One thing that I noticed in Harriet Ann Jacobs's piece was the way in which she asks for help. She writes, "Why do your tongues falter in maintenance of the right? Would that I had more ability! But my heart is so full, my pen so weak!" (506). She is playing on the fact that her listeners are the only ones with the power to make a difference. She is empowering their perception of their own strength. By using this technique, Jacobs is giving a universal message that victims often cannot help themselves. She is showing that it is others' responsibility to step up and help when they see something that is wrong.
I see the website working in a different way. The website seems to empower the survivor. The focus is on survivors stepping forward and speaking out. The call for action is a break of silence. The best technique that the website uses is showing, through statistics and pictures, the immense numbers of victims and survivors. This realization that they're not alone gives women the strength to speak up. For me, this website gave me a clearer idea of the magnitude of this problem.
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I think this goes back to what we talked about in class...victims need outside help, but sometimes (and quite often) people outside the situation do not want any involvement or they think oh someone else will help her or something along those lines. I think that Harriet Jacobs is speaking out about this. she is saying she needs outside help, that she wants to do everything she can, but that isn't enough.
ReplyDeleteI definitely see the website working in the way in which you mention, as an empowerment to the survivors. But also in allowing the survivors a means, an outlet, for empowerment it also serves as a vehicle for their message about the hardships and difficulties that are faced by women who are victims of abuse. So I also see that through the vehicle of empowering survivors the web site is also furthering the greater message against abuse.
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