Overall the book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was interesting to read, it would be a captivating read for students, as it gave a prominent insight on slave life and life in Maryland, other Southern states, and Northern states also differences between the states . The author gave themes that could teach students on the time period of the story that could be used , that could be applied to situations and ignorance as a tool of power , Christianity as an excuse for the enslavement of people, and education is the key towards independence throughout the book. These themes throughout the whole book did reflect a depiction of the history of enslavement around the 1800s, also the description of how slavery affected people ( slaveholders) …show more content…
Early on in the book, Douglass mentioned that he was separated from his mother at a young age and stated, “ It was a common custom ...to part children away from their mothers at a very early age ... For what this separation is done, I do not know, unless it be to hinder development of the child's affection towards its mother, and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child.” (page 20) . Frederick noted that early on, young children born into slavery were separated from their mothers consequently, destroying a connection between the pair , feeling as if he was saying that early on slavery destroys a part of being human, and that was emotional connections with others . He provided readers with even the smallest details like how much food they received ,the type of clothing they wore, living conditions . Douglass slaves were deemed as property, they were ranked alongside with the farm animals ;another example was a slaveholder of the name Mr. Covey, he bought a female slave since he was not wealthy and used that woman as a breeder as if she was a farm animal. The author depicted how slaves did not have their own thoughts, they . Douglass wrote, “ ...slaves were inquired of as to their condition and the character of their masters, almost universally say they are contented, and that their …show more content…
The author could have added more detail to his experience being enslaved in the past on the other hand, he did explain in the book that he did not want to risk the freedom of other slaves or resulting in the slaveholders being more controlling and cautious of the slaves. My reason for wanting Douglass to give full detail of his escape or more of his thoughts and emotions during the events, as it did feel that certain things were missing through the story . Understandable what Douglass intended again, he did give readers an insight of how slaves lived, give riveting topics for students to discuss in classes best suited for history and english classes for those in middle school to high school but for those in college it maybe be suited for their classes and may be compatible with their major. By reading the books people learn as well as compare and contrast the present and
In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave written by Frederick Douglass, the author asserts that slaves were treated no better than livestock. Douglass supports his claim by giving examples of the hardships he endured while living as a slave. Douglass’s purpose is to connect with the reader on multiple levels in order to abolish slavery. Based on the text, Douglass is writing to people with the power to achieve his goal of abolishing slavery. Douglass, a former slave, experienced the mistreatment of slaves to the worst degree.
Frederick Douglass was a slave for a total of 20 years until he escaped to the North on September 3, 1838. Douglass was in the care of his grandparents and then his grandmother abandoned him, leaving Douglass at Colonel Lloyd’s plantation. There, Douglass worked every day at the plantation and in the city of Baltimore, alternating every few months. While at Lloyd’s plantation, Douglass wore a sackcloth shirt, slept on the floor, and ate cornmeal every day. Douglass was put in the care of “Aunt Katy.”
By using his own life story, Frederick Douglass gives all those who read his narrative the harsh truth about slavery. He shows that his purpose is to abolish slavery because of the harmful and bestial ways the slave owners have towards the slaves. Douglass states his opinion near the end of the narrative, saying, “It is my opinion that thousands would escape from slavery, who now remain, but for the strong cords of affection that bind them to their friends. The thought of leaving my friends was decidedly the most painful thought with which I had to contend” (Douglass 111). Through this personification, Douglass is able to express that the reason other slaves have not been able to escape is because of the love they have for their friends and family.
Slaves were treated with the lowest of respect, and had no form of justice or rights. The slave system during the time that Frederic Douglass was a slave was corrupted, and he made that very clear within his narrative. In Douglass’ narrative we are shown how little rights the slaves
In his Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Frederick Douglass describes in vivid detail his experiences of being a slave. In his novel Douglass talks about what it was like to move from location to location and what it was like to work long, hard hours with less than substantial sustenance. Eventually he escapes the clutches of slavery but not before he endured beatings, forced hard labor and emotional mistreatment. During his time as a slave he was tasked with various kinds of work and after he became free he worked as a speaker who advocated for abolition of slavery.
In the second autobiography, Douglass mentions the separation as a simple statement as it was a custom to separate the children from their mothers, without question or much emotion, but still he mentions it as it is the ultimate source for the lack of affection towards his mother (Douglass, 1855, 42). Another interesting similarity, was that in the later text Douglass described his encounters with his mother practically as a mirror experience, in which he again states that they only met when she snuck out in the night, for short periods of time.
