Conflict in "A Disobedient Girl"

897 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical analysis of maslow's hierarchy of needs

William James once said “Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.” This was very useful to Latha in Ru Freeman’s “A Disobedient Girl”. Latha was a servant to the Vithanage family, and even though she performed her daily servant duties, she was treated as if she was grime. Her main problems were with Mrs.Vithanage, the mother of the family. Mrs. Vithanage despised her and created conflicts with Latha every chance she could get. Mrs. Vithanage created these problems through hatred, jealousy, and neglect. “Will you stop talking about the sandals? Didn’t I just tell you there was no need for sandals? What is the matter with you?” Mrs. Vithanage rarely raised her voice to reprimand any of her servants…”(pg 46) Latha was continually walking and working on her feet all day and her shoes were old and torn, she was in bad need of a new pair of shoes but Mrs. Vithanage wouldn’t allow her, this was a form of hatred. “What do you need money for? It’s safer in the bank.” Mrs. Vithanage despised Latha so much, she didn’t even reward her with her daily pay. Latha worked 10 years with 2 bonuses, and Mrs.Vithanage said she put it all directly in the bank, but why. Why couldn’t Latha use her money sometimes on the things she desired, or even needed such as new shoes. Latha was a servant but she was very smart as well. She was even thought of as being smarter than Thara, Mrs.Vithanage daughter. Mrs. Vithanage envied the fact that Latha was smarter than her daughter, and tried to sabotage her education by taking her out of school. “It’s against the law to keep a child in bondage like this, without sending her to schoo... ... middle of paper ... ...tandings, grief, pain, and even love. Conflicts are described as to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in opposition. This basically describes life, life is made up of thousands and thousands of different opinions and every one doesn’t agree with each other so therefore they are in a conflict/disagreement. There are many types of conflicts such as racial conflicts, political conflicts, economic conflicts, inner self conflicts, and many more. Conflicts are an unbeatable part of life and there’s no way to get around them, but there are ways to go about dealing with them, solving them, and overcoming them. Works Cited • Freeman, Ru. A Disobedient Girl A Novel. Washington Square Pr, 2010. Print. • "James Williams Quotes." The Quote Garden - Quotes, Sayings, Quotations, Verses. Web. 15 July 2010. .

Show More
Related

  • Conflict In The Scarlet Ibis, The Most Dangerous Game

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is a conflict? A conflict is a struggle between opposing forces. In the world today there are many conflicts. Students had to read stories and all had conflicts in them. They read the Necklace, The Scarlet Ibis, The Most Dangerous Game, and many more. Three characters who had to face conflicts are Mathilde, Doodle, and Rainsford.

    Read More

  • Conflict In Parker's Back By Flannery O Connor

    1295 Words  | 3 Pages

    Who can dare say they have never encountered a conflict? No one is without conflict; there will never be a person who says they have never faced a problem. What is a conflict? Most think an opposition or a struggle of some nature. It can be that and more, to state it simply its man vs. anything; that anything can be nature, God, self, and even fellow man.

    Read More

  • Jane Eyre vs House of Mirth Lily

    2029 Words  | 5 Pages

    torturing, abusing, and treating her as someone at a status even lower than the servants.

    Read More

  • Despair in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

    777 Words  | 2 Pages

    Linda Brent, Ms. Jacobs' pseudonym while writing "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," became so entrenched in hatred of slaveholders and slavery that she lost sight of the possible good actions of slaveholders. When she "resolved never to be conquered" (p.17), she could no longer see any positive motivations or overtures made by slaveholders. Specifically, she could not see the good side of Mr. Flint, the father of her mistress. He showed his care for her in many ways, most notably in that he never allowed anyone to physically hurt her, he built a house for her, and he offered to take care of her and her bastard child even though it was not his.

