and of women, is necessary for the master to retain control. If a slave realized he was a human being, with rights and important feelings, a master would not be able to have control over