Opinions and judgements

Background for understanding: Students would have read Chapters 11 to 15.

Aim: How can we present reasons, examples, and details from the text to defend opinions and judgements?

Do Now (ties in to the Critical Lens of ELA Regents): Read the following quote and state if you agree or disagree with the quote and why “To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.”
I agree with this quote because to have something thats really important you might have to lose everything else.

—Bernadette Devlin
The Price of My Soul, 1969
Share out!
Cooperative Learning: Form groups of 3-4 and each group will be responsible for responding to one selected chapter in 15 minutes and present to class on chart paper. Groups must also cite sources and “direct quotes”. The audience will take notes on each presentation.

XI “The New Tie to Life”
Comprehension Check:
Linda’s first child was a son, and his name was Benjamin. He was named after their uncle (62)

Interpret:
What is Dr. Flint suggesting to Linda when he said “he is a physician [who] could save [her] from exposure?” (59).
Dr. Flint was suggesting abortion because its' a shame for a women to be pregnant before marriage.
Explain what Linda is inferring when she said “I did not feel as proud as I had done. My strongest weapon with him was gone” (59)?
Her strongest weapon against him was her virtuous which she gave up to Mr. Sand. Her virtuous was a power that she can hold up to Flint so he can't do anything because she never did any wrong.
Linda made choices with deliberate calculation. How did her plan backfire? (61)
Linda's plan backfire because her plan didn't work of her and her son being sold to another owner.
Vocabulary:
(59)= Avowal, Obstinate
(60)= Insolence
(63)= Solace

XII “Fear of Insurrection”
Comprehension Check:
What historical insurrection is Brent referring to in this chapter? What is an insurrection?
Linda is referring to Nat Turner. An insurrection is a civil revolt and rebellion.

Analyze and Interpret:
In this chapter Linda points out that some whites can’t read. However, why were they looking for written correspondence among the slaves?
The whites are looking for written correspondence among the slave because they believe that Nat Turner might have written to them.
Vocabulary:
(65) Marauders
(66) Consternation

XIII “The Church and Slavery” Teacher will read the following excerpt from Graduate Thesis. Students will analyze and discuss.
How does Christianity masks some of slavery’s atrocities in Jacobs’ narrative?

Jacobs also exposes the Christian hypocrisy when Reverend Mr. Pike calls for “Servants, [to] be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling in the singleness of your heart, as unto Christ. If you disobey your earthly master, you offend your heavenly Master” (70). Rather than denounce slavery, he enforces a dogma that obedience to white masters will lead to spiritual liberation. Slaves are therefore brainwashed believing there is a direct correlation between Christ and their white slave masters. Furthermore, they must be submissive to their masters. This hypocrisy is seen when a Northern clergyman visits a southern slave master’s home and is exposed to a dinner table “loaded with luxuries,” lush gardens, spiritual talks, and the “comfortable huts of the favored household slaves,” who [slaves] tell him that they do not want to be free for fear of their lives (76). He returns to the North publicizing that he has seen “slavery for himself; that it is a beautiful “patriarchal institution” and the terrible acts of slavery are exaggerations of abolitionists. However, Jacobs exposes slave masters’ totalitarianism and the ignorance and trickery of the clergyman stating:
does he know of the half-starved wretches toiling from dawn till dark on the plantations? of mothers shrieking for their children, torn from their arms by slave traders? of young girls dragged down into moral filth? of pools of blood around the whipping post? of hounds trained to tear human flesh? of men screwed into cotton gins to die? (76).
Furthermore, Jacobs was “much surprised [when Dr. Flint, her oppressive slave master had joined the Episcopal church, and thought] that religion has a purifying effect on the character of men; but the worst persecutions [she] endured from him were after he was a communicant” (70, 77). Flint announces that he joined the church because he is aging and his social position in the community requires it. It would also end the gossip of his transgressions on his plantation.
Another well-known Christian hypocrisy is the forbidding of slaves from reading the Bible. Jacobs tells of Uncle Fred whom she taught to read the Bible in concealment because it was “contrary to the law; and that slaves were whipped and imprisoned for teaching each other to read” (74). Here, her audience are compelled to reflect on their own ethos and scruples about God’s laws and man made laws that prohibits the inferior slave like Uncle Fred (who only wanted to better serve God) from reading the Bible. She boldly attacks both institution of Church and Slavery and illustrates how they unite in the oppression of slaves:
There are thousands, who, like good uncle Fred, are thirsting for the water of life; but the law forbids it, and the churches withhold it. They send the Bible to heathen abroad, and neglect the heathen at home. I am glad that missionaries go out to the dark corners of the earth; but I ask them not to overlook the dark corners at home. Talk to American slaveholders and you talk to savages in Africa. Tell them it is wrong to traffic men, [women and children]. Tell them it is sinful to sell their own children, and atrocious to violate their own daughters. Tell them that all men are brethren, and that man has no right to shut out the light of knowledge from his brother. Tell them they are answerable to God for sealing up the Fountain of Life from souls that are thirsting for it (75-76).
Jacobs illustrates race superiority and moral contradictions in church teachings. Furthermore, slave masters; intentionally use them to deny slaves their freedom.

