Slavery with in a Double Standard

Diana Sawyer

June 13, 2011

African American Literature

Essay Response

"Slavery With in a Double Standard"

What is a double standard? It has been known around the world as a rule or principle that is unfairly applied in different ways to different people or groups. Double Standards consist of man vs. woman, race vs. value, and morals vs. morality. With this being said, this principle has been around since the beginning of time and mankind has used it to its ability in ways that some would consider unfit for society. In my opinion, only stick to what's better or natural and no way of life is "natural" to humanity even though most of us view a double standard this way.

Sojourner Truth's "Aren't I a woman", shows us how far that mankind is willing to show the power of man vs. woman. She was a woman that expressed her values for life and how woman was yet to be given a voice. Men saw women only fit for the household, having children and sometimes sacrificing their faith to satisfy man. What?? "Man was created as broken a labor tool for the use of gods and at the end of everyone's life lays the underworld, a generally dreary place" (Rachels and Rachels). This statement alone show that man is no better than woman and how can they just simply deny woman a voice. Truth did not let how she looked, get in the way of her fighting for equality among women, it only made her stronger. She was a firm believer in the bible and she hoped that one day that the equality among men and women would prevail.

Harriet Jacobs, "Incidents in the life of a slave girl", gave us a broader prospective on how women did not have a voice and how mentally and physically women were being abused. Women both black and white fell under the radar when it came to having an opinion on one self. Women fell victim to rape, children being taken away from them, and sometimes were told to sleep with the white woman's husband. Not because she wanted to, but because these rules were created by man. Jacobs felt that "slavery of women on their chasity and sexual virtues were temptations to masculine lust