In Deborah Gray White’s book Ar’n’t I a Woman? Female Slaves in the Plantation South, she discusses how black men and women did not experience slavery the same way. White believes that the way different genders were treated due to slavery was more to it than what other historians have revealed. White based her title on Sojourner Truth’s address which stated, “I could work as much and eat as much as a man (when I could get it), and bear de lash as well- and ar’n’t I a women? (White 14). White used her studies for slave narratives, travellers’ and former slave interviews to help her support her arguments in her book. Based on White’s argument in this book slavery was different for men and women because both genders had different responsibilities and expectations. One of White’s study was the myths of Jezebel. Jezebel was the opposite of a real women during the time period. The myths characteristics of a black women is one who is sensual and would want men to go to bed with her. According the White, “If she is rescued from the myth of the Negro, the …show more content…
Manny was seen as an image of an idealized women and was a symbol of the patriarchal tradition(White 58). The ideal woman would keep the plantation going. This quote is stating that Mammy was not a real women rather she was a perfect image of a woman. White stated, “The proper woman was one who made the home her primary sphere, who was a helpmeet to her husband, who knew how to cook, sew, and garden” (White 26). This quote is a perfect example of the expectations for the roles of women during the time period in the South. White also talked about the third myth named Sapphire towards the end of the book. Sapphire got her name in the mid-twentieth century. White stated, “A s a stereotype, Sapphire is a domineering female who consumes men and usurps their role” (White 176). Sapphire was not as sexual as Jezebel. Jezebel women took over the power of men’s