Essay Questions from the Norton, Volume B 1

Essay Questions from the Norton, Volume B

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Course

Subject
 Essay Questions from the Norton, Volume B 2

How do male and female slaves use masking as a means to subvert white authority?

Both male and female slaves hated the situation they were in. Masking was used by

slaves, both male and female as a way of subverting white authority but albeit each

differently. In masking the slaves would play along to the whims of their masters. This was

with a view to reduce the unseen barrier between master and servant by but in actual sense

this was not the case. The slaves were just massaging the ego of their masters with a means to

create a future opportunity to demand for freedom. Also the demand for freedom would be

hampered by the fact that the ownership was slaves was legal and therefore calls for freedom

had to be discretionary due to the cruelty of most slave masters.

How are they different? How are the outcomes different?

As earlier stated, the male and female slaves used masking differently. For male

slaves due to the more physical aspect of the nature of their jobs their masking at times would

materialize into physical confrontations. For example at times male slaves would serve their

masters while discreetly having affairs with their masters’ spouses and children. This was

seen as a form of resistance since it was forbidden for slaves and masters to have any form of

sexual relationships. This was due to the fact that slaves were seen as being in a social class

way lower than their masters. In actual sense a slave was the master’s property.

Male slaves would most often act as sexual partners to their masters’ female spouses

or relatives most often as a way of rebelling against their male masters. Female slaves on the

other hand would on the other hand have sexual affairs with their male masters which would

sometimes lead to the birth of mixed race children. This is explained in the Harriet Jacobs

incident in the life of a slave girl where she goes ahead to get pregnant by her white master so

as to get a chance to be sold together with her infant and therefore try and see if she can get
 Essay Questions from the Norton, Volume B 3

an opportunity to escape her current master or future master by ensuring that on her sale she

would escape and be free together with her child.

The outcome of masking in both male and female slaves is different in both cases. In

male slaves the use of masking sometimes achieves cruelty from their masters especially in

the case of slaves that have sexual affairs with their masters with the outcome of children.

The children had a difficult life since they could not be accepted in their masters’ family.

Those male slaves that had affairs that were discovered by their masters would sometimes be

beaten even to death. Female slaves sometimes were somewhat lucky because of the

discovery of their husbands’ infidelity the wives of the masters would force the female

servants to be sold off and thus maybe increase their chance of finding a better life or even

freedom in the new hoes they would be sold to.

What forms of resistance do male and female use in order to fight to keep their identity

and subvert authority?

Male and female slaves have been noted to be using different forms in order to fight

and keep their identity. This has enabled them subvert the authority. The constantly struggles

of African Americans with race and racism, the African heritage and Euro-American

impudence, has brought about slavery and anti freedom, constitutional enfranchisement to

educational progress, political agency and assimilation in socialism, as well as the spectre of

the past and modernity.

A Comparison in African America is in one major form, which is used of Violence.

Slaves have also regularly wrestled with the serious and commercial expectations. This has

for long guided, compromised and contradicted their moves. As proclaimed agents of social
 Essay Questions from the Norton, Volume B 4

change, on the other hand, there is need to understand why these themes, formal to

commercial patterns determine the consideration to most emblematic texts of African

American literary history and slavery

Nonviolent forms a go-slow tactic has been used by slaves. Slavery has been an

endeavour broadening conceptions beyond one race or ethnicity including gender, sexuality,

culture, class, politics, and ideology. With the baseline understanding, no human is at peace

for slavery. Therefore a nexus of ideas lies behind what they tend to do to protect and free

them. They consider their bodies to be a basic function of this a drive by their souls. This

brings about the psychological satisfaction a soul initiated understanding.

How are they different?

These two forms of resistance are generally different depending on the situation of

application. Under extreme conditions that subject slaves to torture, they have been observed

to be using force especially when cornered. This case for centuries of slavery was evident by

even slave guards being beaten angry slaves. This was by the desire for freedom of the slaves.

Non violent form is another tactic that was employed by the slaves. This was a

predominant mode to the female slaves to enable them escape the slavery. This has been in

the situation where to some extent slaves have chosen fake lover to enable escape. This has

further been by even sleeping with the person to enable the escape for the need to protect the

soul. More diminishingly male slaves have applied this form by creating a rapport with their

guards and with time they get to escape.

What are the outcomes, better or worse for one group or the same?

The use of these forms has brought a double ended outcome. Success has been a noted

to some situations where the slaves get to ambush the guards enabling break through. To the
 Essay Questions from the Norton, Volume B 5

unsuccessful scenarios deaths have been noted where the attempt to escape has landed them

to shooting and human torture. However in a more tactical way, education through learning

has seen some out of the slavery tie.

Reference

Douglass, F., & Jacobs, H. (2007). Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American

Slave & Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Random House Digital, Inc..