The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

Picture this going through life without the ability to read or write. Without these abilities, it is impossible for a person to be a functioning member of society. In addition, imagine that someone is purposely limiting your knowledge to keep a leash on your independence. Not only is an American slave raised without skills in literacy, he cannot be taught to read unless someone breaks the law. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the reader is given a detailed explanation of why slave masters keep their slaves ignorant and the effects such a strategy has on the slaves’ lives. In his autobiography, Douglass describes how the knowledge he obtains has substantial positive and negative effects on his psyche. He is given renewed passion and hope for freedom while struggling with the burden of enlightenment of his situation. Ultimately, however, education shapes his fate, and he achieves freedom and prominence as an advocate for abolition.

Another example of slave master’s methods to dehumanize slaves were the living conditions provided to slaves. Along with the lashings and severe punishment to which slaves were often subjected, they were also kept half-starved. As Douglass writes, “They [Henrietta and Mary] seldom knew what it was to eat a full meal.” Douglass adds, “I have seen Mary contending with the pigs for the offal thrown into the street.” (pp. 411-412) This reveals how slave masters would not feed slaves adequate portions of food, which led to many slaves being extremely thin and malnourished. Knowledge of such despicable acts happening to one's family can only inspire feelings of despise, disgust and hatred. Douglass, however, used this as fuel to inspire his freedom.

He notes that, the slavery institution made them forget about their origin, and anything else that entails their past, and even when they were born. The slaves forgot everything about their families, and none knew about their family because, they were torn from them without any warning. Douglass explains how they went without food, clothing and even sleep because their masters were cruel to them. American slavery took advantage of black laborers as they were beaten mercilessly without committing any offense. They were not treated as human beings, but as property that could be manipulated in any way. The slavery institution was harsh for the Africans especially women who were regularly raped, and forced to bear their masters children and if they declined, they were maimed or killed.

Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist who altered America's views of slavery through his writings and actions. Frederick's life as a slave had the greatest impact on his writings. Through his experience as a slave, he developed emotion and experience for him to become a successful abolitionist writer. He experienced harsh treatment and his hate for slavery and desire to be free caused him to write Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. In his Narrative, he wrote the story of his miserable life as a slave and his fight to be free. His motivation behind the character (himself) was to make it through another day so that maybe one day he might be free. By speaking out, fighting as an abolitionist and finally becoming an author,

Slavery was an embarrassing time in America’s history. In 2016, slavery has become a distant memory. It’s easy for us to admit that slavery is wrong but, in Frederick Douglass’s time no one thought that it was. Frederick Douglass went on to write books and give speeches in hope that one day all slaves would be free. In the book called “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, he attempts to shine light on the American Slave system in the 1800’s.

“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

Everyone would agree that education helps develop us into who we are and what we can become. We are able to explore new ideas and concepts, which leads to more knowledge. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass is thrown into a new world of knowledge and opportunity, once he learns how to read and write. Through his knowledge, he learns more about his situation and potential. Douglass discovers that a slave was set free by persuading his master, and as a result, this information makes Douglass an avid learner. He understands that education is his only way out of slavery. Education empowers people to make good decisions and paves a future that provides opportunities. An education can open doors that were once closed.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was written in 1845 by Frederick Douglass, an American writer and orator. Douglass’ memoir recounts his time as a slave and his motivation to become a free man. Douglass first realized he was a slave when he sees his master brutalizing his Aunt Hester. He recalls,

The “Narratives of the Life of Frederick Douglass” is the story of Frederick Douglass’ life from the time he was born into slavery, to the time he escaped to freedom in the north. When Douglass wrote this book, slavery was still legal in a large portion of the United States. After Douglass’ escape to freedom and his continuation of his education, he became an abolitionist through his works of literature and speeches. In “The Blessings of Slavery”, by George Fitzhugh he states that southern slaves for the most part are the freest and happiest people in the world. He also goes on to say a number of other things that basically establish that slaves live an easy and good life compared to others. Frederick Douglass’ pure story telling in the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” directly goes against any argument for slavery from Fitzhugh, by revealing the harshness of the institution of slavery and the individuals behind it. In each piece of literature both authors also unknowingly touch on topics of early American history such as free labor ideology and paternalism therefore deepening our knowledge of popular understandings during this time period. Douglass refutes Fitzhugh’s pro-slavery argument of the average slave living an ideal life, by disproving early ideas of the free labor system and paternalism through real life encounters of the physical oppression slaves faced on the day to day basis in the forms of inhumane treatment and violence, as well as the true harsh

