Nothing in life is guaranteed, but the one thing humans ask for is freedom. Throughout history, there are countless instances where groups of people have fought for their freedom. They fought their battles in very heated debates, protests and, at worst, in wars. Assuming that oppressors live in complete power, the oppressed continually seek to escape their oppressors to reclaim what is rightfully theirs: freedom of choice. In poems no. 280, n. 435 and n. 732 by Emily Dickinson and in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, freedom is represented by an individual's ability to make his or her own decisions without the guidance, consultation, or outside opinion of others in order to find true sense of self. Once an individual is physically and spiritually free, they can find their true sense of self. In poem no. 280 by Emily Dickinson, “I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain,” she compares her state of depression and madness to a funeral. In a predominantly male society, Dickinson feels trapped in a coffin, where she is unable to make any decisions on her own. The role of the woman in the society of her time was to be a good "angel of the house", to be a good housewife. This imprisonment is the cause of her depression, which in turn causes her to slowly lose her sense of self. The "mourners" seem to be the majority of society who ask her to take her role in society as a respectable young woman. This peer pressure seems to attract her: "I kept beating - beating - until it seemed the Sense was breaking in - And when everyone was seated, A function, like a drum - I kept beating - beating - until I thought my mind was becoming insensitive Ultimately, she decides to accept the limits of her freedom and give... middle of paper... her. Linda not only challenges Flint but also her grandmother by ignoring her grandmother's advice to abandon her plan leave them that night... and nothing less than the freedom of my children would have caused me to ignore her [grandmother's] advice to carry out her project of freedom in the northern states, which to the end she gets, for the sake of her children, shows that she has found her true sense of self as a mother. In conclusion, Emily Dickinson and Harriet Jacobs have discovered their true sense of self as a free woman by deciding to be different from the conventions of society and walk your own path to freedom. Once an individual finds their true sense of self, they will recognize their qualities and limitations and use them to challenge themselves, which will help them gain respect for their individual humanity..