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The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman begins with a note from the editor, who is a local schoolteacher near the plantation where Jane Pittman lives. He has long been trying to hear her story, and, beginning in the summer of 1962, she finally tells it to him. When her memory lapses, her acquaintances help fill in the spaces. The recorded tale, with editing, then becomes The Autobiography of Miss Jane. Jane Pittman is born into slavery on a plantation somewhere in Louisiana. Jane is called "Ticey" during her days as a slave and has no parents; her mother died as a result of a beating when Jane was a child, and Jane did not know her father. Until she is around nine, Jane works in the Big House caring for the white children. One day toward the end of the war, some fleeing confederate soldiers arrive, followed soon after by some union soldiers. While being served water by Jane, one Union soldier named Corporal Brown tells Jane that she will soon be free and can then visit him in Ohio. He tells her to change her name and offers her that of his daughter, Jane Brown. After the soldiers leave, Jane refuses to answer when her mistress calls her "Ticey." The mistress later beats Jane until she bleeds, but Jane insists that her name is now Jane Brown. Because of her obstinacy, Jane is sent to work in the fields. On the day of the Emancipation Proclamation, Jane's master frees them all. On the same day, Jane leaves the plantation with a group of ex-slaves. They have no idea where they are going, but a woman named Big Laura leads the way. Jane wants to go to Ohio to find Corporal Brown. The first morning away, a group of "Patrollers," local white trash who used to hunt slaves, comes upon them and kills everyone but Jane and a very young boy Ned, whom they did not find. Jane and Ned then continue on their own, still headed for Ohio. They meet many characters on their trip, all of whom tell Jane that Ohio is too far and that she should go back to her plantation. Jane's obstinacy persists for a few weeks until she and Ned are completely exhausted from walking. Finally they catch a ride with a poor white man named Job who lets them sleep at his house and takes them the next day to a plantation run by Mr. Bone. Mr. Bone offers Jane a job, but only pays her the reduced rate of six dollars a month (minus fifty cents for Ned's schooling) because sh... ... middle of paper ... ...but one night he goes to her house and asks her to marry him anyhow. After she tells him that he is not thinking straight, he returns home and commits suicide. Tee Bob's stepfather intervenes after the suicide so that Mary Agnes is not imprisoned or killed in revenge for Tee Bob's death. In a conversation with Jane, he describes that they all killed Tee Bob because of their adherence to racial regulations beyond which Tee Bob could see. In the final chapter of the book, Jane describes a boy named Jimmy Aaron, whom the whole plantation hopes will become the "one" who will save them all. Eventually, Jimmy gets involved in the civil rights movement. After several years away from the plantation, he returns home and plans an act of civil disobedience followed by a protest at the courthouse. First a young girl is arrested for drinking from a white water fountain. On the day that they all are to march to the courthouse in protest, however, Jimmy is shot dead. The crowd who was planning to march had already gathered when they hear the news. With the assistance of one young black man, Jane bravely encourages the people to march and takes the lead even though Jimmy is already dead
The novel starts the story at when Jane was a young slave. The Emancipation Proclamation was a decree announced my President Abraham Lincoln in September 1862 and formally issued on January 1, 1863, freeing slaves in all Confederate state still in rebellion (Abbott et al. 408). Jane and the other slaves where read the proclamation and where offered to stay on the plantation by their former slave master. The slaves then gather and decided if they should stay on the plantation of leave. In the time period many white where scared of that the now freed slave would do. The former slaves did not initially even dream of social equality; far less did they plot murder and mayhem, as the white people feared (Abbott et al. 439). Although the slave are set free the social frame work slavery continues.
Ernest J. Gaines stated, “That 's man 's way. To prove something. Day in, day out he must prove he is a man...” Gaines states this quote from his novel The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, which he publishes in 1971 just a few years after the ending of The Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement, also known as “The African American Civil Rights Movement”, was a battle started between the society and the African-American race for racial equality, acceptance, and respect as it was given to the Whites. However, the ongoing battle for blacks to obtain these expectations from society lasted for years, and would often force some blacks to separate themselves from the entire race and propose their worthiness of respect and manhood to society by proving and earning it as an individual instead of waiting for it to be handed to the entire race.
We learn that Jane is a young girl who is a victim of emotional and
When Jane was a child her parents died and she was sent to Mr Reed,
Quite notably, Jimmy or “The One”, died at the end of story when he tried to make a change in society and fight for equal rights for African Americans. Jane recalled that Jimmy was in Alabama and Mississippi with Martin Luther King Jr., who was also a martyr in the civil rights movement, and they both were arrested. At a church service, Jimmy tries to convince others, mostly elders, to come with him and protest, although Jane was the only one that was willing to participate. Jimmy then was killed because he wanted to protest that African Americans
This novel is based on the lives of Clotel, her mother Currer and sister Althesa They are a mixed race family whom are slaves of Thomas Jefferson. After the death of Jefferson Clotel, Currer, and Althesa are all sent to the slave trade. This is an example of how unrecognized slave lives were; when one master died, they would be shipped off to a new one without any say or consent. In the salve trade, Horation Green, a white man, purchases Clotel to be his common-law wife. Just like the Gaires Horation Green and Clotel couldn’t become married due to the laws against miscegenation. Although they are not wed, Horation Green and Clotel have a child together. They live a fairly normal live until Horation decides to get into politics. Soon after he abandons Clotel and Mary and marries a white woman who forces him to sell Clotel and Mary to the salve trade. Clotels skin color was the reason that her “husband” had the ability to leave her without any say. It shows us how mistreated African Americans were, aside from having no rights their master were allowed to dispose of their slaves whenever they pleased. Aside from Clotel her mother and sister remain “in a slave gang” until Currer is purchased from Mr. Peck. Currer remains enslaved until she dies from yellow fever. Soon after Althesa marries her white master after passing as a white woman. This is a prime example as to why blacks only received mistreatment based off of skin color. If you were able to pass as a white
From an early age Jane is aware she is at a disadvantage, yet she learns how to break free from her entrapment by following her heart. Jane appears as not only the main character in the text, but also a female narrator. Being a female narrator suggests a strong independent woman, but Jane does not seem quite that.
