"I made a headling plunge. Pity me, and pardon me, O virtuous reader!"

[Samantha Sears]

This passage is from Harriet A. Jacobs' "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl."

This passage occurs when Linda is readying herself to recount her relationship with Mr. Sands. She is pleading with the reader not to judge her solely because of this dishonorable part of her past and she beseeches the reader not to allow this part of her sexual history to discredit her entire story.

This passage is important because it indicates the part of Jacobs' life that she is most ashamed of. Jacobs was initially reluctant to write her story of slavery because she did not want to share this disgraceful part of her past with the world. Linda was not raped by her master; rather, she chose to become sexually involved with Mr. Sands in hopes of procuring her freedom and eventually the freedom of her children. The sexual relationship between her and Mr. Sands came entirely of her own volition. This shameful part of her past prohibits her from becoming a true heroine of slavery. She allowed herself to be objectified by the male sex and she used her body and her sexuality in an attempt to free herself. She essentially treated herself as a piece of sexual property by giving herself to Mr. Sands with the aim of ensuring her freedom.