As an African American slave girl living under the dominion of the cruel and malevolent predator Dr. Flint, Linda frequently finds herself in a state of war. The assault on Linda’s psychological and physical well-being begins in the Flint house, which Linda describes only as a “fine residence” (Jacobs 30), with no other discernable descriptive detail that would entail any emotional attachment. Throughout Linda’s time as a slave, she is constantly subject to sexual harassment from Dr. Flint, whose “restless, craving, vicious nature” (Jacobs 29) and “stinging, scorching words” (Jacobs 29) threatened to “devour” (Jacobs 29) her. Linda, admirably, refuses to be reduced to a helpless victim of a capricious hypocrite; she fights back with vigor and
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In addressing her text to those who are not aware of the realities of slavery, she realizes and most likely intends for her text to become an abolitionist work, for which she leaves gaps in her story and tells her readers that beyond her words, there are things beyond language, beyond words and sentences that are impossible to express on the page; much of the suffering and dehumanization that slaves experience are absent in literal representation; experiences and realities that scream their importance by virtue of their conspicuous absence. In the end, Jacobs’ use of the double-edged sword known as the tool of language is uncompromising, allowing her to share her experiences and voice her opinions while retaining her identity, without excessive refashioning to pander to her White …show more content…
The Bard also utilizes both verse and prose, and employs contrasts between language use in demonstrating the hierarchical distinctions of his characters. Specifically, in the Tempest, the sailors, Trinculo, and Stephano, the “commoners”, speak in prose, while the nobles speak in verse, thus setting the working-class apart from the aristocratic. The most significant distinction that language plays in Césaire’s adaptation, however, is in Prospero’s disdain for Caliban for his lack of his own language. Prospero believes that since Caliban had no language of his own until Prospero’s provision of such a tool, Caliban is like an animal, with no individual opinions and thoughts, at least none that are considered valid, since they would not have taken the form of Prospero’s idea of “proper” language, whose disdain is evident in considering Caliban’s words in his native language to be “mumbling” (Césaire 17) and stating that the only language Caliban is capable of understanding is physical violence against him (Césaire 19), likening him to an uncomprehending beast that is only
In addressing her text to those who are not aware of the realities of slavery, she realizes and most likely intends for her text to become an abolitionist work, for which she leaves gaps in her story and tells her readers that beyond her words, there are things beyond language, beyond words and sentences that are impossible to express on the page; much of the suffering and dehumanization that slaves experience are absent in literal representation; experiences and realities that scream their importance by virtue of their conspicuous absence. In the end, Jacobs’ use of the double-edged sword known as the tool of language is uncompromising, allowing her to share her experiences and voice her opinions while retaining her identity, without excessive refashioning to pander to her White …show more content…
The Bard also utilizes both verse and prose, and employs contrasts between language use in demonstrating the hierarchical distinctions of his characters. Specifically, in the Tempest, the sailors, Trinculo, and Stephano, the “commoners”, speak in prose, while the nobles speak in verse, thus setting the working-class apart from the aristocratic. The most significant distinction that language plays in Césaire’s adaptation, however, is in Prospero’s disdain for Caliban for his lack of his own language. Prospero believes that since Caliban had no language of his own until Prospero’s provision of such a tool, Caliban is like an animal, with no individual opinions and thoughts, at least none that are considered valid, since they would not have taken the form of Prospero’s idea of “proper” language, whose disdain is evident in considering Caliban’s words in his native language to be “mumbling” (Césaire 17) and stating that the only language Caliban is capable of understanding is physical violence against him (Césaire 19), likening him to an uncomprehending beast that is only