Throughout the entire narrative Douglass seems to discuss many situations they had to overcome and learn how to survive during this tough time. In the narrative Douglass describes a scene where his Aunt Hester was taken into the kitchen where she had stripped her from neck to waist. This horrific scene happened due to Aunt Hester disobeying the master order by going out and had been found in company with Lloyd’s Ned. “I have often awakened at the dawn of the day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till she was literally covered with blood” (1184). The slave owner felt enjoyment out of whipping Aunt Hester, he beats her to make her cry out but at the same time he beats her to make her suffer, he continues to beat her which eventually makes her become fatigue and not cry out anymore. Douglass wants his readers to feel grief for him and others, as they go through the slavery period when they had slave owners and how if they did not obey by the rules they will get killed or beat. “The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest. He would whip her to make her scream, and whip her to make her hush: and not until overcome by fatigue, would he cease to swing the blood-clotted cowskin” (1184). This to me was a very powerful scene in this narrative, this scene makes me and the readers have a lot of grief and sorrow for Douglass’s aunt

As a child, Douglass did not work in the fields as a child because children were not strong enough for this. Instead, he often accompanies his owner, Colonel Lloyd’s grandson, Daniel, as a servant on hunting expeditions. Although Daniel and Douglass grew attached to each other, Douglass still suffered. As rewards and necessities for the slaves, slave children are given no other clothing but a long linen shirt and eat corn mush out of a communal trough. All slaves of Lloyd’s central plantation received monthly allowances of pork or fish and corn meal. Adult slaves receive one blanket, but no bed. The slaves are so exhausted from work that they hardly notice the hard floor they are forced to sleep on. Colonel Lloyd’s wealth is so great that he has never even seen some of the hundreds of slaves he owns. This could be economic abuse as the slaves were not paid for their duties and still made to suffer for all their hard work. It wasn’t the biggest impact on Douglass’s life, but he managed to

In general, Douglass describes slave life on a large plantation as harsh and cruel. As a child he was an eyewitness to a “Bloody Transaction”. Douglass wrote “often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till she was literally covered with blood. No words, no tears, no prayers, from his gory victim, seemed to move his iron heart from its bloody purpose. The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest. He would whip her to make her scream, and whip her to make her hush; and not until overcome by fatigue, would he cease to swing the blood-clotted cow skin. I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition. I was quite a child, but I well remember it.”(Douglass, 4) This quote demonstrates the cruelty slaves endured on a large plantation. Slave children were unable to work so they were allowed two coarse linen shirts per year and after they were worn out they would be naked. Slave children had a lot of leisure time. Douglass describes his daily activities as a child “I lived on Colonel Lloyd 's plantation, it was very similar to that of the other slave children. I was not old enough to work in the field, and there being little else than field work to do, I had a great

Being a slave in the United States was not uncommon in the 19th century. There were many brutalities of being a slave including physical and spiritual abuse. Slaves were considered property and not as human beings. They were mistreated and kept illiterate. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is a autobiography written by Frederick Douglass himself that told of his experiences of being a slave in the United States. He expresses the brutality the slave owners and how he struggled with running away to become a free human being. The themes of his story include: the ignorance of slaves, the treatment of slaves as property, religion used as justification, and the victimization of female slaves.

Mental, physical, and emotional abuse are forms of abuse that every slave has encountered. Some slaves had it easier than others. For example, plantation slaves were not as fortunate as some city slaves were. Plantation slaves worked hard in the fields from sunrise to sunset, no matter what the weather was like. They would get severly whipped, some whippings leading them close to death, and they were fed very little. In the reading, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass himself, he tells his story about what it was like being a plantation slave. He explains us about the dreadful slaveholders he’s encountered and about how he learned how to read and write. In the story, Innocents of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Jacobs, she expresses what is was like to be mentally and emotionally abused by her slaveholder, Dr. Flint. She writes about her experience staying with him and she also talks about her family problems. Slaveholders showed that they had no feelings towards their slaves by being brutal and insensitive towards them.

From one provoking argument involving movingly narrated stories of a dehumanizing institution to another, Douglass reflects the slaves’ feelings and hardships as the unbearable nature of slavery becomes a part of their everyday life. Throughout the novel, Douglass describes his own sufferings, by recounting the time when he was separated from his mother. The barbarity, so common in slavery, becomes clearly evident as Douglass states, “Never having enjoyed, to any considerable extent, her soothing presence, her tender and watchful care, I received the tidings of her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger.” The white ruling class did not put more thought into this act of inhumanity than when separating cattle from their mothers. Another time in which Douglass incorporates the use of flashback to portray the dehumanization of slaves as they were seen as no more than animals, is when he describes the way they were fed while he lived on Colonel Lloyd’s plantation. Douglass writes, “It was put into a large wooden tray or trough, and set down upon the ground. The children were then called, like so many pigs, and like so many pigs they would come and devour the mush.” Slave owners did not find it necessary to provide their slaves with plates or utensils. Treating their slaves as animals made it easier for slaveholders to condone the evil and malicious nature of slavery. At this point in the novel, Douglass’s use of flashback reveals