    Read More

  • Harriet Jacobs Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl: Analysis

    1996 Words  | 4 Pages

    Slaves are aware of their positions in society and have the choice to comply with their masters’ demands in order to gain a greater benefit to themselves often in the form of physical protection from abuse. Within the plantation hierarchy, the house slave was considered higher up than field slaves due to their close proximity to the master (Hall 566). The house slave’s position in the plantation microcosm evoked not only favor from the master, but jealousy from the field slaves. The fair-skinned, house slave woman and her master’s control over her mental psyche is a defining factor of her identity in relation to the other slaves on the plantation. Linda Brent in Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an excellent model of the mental bondage endured by light-skinned house slave women because she makes a conscious choice to continue her mental bondage in order to gain physical freedoms. Although many house slaves, like Linda, were granted physical freedoms, they experienced an unfathomable level of mental bondage that defined their character and prompted them to pick their own place in society.

    Read More

  • Perseverance and Hope: A Slave Girl's Journey

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    Linda’s grandmother, Aunt Martha was arguably the most significant family member that aided in her liberation of a slave, but also played a role in the delay of Linda’s escape. Martha provided shelter and protection for Linda as Dr. Flint sought after her. As Dr. Flint assaults Linda at her grandmother’s home, Martha exclaims “Get out of my house… you will have enough to do, without watching my family.”(pg 70) As Dr. Flint exercised his tyranny onto Linda, Martha could not stand by and watch. Throughout Linda’s experience of a slave, her grandmother treated her as if she was her own daughter. This led to Linda

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Harriet Jacobs Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    Despite Flint’s overtures, Linda is able to avoid being by the grace of her own intellect. Although her actions may seem illicit and ill-advised, like her love affair with Mr. Sands to fend off Dr. Flint, so are the repercussions if she cooperates and does nothing. Jacobs predicates that slaves suffer from the influence of the slave system on their moral development. In the text, it is evident that Linda does not condemn slaves for illegal or immoral acts such as theft or adultery, but rather saying that they usually have no other option but to behave this way. However, she also points out that slaves have no reason to develop a strong ethical sense, as they are given no ownership of themselves or final control over their actions. This is not their fault, but the fault of the slavery system that dehumanizes them. “Pity me, and pardon me, O virtuous reader! You never knew what it is to be a slave; to be entirely unprotected by law or custom; to have the laws reduce you to the condition of a chattel, entirely subject to the will of another” (Jacobs 49). Slaves are not evil like their masters, but important parts of their personalities are left undeveloped. She argues that a powerless slave girl cannot be held to the same standards of morality as a free

    Read More

  • Exploring the Attraction of Misery Memoirs

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Few years later, the mistress died and Linda was sent to Dr. Flint. Dr. Flint abuses his power as a slave owner to get what he wants, such as trying to get Linda to sleep with him. Another example of him abusing his power is when Linda stated, “I was made for his use, made to obey his command in everything; that I was nothing but a slave, whose will must and should surrender to his…” However, Linda had no intention of submitting to Dr. Flint’s control. Although Dr. Flint owns her body, she can still remain spiritually free. She lives in a time of slavery, but she still hold the hopeful thought of someday of being really free. Linda was different among all the slaves. She has the power to control her life in a way. She had an affair with a white neighbor and has two kids. However, because she was afraid Dr. Flint would do something to her kids after he finds out, she decides to hide in the attic for seven years. During those seven years, Dr. Flint spent countless of days and money to track her. This shows Dr. Flint has a deeper feeling towards Linda rather than just a slave. Linda have lived her life in confinement, yet she does not give up hoping one day she will provide a home for her

    Read More

  • Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the use of character development, Douglass retains an important component in his argument by illustrating the alteration of Sophia Auld whose “kindest heart turned…into that of a demon”(39). He states that a human being having control of another has a soul-killing effect on his moral righteousness and results in the loss of innocence. At first Douglass writes, “The meanest slave was put fully at ease in her presence, and none left without feeling better for not having seen her. Her face was made of heavenly smiles, and her voice of tranquil music”(39). Douglass’s initial description fixes his argument that the slaveholder is not necessarily evil. His choice of words reveals his complete astonishment of her gentleness that he had never experienced before. However, Douglass’s tone appears to be disturbed of her behavior for she is “unlike any oth...

