Overcoming Obstacles In Frederick Douglas's Life

The life of Frederick Douglass was as horrible and miserable as any other slave. However, since bravery was his most dominant trait Frederick’s life became the life of a hero. Born into slavery on the year of 1818, Frederick never really got to know his family and was separated at birth. Growing up, he knew that blacks like him were not supposed to be educated, or treated as well as the whites. This compelled Frederick even

Message: Douglass wants his audience, the American public, to know that he earned his freedom. Freedom is something that each of us must look for in order to be truly “free.” Through the personal experiences of his own life as a slave and his perseverance to become educated, Douglass shows us that it requires persistence and bravery to look for freedom. He also illustrates to the audience that there is no real end in this search for freedom until slavery is fully abolished.

Unlike many slaves, Frederick fought his master and little action was taken after it. After the fight, Douglass called it a “turning point in his career as a slave.” Douglass, unlike those who have raised their hand to their master was not beaten nor killed for it. Covey’s reputation as a slave breaker was too sacred to him, so he did not take action. This kept his reputation intact, but also stopped future beatings. After his stay with Covey, Douglass was given to Mr. Freeland who Douglass called, “his best master, before he became his own master.” Freeland was harsh but gave his slaves what many other owners did not. He gave them plenty of food, but Freeland also gave them adequate time to eat. Mr. Freeland worked his slaves like most, between sunrise and sunset. However, the tools they used were in good shape. These actions were not common with most slaves and gave Douglass a different experience than that of most slaves. The education that he pursued during his time with these 3 different masters gave him a better grasp on how slavery was depicted and seen during the time.

Fredrick Douglass was born into slavery and experienced things that a lot of children in that time of 1835 did, the loss of family, moving to different masters, and being treated like unequal’s and beneath society. With the blossoming of knowledge Fredrick Douglass began to experience later on in his life he become the face of change for the African American community all over the south and beyond. Change was going to come and he is known for his intellectual speeches, and writings that changed lives forever. In chapter one, Fredrick Douglass gives descriptive scenes on the encounters he witnessed with slaves being abused and mistreated by the slave holders and workers.

Douglass's narrative is like a highway map, showing us the road from slavery to freedom. His big minus was he born slave it is very difficult when you born as a slave, because when you born as a slave it's very difficult to change to free person, because he used to live as a slave not as a Fredrick Douglass, but his passion made him change when he learned to read and when he read books he started fantasying himself as a free, He says " The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. They gave tongue to interesting thoughts of my own soul, which had frequently lashed through my mind, and died away for want of utterance". It's no doubt that had many obstacles before escaping to New Yory, but he was boldness he risked his life he can even die choosing freedom but he understand that there is no life if there is no freedom. He listened his instinct instead of relying his experiences. For me Fredrick Douglasss is the person who made nothing from something. He is

In 1833 Douglass was sent to a “slave breaker” who flagellated him constantly in an effort to physically and mentally break him down. Finally after 6 months of working with covey in all kinds of weather conditions every day except Sunday, Douglass was “broken in body, soul, and spirit.”(Douglass 2064-2128) Douglass lost the will to do anything intellectually he was numbed expressively “my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died…” (Douglass 2064-2128). After enduring this treatment he tried to get protection from his former master and absconded to him. After this covey was set on beating Douglass to death and in a stable he tried where Douglass fought back and told covey “that he had used me like a brute for six months, and that I was determined to be used so no longer.”(Douglass 2064-2128) Only until Douglass seized this opportunity was he no longer subject to covey’s yoke of oppression. No longer bound his mind was free to soar and he was able to pen his autobiography in addition he was also an abolitionist who helped end slavery. His path through slavery was harsh and it took great patience to withstand that condition and to rise up. His experience of slavery was no different than any other slave of the time

16.        Did Covey break Douglass’ spirit?  How was Douglass reborn?  Why was it a turning point?

Covey for a year. Mr. Covey had a reputation for setting slaves straight. The agreement was that Covey could use the slave in the fields. One day, Douglass collapsed in the barn because he was so tired. Covey happened to come by and kicked Fredrick and started beating him. This shows how cruel Covey was. A couple days after the beating, Covey jumped on Fredrick and he decided to fight back. After a long fight, Covey gives up and does no harm to Fredrick for the rest of his time there. This gives Fredrick the courage that is very important when he

Frederick Douglass, an African American slave, searches for liberation against the shackles of slavery through education; as told in Frederick Douglass’ Narrative in a Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass portrays education as a paradox; knowledge brings him both great joy and great pain. Learning opens up new worlds for Douglass, and he becomes obsessed with the possibility of freedom. At the same time, he envies his fellow slaves for their ignorance. They do not understand what their enslavers have stolen from them. Douglass grapples with the hopelessness of his plight, but knowledge empowers him enough to set himself free from a life of benightedness, and to share that knowledge with others.

Frederick Douglass was once a slave with an opportunity that no other slaves have obtained. Douglass have spent the rest of his life educating himself, either by self-taught or someone else helping him to learn. At the time period, it was forbidden for the slaves to educate or to be educated. Douglass was lucky enough to even receive this chance to educate himself. Despite his determination to educate himself, he is still human. There are obstacles in his journey that prevented him from moving on. He even wished to die from all the pain he stored in himself that he could not express, except in his writing. With all of the obstacles and pain throughout the years, it was worth it because he escaped slavery and became a free man. “Learning to

Frederick Douglass was a prominent and influential abolitionist during the 1800’s. Having written multiple anecdotes about his past captivity and publishing them for others to observe, Douglass was exceedingly passionate about his determination to show the world what it meant to be a free man coming from slavery. With the immortalized accounts he had created, the struggles he had endured during his lifetime became leading factors in the civil rights movement, which changed the United States and the beliefs about African Americans across the nation indefinitely. Without Frederick Douglass, the country would not have been where it is today, not only due to his hardships, but also his impact on others who wanted to join the battle against enslavement.

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

After that Douglass decided to run away back to his old master Mr.Thomas, who then told him to go back that he can not take him back. When he returned to Mr.Covey’s field started working like the rest of the slaves when one day he was ordered to rub and feed the horses. As he was about to leave the horses, Mr.Covey came with a long rope and tried to tie Douglass down to so he could do whatever he wanted to do to Douglass. Douglass knew what he was willing to do to him, so he fought back.

The fight with Mr. Covey gave him hope for the future. “This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning point in my career as a slave”(Douglass 43). The fight that they had revived him with the will to live. The turning point revived his determination to be free and returned his self confidence. “It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood.

Fredrick Douglass began life in a difficult position. Born into slavery, he did not have the good fortune of having a parent to attend to him. He witnessed unspeakable cruelty daily, which undoubtedly caused him a great deal of emotional distress. Yet, he never gave up on himself. Throughout his life, he continually sought to better himself through any means available to him. Against all odds, Douglass made tremendous strides in his efforts to better himself, and he eventually succeeded in achieving his ultimate goal of escaping from the horrors of slavery.