Roxanne Benavides
Ms. Hyde
January, 5 2009
Critical Lens Essay
All the greatest people in history were once average people like ourselves. The difference is they stood up to the challenge that needed to be faced. "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King Jr. Strength to Love, 1963. I believe that this quote means a person can not be judged when his life is simple for him. When someone is going through harsh and difficult times that is when a persons character is truly shown and that is when they can be judged. I agree with this quote completely. They're many great people who showed their true strength by overcoming their obstacles. In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs the protagonist Linda Brent was faced with many hardships which she had to overcome. In My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass the readers were introduced to Frederick Douglass struggle. Both these people dealt with hard times and yet surpassed them.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl alludes to a time where slavery existed and when dark skinned women had to deal with panic everyday of their life. As a child Linda Brent, the protagonist didn't realize that she was a slave. She began her life in peace not having to deal with the horrors of slavery. When her mistress died she and her brother were sent to Dr.Flints house to continue their permanent sentence. It was in her new house and with Dr.Flint that Linda Brent goes through her times of challenge and controversy. Her first challenge is overcoming her status as a slave. By not accepting herself to be a slave and not letting herself be one she is considered free. Instead of yielding to her fate as a slave Linda sees herself as free equal person. She doesn't live her life in sorrow or depression. Just by that her strength is shown.
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Linda Brent circumstances go from bad to worse. If she doesn't yield to her masters disgusting demands she and her children would be sent to her young masters plantation where life would be definitely be worse for her family. When she discovers what will happen to her family she escapes the plantation and runs away. What Linda does shows true courage and strength that many in her situation wouldn't have shown. She put her life in tremendous peril for the ones she loved. Her measure was shown when she had to make those hard decisions and by having to deal with those troubles.
Often the hardest challenges are the ones that must be fought with your inner strength. In From My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass we learned of Frederick Douglass himself having to deal with the challenges of an oppressive society. The story starts when Frederick Douglass is a child. His mistress Mrs.Aulds is characterized as a very sweet and charitable woman. She sees Frederick and treats him like she would any child and began to teach him how to read. When her husband demands her to stop treating him like that she changes. Her whole personality changes into a hard strict woman who just doesn't approve of him. Ironically enough when she catches him reading she seems to be enraged. Mrs. Aulds opinion of Frederick Douglass seems to be expected. After all that is the outcome of slavery. By becoming the wretched woman that she is her measure was also shown. She couldn't overcome slavery and keep her rightful ways.Frederick Douglass on the other hand proved his worth as a great person by wisdom. He battled slavery with his knowledge. When he was younger he paid his white friends to teach him how to read. As he grew older his wisdom also growed. He knew the atocities of slavery and how evil it is. Like Linda Brent he was free by not letting himself be a slave. Although society tried to make him feel like he wasnt worth what he really was worth he was smarter than that. He knew how he should be treated and he knew that he had just as many rights as everyone else.
In conclusion the measure of a person is always there but it cant be seen until that person has something to overcome. The challenges that both Linda Brent and Frederick dealt with we're both harsh but in the end they proved that they could overcome it. So by them overcoming that their measure was proven. Linda Brent had a family to protect and she made decisions and fought her slavery with the strength that would'nt have been discovered otherwise. Also by overcoming the challenges that Frederick Douglass faced he was able to prove that not only was a wise person but he was also strong willed. This type of strength is everywhere. The challenges that are in our world can be also be changed. The right person who can measure up just has to face it.