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass; an autobiography consisting of Frederick Douglass’ search for freedom from the slaveholders who kept many African Americans captive, allowed many to understand the pain and misery in the midst of slavery. Published in 1845, Douglass conveyed the lives of African Americans and how they have suffered a great deal of pain and discomfort through a provocative tone . Throughout his autobiography, Douglass used countless metaphors to portray his life. From Mr. Plummer to Mrs. Auld, the reader could better perceive the text by visualizing the metaphors that Douglass has used. Using Frederick’s writing, youthful audiences can gain knowledge about slavery and its effects.
Douglass states “the practice of separating children from their mother, and hiring the latter out at distances too great to admit of their meeting, except at long intervals, is a marked feature of the cruelty and barbarity of the slave system” (Douglass, 24). In other words, the children that were being separated from their family by the system, was not worth being with their family. Slave owners thought that they are not worth being human themselves. Meaning, they are more like animals and cargo instead of a human being. The slaves were stripped from their identity.
Douglass encountered multiple harsh realities of being enslaved. For example, the ex-slave was practically starved to death by his masters on multiple occasions. In fact, “[He was] allowed less than a half of a bushel of corn-meal per week, and very little else... It was not enough for [him] to subsist upon... A great many times [he had] been nearly perishing with hunger” (pg 31).
The Narrative of Frederick Douglass is a very great perspective for people of today to understand what it was like to be a slave in the 1800’s. It tells the story of the slave Frederick Douglass and how he began as an uneducated slave and was moved around from many different types of owners, cruel or nice, and how his and other slaves presences changed the owners, and also how he educated himself and realized that he shouldn’t be treated so poorly It was at the point later in the book that I realized how some slaves might have felt during slavery in the 1800’s. When Douglass is sent away to Mr.Covey he is treated pretty badly but eventually he stands up to Mr.Covey and demands that he stopped being treated like an animal.
In “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, Douglass narrates in detail the oppressions he went through as a slave before winning his freedom. In the narrative, Douglass gives a picture about the humiliation, brutality, and pain that slaves go through. We can evidently see that Douglass does not want to describe only his life, but he uses his personal experiences and life story as a tool to rise against slavery. He uses his personal life story to argue against common myths that were used to justify the act of slavery. Douglass invalidated common justification for slavery like religion, economic argument and color with his life story through his experiences torture, separation, and illiteracy, and he urged for the end of slavery.
Dehumanization of both slaves and slave owners must occur for slavery to exist. Slavery harms everyone involved, including the slaveholders who superficially seem to profit from the arrangement. Douglass’s narrative acknowledges the damage inflicted on both sides of the institution of slavery, emphasizing that a human being’s personality and disposition form per the laws and socially acceptable practices exhibited within the society. Douglass has an excellent example how he seen with his own eyes how his mistress became demonized when she became an owner of a slave. Douglass became Mrs. Auld's first salve owner and at the begging when they first met “she [was] of the kindest heart and finest feelings” (38).
PAGE 2 In the Narrative Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, he uses this text to explain his purpose in “throwing light on the American slave system”, or show it for what it really is, as well as show his position on how he strongly believes slavery is an issue that needs to be addressed and how it differs from those who defended slavery, with experiences from his own life to support his argument. Douglass uses experience from his early days as a young slave to throw light on the aspect of physical abuse. According to his narrative, Douglass states, “Master, however, was not a humane slaveholder.
Because of this, he successfully creates a contrast between what the slave owners think of and treat the slaves and how they are. Douglass says that slave’s minds were “starved by their cruel masters”(Douglass, 48) and that “they had been shut up in mental darkness” (Douglass, 48) and through education, something that they were deprived of, Frederick Douglass is able to open their minds and allow them to flourish into the complex people that they are. By showing a willingness to learn to read and write, the slaves prove that they were much more than what was forced upon them by their masters.
In the book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass reveals his life as a slave and the valuable lessons he learned from his experience. Douglass wants the truth about slavery to be revealed and wants to eliminate the lies that portray slavery as beneficial. Douglass exposes the reality of slavery by criticizing the “romantic image” of slavery, showing the intellectual capabilities slaves had, and revealing the reasons why slaves were disloyal to each other. Douglass criticizes the southern, romantic image of slavery by exposing the harsh treatment and sadness that slaves endured. It was southerners who thought slavery as beneficial, because it benefited themselves and white society.