XIV “Another Link to Life”
Comprehension Check:
How old is Linda in this chapter? (80)
19 years old.
What was Linda’s near death experience? (80)
Dr.Flint threw Linda down the stair because she was pregnant again.

Analyze and Interpret:
According to Linda Brent “the slave child shall follow the condition of the mother, not the father; thus taking care that licentiousness shall not interfere with avarice.” Explain (78)
Linda is trying to say that no matter if the slave children have a father whose white they're still to consider a slave because of how the white hold power against the and they'll never acknowledge the fact that it's their kid.
What heinous act did Mr. Flint bestowed on Linda when he learned that she was pregnant with another child? (79)
Flint cut all hair off.
Why was Linda highly concerned that her second born was a girl?
She was highly concern because when your born a slave as a girl then your treated worse then the guys and she feared that her daughter will face the same consequences as she did.

Literary analysis:
Identify device “he was like a restless spirit from the pit” (79).
simile
Linda refers to her daughter’s gift of the gold chain as an emblem. What literary device is this?
(81)
symbolism
Vocabulary:
(78)= Forbearance, Reprobate, Descanting, Lacerated
(80)= Vituperations,
(81) Skeins, Genealogies, Emblem

XV “Continued Persecution”
Comprehension Check:
How much money was offered to Flint for the purchase of Linda? (81)
Flint was offered $900 then $1200 to purchase Linda.
How is child abuse evident in this chapter? (82)
Dr.Flint threw Benjamin across the room just for trying to protect her from Flint.
How is Flint trying to domesticate Linda in this chapter? (85)
Flint was trying to domesticate Linda in this chapter by giving her and her children their freedom if only they follow one simple rule which is not see or talk to the children father (Mr.Sand)
One can say that the constant conflict between Linda and Flint is a power struggle. According to Linda, Dr. Flint loved money, but he loved power more.” Can we find/recall further support for this in the previous chapters?
"He was to begin with nine hundred dollars, and go up to twelve. My master refused his offers. "Sir," said he, "she don't belong to me. She is my daughter's property, and I have no right to sell her." (pg 88 of Continued Persecutions)

"...he told me that I was made for his use, made to obey his command in every thing; that I was nothing but a slave, whose will must and should surrender to his..." (pg 15 of The Slave who dared to feel like a Man)

"I understood his object in making this false representation. It was to show me that I gained nothing by seeking the protection of my mistress; that the power was still all in his own hands." (pg 35 of The Jealous Mistress)
Interpret:
According to Linda Brent “My master had power and law on his side; [and] I had a determined will—How is there might in each?
Linda is trying to say that because her master is white he has law and power to support him while she has will power to fight for her right and virtuous.
Vocabulary:
(81) Paramour
(84) Indignant, Sanctioning, Complusion
(85)= Facetious, Jeers, Wilfulness