Final answer:
Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass both faced sexual exploitation and sought education against their mistresses' wishes. Jacobs additionally dealt with emotional manipulation, revealing the gendered differences in slavery's dynamics. Their narratives underscore the dehumanizing aspects of slavery and their resistance to it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The gendered difference in the master-slave relationship Harriet Jacobs had with her mistress and that of Frederick Douglass and his mistress presents both similarities and differences in the experiences of enslaved men and women. One similarity is that both Douglass and Jacobs sought education but faced opposition from their mistresses. Furthermore, they each experienced a form of sexual exploitation but differed in their responses and aspirations for freedom. A major difference lies in Jacobs having to navigate more emotional manipulation due to gendered dynamics of sexuality within slavery, while Douglass encountered the moral degradation of his mistress as she transitioned from treating him with kindness to embodying the cruelty of a slaveholder.
Harriet Jacobs wrote about her resistance to sexual assault by her master and her quest for a form of freedom within her constrained societal role. Similarly, Frederick Douglass detailed the sexual abuse of female slaves by White men and the resulting emasculation of enslaved men. Both highlight the dehumanizing effects of slavery on individuals and the complex interplay of power, sexuality, and resistance.