Douglas's Narrative, And Contributions Of Frederick Douglass

ATTENTION: you must complete 5 journal entries. MAKE SURE that you are ANALYZING, not summarizing!!! Your analysis MAY NOT have the word “quote” in it anywhere, nor should you start your analysis with “this shows,” or “here Douglass uses.” Instead, indentify the ACTION that is taking place in terms of language. If you see a biblical allusion, type “Douglass employs biblical allusion to emphasize…” or something similar. You may NOT use first (“I,” “me,” “we,” “us”) or second person (“you”). Also, you should not begin every sentence

Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln were the two most influential men during the Civil War. Both had their struggles in life; Lincoln born into a poor white family in Kentucky and Frederick Douglass born as a slave in Maryland.

     The tone established in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is unusual in that from the beginning to the end the focus has been shifted. In the beginning of the narrative Douglass seems to fulfill every stereotypical slavery theme. He is a young black slave who at first cannot read and is very naïve in understanding his situation. As a child put into slavery Douglass does not have the knowledge to know about his surroundings and the world outside of slavery. In Douglass’ narrative the tone is first set as that of an observer, however finishing with his own personal accounts.

Abolitionists were pivotal to the end of slavery within the United States of America. Some were simply outraged and appalled by the continued institution of slavery, and others were former slaves themselves that had wished to end the evil practice of slavery. One such Abolitionist, who is considered in my opinion and the opinion of many others, was Frederick Douglass. This famous former slave had managed to both mentally and physically escape slavery, while also managing to help many others become free by shedding more light on the subject. From his famous autobiographies and Abolitionist work, to his conflict with the segregational Jim Crow laws, Frederick Douglass truly was one of, if not the most important figure in the Abolitionist movement.

After the American Revolution, slavery became a more significant component in the American economy. As a result of many slave owners being materialistic, slaves were overworked and treated callously. One such slave was Frederick Douglass. Through most of his life, Douglass was trapped in a typical slave environment. However, Douglass taught himself to read and eventually escaped the desolate life of a slave. After his freedom, Douglass wrote his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, which chronicled his life story. In his book, Douglass details his slave upbringing and how it affected him. His autobiography was incredibly comprehensive which is one reason

“You are a product of your environment.”- W. Clement. The way you were raised, the people who raised you and the community that you are raised in all play a role in who you are as an individual. Constantly throughout time the way an individual defines themselves is based on their roots, the actions or reactions that have built a foundation of who they’re today. Through the lens of a slave later turned into one of the largest faces of abolitionist acts, Frederick Douglass creates “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” in which he accounts the community he was raised in and the constant fear instilled within his community as well as his later assimilation into new communities and possibly being responsible for creation of a

He describes her as “a woman of the kindest heart” (Douglass 19). She had never owned a slave before and she treated Douglass like a human being, in a way he had never been treated before. He learned from her, how to read, and he compared her to a gift from God stating “This good spirit was from God, and to him I offer thanksgiving and praise” (Douglass 19). Slavery changed her, and she had to learn how to be mean. Her husband told her she could not teach or be kind to slaves. She could not give a slave an inch, or she would spoil him, and that the only thing a slave should be taught to do was obey his master. Because of this false teaching, Mistress Auld became worse than her husband and fearful she would lose her authority if she was kind and instructed her slaves.

It was then that he became aware of his current status: a lowly slave that was considered to be a chattel. And it was then that he wanted his freedom. Meanwhile, the venom slave owner began to poison Sophia?s kind nature. Sadly, Douglass was once again a piece of meat and he no longer viewed the black race as one of the whites. Also, his views for white slave owners changed similarly; his heart was filled with abhorrence for them (Douglass 42). There were many times when Douglass thought about running away to become a free man, but there were few times when he was really determined to fulfill the risky and dangerous task. One of the few times came during the year when he worked for Edward Covey. Douglass became a field hand for the first time in his life. It was one of the few times he felt like a slave. He was not skilled in the backbreaking work required of him. Covey was a harsh and brutal slaveholder. Mr. Covey made his slaves work in all weathers. It was never too hot or too cold; it could never rain, blow, hail, or snow, too hard in the field (Douglass 66). And if it wasn?t work, work, work, it was beatings, beatings, and beatings. Douglass was often whipped and battered for not working ?hard enough.? Under Covey, Douglass and the other slaves were treated as the lowlifes of society, as low as horses and pigs. After six months under Covey, Douglass lost interest in reading and the

Douglass describes that some of his slave owners claimed to be Christians. Captain Thomas Auld was one of these men. Auld was a cruel man he once tied up a young slave girl named Henny and whipped her until she bled out and died. He used this passage of scripture to justify his actions, “He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many

“The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” is often told with a harsh and unemotional tone; it is this euphemistic style that gives the reader a keen insight into the writer's epoch as a slave in Maryland during the early 1800’s. Douglass never let us forget that his narrative was true, he wanted the readers to understand the truth that was Douglass's life, in addition the symbols and allusions that populate this book showing the intelligence and sophistication of the writer, while the detached writing also gives the reader another look into that time’s attitude and into Douglass’s own perception.

Frederick Douglass is perhaps the most well-known abolitionist from American history. He is responsible for creating a lot of support for the abolitionist movement in the years before the Civil War. He, along with many others, was able to gain support for and attention to the abolitionist movement. People like him are the reason that slavery ended in the United States.

Frederick Douglass was one of the most influential men of the anti-slavery movement. He stood up for what he believed in, fought hard to get where he got and never let someone tell him he could not do something. Frederick Douglass made a change in this country that will always be remembered.

Once the colonization blood sweat and tear was needy, automatic African-Americans in the North became wiser in the chip on such shoulder against slavery. They worked mutually white abolitionists savor William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips to sweet the word. They blew up publications and contributed money. Many, one as Robert Purvis, zealous their control freeing companionless slaves from bondage. Although many at the helm their control the case three African-American abolitionists surpassed others in impact. These were David Walker, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth.

Douglass starts out by saying that he believes his move to Baltimore was a “special interposition of divine Providence” (19). He

The main players in the story are, Aaron Anthony. Aaron Anthony is Frederick’s first master, he is also believed to be his father. Douglass knows that his father is white but that is the only thing he knows about him. Aaron Anthony, shows no affection; common for slave masters but he is extremely harsh than other masters. He always ignored Douglass and beat slaves,including females slaves. He beats Douglass’s aunt for having ‘relations’ with another slave. At the young age he is,he was introduced to violence towards female slaves as well as female slaves being raped by their masters.