On page 68, in the first full paragraph, Jacobs writes in response to her father's former mistress putting a gold necklace around her baby's neck, "I wanted no chain to be fastened to my daughter, not even if its links were of gold. How earnestly I prayed that she might never feel the weight of slavery's chain, whose iron entereth into the soul!"
I find this statement extremely powerful. Even something that Linda's white mistress would have cherished, and many slaves would admire as a luxury had become a symbol of servitude to Linda. I find her strong desire for her children's freedom beautiful, and this quote really reflects that desire well.
In this whole passage about getting her children baptized, there is an overwhelming feeling of shame, where it should be joy and pride. It shows how everything in a slave's life revolves around her degradation and the constant feeling of inferiority. Even in situations where a white person could have the privilege to experience the air of celebration, the slave is drowning in guilt. One of the things that makes it so powerful to me is her constant reference to embarrassing her parents. She is ashamed of having to use her father's name, and feels uncomfortable knowing that her mother could stand in this place purely, in Linda's mind.
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I agree in the fact that the passage with the gold chain was very powerful. I didn't expect her to say that, and didn't think of it that way until she mentioned how she didn't want any kind of chain on her children, even if it wasn't a chain of slavery. Most people would have gratefully accepted the gift with happiness or similar emotions because they would never be able to give this to their children themselves. However, Linda was very set and determined that even though it was given out of kindness and had no connection to chaining her children to slavery, she was still unwilling to have any kind of chain around her children. I liked how it showed that her motherly instincts were so strong and how much she wanted them to be free from this type of life they go through.
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