Incidents entry 2

Linda’s family ties are an important theme in the book.  Linda is very, very concerned about her family which includes her grandmother, brother, uncle and children.  In particular, her son and daughter meant more to her than anything or anyone else.  They were even more important than her own freedom.   She didn’t want them to grow up as slaves.  She sometimes even wished they would die first because she didn’t want them to have to succumb to a master like hers.  “I thought to myself that, God being my helper, they should never pass into his hands.”  (Brent 81).   Her decision to flee didn’t come easily but she knew it was the only solution to saving her children and herself from a life of slavery.  She knew that if she stayed on the plantation under Dr. Flint’s ownership, her children would be locked in slavery for the rest of their lives.  “Sally, they are going to carry my children to the plantation to-morrow; and they will never sell them to any body so long as they have me in their power.  Now, would you advise me to go back?” (98).  Her children’s freedom was her goal so staying with the Flint family was no longer an option.  She made arrangements with a trustworthy friend to buy and free her children once Dr. Flint sold them.  Linda was resolute in her decision to run away.  Even though her family was treated harshly when she fled, she would not turn back.  “Give me liberty, or give me death,” was Linda’s motto (101).

Incidents entry 1

First, I would like to point out that Linda does a very good job of keeping an unemotional tone.  She has to do this to convince northerners to take her writing seriously.  “I have spoken plain English. Pardon me. I cannot use a milder term” (Brent 42).  She tries to the best of her ability to keep her writing somewhat detached and even apologizes when she can’t.  This may have been aided by the fact that she was treated a little better than most slaves.  Even with all of the hardships she describes, she is a ‘lucky’ slave.  The way she acts around Dr. Flint would get some slaves killed. When Dr. Flint ordered her to go to the cottage that he had built for her, she replied, “I will never go there.” (57).   She had refused his order and acted in an insolent way.  Instead of punishing her, he just walked out.  In most cases, if a slave caused any offence they were beaten or killed by their masters.  One master on another plantation came home intoxicated, “His body servant gave him some offence. He was divested of his clothes, except his shirt, whipped, and tied to a large tree in front of the house.” (47).   Linda had many an argument with her master and was rarely ever punished, unlike most other slaves.