In this activity students will analyze a portion of a first-hand account by Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, then compare this historical primary source with Whitehead’s fictionalization of it in his novel.
Note: This activity would be highly appropriate for an in-depth unit of study of Whitehead’s novel; it could also work as a stand-alone activity, using a chapter excerpt from The Underground Railroad accessed by the teacher (under Fair Use).
Harriet Jacobs was enslaved in North Carolina, escaped her enslaver, and eventually settled in Boston. Jacobs published her autobiographical narrative in 1861 using the pseudonym Linda Brent.
Colson Whitehead read Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl during his junior year at Harvard in a course called “An Introduction to African American Literature.” He used a portion of the narrative as inspiration for a chapter in The Underground Railroad titled “North Carolina.” Colson Whitehead discusses the chapter “North Carolina” in an interview on National Public Radio’s program, Fresh Air, found here. For background on Jacobs’ narrative, see this entry from UNC’s Documenting the American South project.
The text of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is in the public domain and included in Project Guttenberg, found here. Click on “Chapter XXI. The Loophole Of Retreat.”
Ask students to read Harriet Jacobs’ “Chapter XXI. The Loophole Of Retreat.”
As they read, they should complete the Reading With a Pen analysis sheet.
Discuss with students what they learned from this historical first-hand account. Some points of discussion or “noticing” might be that this is a woman’s account; that sexual violence is discussed; that her “freedom” involves the most profound physical constraint; and that her “running away” entailed hiding within her previous living space.
Ask students to make a prediction:
- Why or how do you think this historical document may have been significant or enticing to Colson Whitehead?
Next, turn to the corresponding section of Colson Whitehead’s novel, “North Carolina,” which he described as being inspired by Jacobs’ narrative. Have students read about Cora and her hiding place as interpreted by Whitehead. Cora is introduced to her hiding space in the attic on page 153 of The Underground Railroad (First Edition, ISBN 97803855423649).
Ask students to complete a Comparison T Chart on the two sources.
After:
- Discuss the similarities and differences you noticed.
- Returning to the predictions above, why or how do you think this historical narrative was enticing and significant to Colson Whitehead? Why did he choose to use it in his work?
Discuss the key question: Based on this pairing, what are the benefits and limits of using historical fiction to understand the past?