    Read More

  • The Dehumanizing Effect Of Slavery By Frederick Douglass

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    My new mistress proved to be all she appeared when I first met her at the door, —a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings. She had never had a slave under her control previously to myself, and prior to her marriage she had been dependent upon her own industry for a living. She was by trade a weaver; and by constant application to her business, she had been in a good degree preserved from the blighting and dehumanizing effects of slavery. I was utterly astonished at her goodness. I scarcely knew how to behave towards her. She was entirely unlike

    Read More

  • Self Knowledge And Happiness In Pride And Prejudice, by Jane Austen

    1569 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lydia, Mr WIckham and Lady Catherine de Bourg have no self awareness and are unhappy in the novel. The marriage of Lydia and Mr Wickham is one of the unhappy marriages. Mr Wickham and Lydia are both very similar and are both unaware of their faults; they are both careless with money and see no problem with asking their relatives for money. Lydia as the youngest daughter is well accustomed to having other people look after her and she is dependent on other people. Lydia’s lack of self awareness doesn’t affect her greatly; she is happy and claims that she loves Wickham. She is very fond of him but he is not fond of her and quickly loses interest, “Wickham’s affection for Lydia, was just what Elizabeth had expected to find it; not equal to Lydia’s for him.” Lady Catherine de Bourg has no self knowledge. She is full of herself and sees herself very highly; it is obvious she is lacks self knowledge. She makes discourteous comments about other people without thought to their opinions and she also enunciates comments about how she views herself. Lady Catherine de Bourg is unhappy because she is disappointed ...

    Read More

  • Slave Girl Identity

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    In her early years of being induced to slavery, Linda was granted kind slave owners who recognized her humanity and considered her humanistic rights; however her owner passed and she is sold to a cruel family who inflicts verbal and physical abuse upon her, however this practice is encouraged in slave laws. Physical and verbal confrontations are not forbidden in the slave law, this practice is encouraged for whites to inflict upon blacks, this law making Linda’s identity difficult to convey. Linda manages an escape from the fetters of slavery in search of freedom however her owners send out a notice to obtain her, also a threat to take her children away and sell them (Jacobs, pg. 82). Stripped of her human rights under the title of slave, Linda’s owners disregard the fact that she is human, instead see her as profit and abuse the power of authority. Her identity of being a nursemaid is completely damaged by the views her owners inflict upon her overall self image; slavery completely slaughters the idea of black individual’s identity, instead they are viewed as a price. The identity of the nursemaid is deconstructed by the practice of slavery, the cruel and unusual treatment sends Linda into the seeking of her freedom. The treatment casted upon slaves was significantly cruel and dehumanizing due to slaves owners attempting to get much work out of their slaves as possible (Rohrer. 1 November 2016) and the lack of respect because of the skin color. Linda is graced by the charms of receiving a kind slave owner in the beginning of her journey as a slave, her perception of slavery is seen as pure and a constructed lifestyle. Linda is inflicted by constant verbal abuse from her next slave owner, and physical altercations happen on rare occasions, although her master swears to not make physical

    Read More

  • Conflict In The Movie Mean Girls

    1652 Words  | 4 Pages

    The movie that I chose to do my analysis on, is Mean Girls because it is my all-time favorite movie. I watched it a million times, it never gets old and plus I know every single line in the movie. The main character Cady, played by Lindsay Lohan, exhibits how to go from being a nerd, popular, hated and rehabilitated all in one school year. It’s hilarious movie about high school but, it also covers many interpersonal concepts that we learned in class like: verbal communication, conflict and relationship dynamics. Before I provide my analysis, I’ll present my brief summary on the movie Mean Girls.

    Read More

  • Free Essays on A Doll's House: Money Matters

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mrs. Linde, on the other hand, knows what it is like to not have money to spare. She values money, but for an entire different purpose. The looks at it for what it is worth, and how it can help her survive. Her entire life she has had to work hard for anything that she wanted or needed. “Well, anyway,” she responded to Nora’s remark on having stacks of money, “it would be lovely enough to have enough for necessities” (703). To survive, she “had to scrape up living with a little shop and a little teaching and whatever else [she] could find” (704).

    Read More

More about Conflict in "A Disobedient Girl"

Open Document