In the middle of the night, four white men storm into a cabin in the woods while four others wait outside. The cabin belongs to Alice and her mom. The four men pull out Alice’s father along with her mom, both are naked. Alice manages to scramble away. The men question Alice’s father about a pass, which allows him to visit his wife. Her father tries to explain the men about the loss of the pass but the men do not pay any attention to him. Instead they tie him to a tree and one of the white man starts to whip him for visiting his wife without the permission of Tom Weylin, the “owner” of Alice’s father. Tom Weylin forbid him to see his wife, he ordered him to choose a new wife at the plantation, so he could own their children. Since Alice’s mother is a free woman, her babies would be free as well and would be save from slavery. But her freedom “status” does not stop one of the patroller to punch her in the face and cause her to collapse to the ground.
At the beginning of the novel while Jane is living under her aunt, Mrs. Reed, she is treated disrespectfully and cruelly. She accuses Jane of being deceitful and a troublesome girl in front of Mr. Brocklehurst, the master of Lowood School. Jane is so hurt by this accusation that she cannot stop herself from defending her well being, and she stands up to her aunt. She knows she is being treated disrespectful and has much more self-worth than ...
In conclusion, Jane has been through oppression and depression but she stands up for what she believes in. Jane gains her femininity, socialization, individuality and freedom. Her husband, who has been oppressing her for so many years, is no longer her prison guard. Jane defies her husband, creeps right over him and claims her life” so, that I had to creep over him every time” (Gilman 1609). Jane is now her own personal freedom through perseverance.
Helen tells Jane that most students felt bad for Jane and Jane goes to speak with Miss Temple about how she is not a liar. Jane recounts her childhood to Miss Temple to explain that she is not a liar and Miss Temple writes a letter to the apothecary to see if what Jane is saying is true. Mr. Lloyd writes back saying that Jane is telling the truth and Miss Temple offers Jane and Helen food as Jane is branded innocent to the school. Jane focuses on her academics as she is really good at art.
Jane started out with no family, causing her to yearn for someone to accept her as their family, treating her with love and respect. At a young age, Jane lost her parents, leaving her with her aunt and cousins. They treated her poorly, acting as if she was incompetent and considering her more of a servant than a family member. Then, they sent her off to school, forgetting about her entirely. Eventually, Jane acquired the family she had always dreamt of. She never felt quite right with other people accepting her, that is, until Mr. Rochester came into her life. She did not feel as though she had found her true family until she had met him. "All these relics gave...Thornfield Hall the aspect of a home of the past: a shrine to memory.” (92). When they get married, her dreams are achieved, as she finally got the family she had always wanted.
After Jane’s initiation stage of dealing with death and abuse she went on to deal with it and coped with her differences. After years of Helen’s death Jane went on to teaching and became a teacher for two years at Lowood. Once she got tired of teaching she went on to become a governess and highered her social class and met an older wiser man, Rochester. Rochester fell in love with jane almost immediately and always tried to win her over. He always tried to buy Jane expensive gifts but she would always refuse showing that she was independent and did not have to rely on others. Jane dealt with her suffering by overcoming her obstacles from before and proved to those who doubted her that she was the bigger person and was capable of more than everyone thought. Instead of Jane moving backward and trying to return back to innocence, she kept moving forward to learn from her initiation
Whether it be the lynching of Paul A in Sweet Home or the murder of Beloved in 124, both homes constitute very unpleasant histories. The inevitable haunting of slavery plagues the slaves from Sweet Home even after their departure. Slavery and its history will never die, and the characters in this novel confirm this through their constant battles with their past. Seeking refuge at 124, Sethe was met by a shunning and unsupportive community. However, the community comes around in the end and, similar to the situation in Sweet Home, Sethe finds herself surrounded by a group of supportive, helpful, and friendly individuals who all care for one another’s
At the beginning of the book, Jane was living with her aunt Mrs. Reed and her children. Although Jane is treated cruelly and is abused constantly, she still displays passion and spirit by fighting back at John and finally standing up to Mrs Reed. Even Bessie ‘knew it was always in her’. Mrs. Reed accuses Jane of lying and being a troublesome person when Mr. Brocklehurst of Lowood School visited Gateshead. Jane is hurt, as she knows she was not deceitful so she defends herself as she defended herself to John Reed when he abused her, as she said “Wicked and cruel boy! You are like a murderer – you are like a slave driver – you are like the Roman emperors!” to John Reed instead of staying silent and taking in the abuse, which would damage her self-confidence and self-worth. With the anger she had gotten from being treated cruelly, she was able to gain ...