In "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," Harriet Jacobs tells the story of her life as a slave. One part of her story talks about a Candidate for Congress. This chapter shows how politics and the laws of the time affected the lives of slaves like Harriet.
In this chapter, the setting is very important. Harriet talks about her town and the people living there. The people who are running for office and making the laws don’t see slaves as real people with feelings and dreams. Instead, they think of them as property. This makes Harriet and other slaves sad because they know that the candidates won’t help them.
The election is happening during a time when many people are fighting for freedom and equality. But in Harriet's town, most people only care about keeping slavery. This creates a lot of tension in the story. Harriet feels hopeless because she knows that no one in power cares about her pain. This makes her struggle even harder.
As readers, we see how important the setting is. It helps us understand why Harriet is trying to escape and find freedom. The laws and politics in her world are like big walls stopping her from living her life. Without this setting, we wouldn’t feel the same urgency and sadness in her story.
So, the chapter with the Candidate for Congress shows us how the place and time affect Harriet’s life and the lives of other slaves. It helps us see how important it is for people to fight for what is right, so everyone can be free and happy one day.