Author: katelyn.perez

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Manipulation of a Callous Touch

In her novel, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs reflects on her relationship with her master, using touch to highlight slave women’s experience with sexual abuse.  Jacobs’ manipulation of touch both exposes the sexual vulnerability of black women and highlights her cunning defensiveness to the violence of imposed white male dominance. …

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A Bloody Transition into Womanhood

In her novel Sassafrass, Cypress, and Indigo, Shange employs lyricism as a persuasive mechanism for showcasing black female artistry.  She does so by juxtaposing lyrical descriptions of Indigo’s creative outlets (as well as those of the women around her) with the prosaic consciousness brought on by gender-charged violence.  The scene in which Indigo gets her…