Essay on the Life of Frederick Douglass - 1702 Words

In Frederick Douglass#8217; Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Mr. Douglass gives many examples of cruelty towards slaves as he shows many reasons that could have been used to abolish slavery. Throughout the well-written narrative, Douglass uses examples from the severe whippings that took place constantly to a form of brainwashing by the slaveholders over the slaves describing the terrible conditions that the slaves were faced with in the south in the first half of the 1800#8217;s. The purpose of this narrative was most likely to give others not affiliated with slaves an explicit view of what actually happened to the slaves physically, mentally, and emotionally to show the explicit importance of knowledge to the liberation†¦show more content†¦A majority of southern slaveholders took part in sexual relations with their slaves because it was their property and they felt should be able to do whatever they wanted to do with it. This idea of the slaveholder was an evil example of the condition of slavery and how it was such a necessity that it be abolished. The total disrespect by slaveholders towards the slave families is overwhelmingly sinful. How could one person be so oblivious to the wickedness of their actions to their families of slaves by impregnating their women and separating them from each other? The shear absence of any respect for Africans or mankind in general, makes those certain slaveholders the worst humans on this earth. As a young child, Frederick Douglass was introduced to the acts of violence towards the slaves including the all too common whippings. He says, #8220;I have often been awakened at the down of day by the most heart-rendering 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.#8221; One could only imagine the horrid pictures that slaves would have seen on a daily basis of other slaves nearly being beaten to death by t heir masters. For the black children growing up on the plantation, the master was seen to be a man of great power and not to be taken lightly. This was exactlyShow MoreRelatedNarrative Life of Frederick Douglass Essay1104 Words   |  5 PagesIn this essay I will be talking about the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and how his life was representative towards the telling about slavery. First I will talk about what the difference between urban and plantation slavery. Then I will talk about each type of slavery through events that Frederick Douglass lived through. In the end I will describe how slavery impacted race relations. Numerous people have a diverse way of thinking towards the Narrative of Fredrick Douglass, so someRead MoreNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay1306 Words   |  6 PagesFrederick Augustus Washington Bailey (later known as Frederick Douglass) was born a slave in Talbot County, Maryland around the year 1818. He was an African American reformer, writer, and orator. Douglass was one of the few noteworthy heroes who arose from the evils of slavery and impacted the United States and the world in significant ways. After escaping from slavery, he became known for his astounding oratory skills and remarkable antislavery writing. He became an important leader of the abolitionistRead MoreNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay1182 Words   |  5 PagesNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass After escaping from slavery, Frederick Bailey changed his name to Frederick Douglass and became a prominent speaker in the abolitionist movement. He was so eloquent that proslavery opponents charged him with being a fraud who had never been a slave and challenged him to reveal the true facts of his life. Such an account was dangerous for Douglass, who could have been captured and returned to slavery for life, but he proceededRead MoreEssay on The Life of Frederick Douglass2310 Words   |  10 Pages The Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass brilliantly intelligent and defiant once led a minor insurrection against his masters and escapes his venture alive. Douglass’s career as a militant, uncompromising leader of the American Negro. A fugitive slave who was taught to read by his slave mistress, and who as an ex-slave, became the most famous and articulate rebuke to the monstrous institution of slavery ever to speak or to write in America. In autumn of 1828, Frederick DouglassRead MoreThe Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay1001 Words   |  5 Pages The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass details the oppression Fredrick Douglass went through before his escape to freedom. In his narratives, Douglass offers the readers with fast hand information of the pain, brutality, and humiliation of the slaves. He points out the cruelty of this institution on both the perpetrator, and the victims. As a slave, Fredrick Douglass witnessed the brutalization of the blacks whose only crime was to be born of the wrong color. He narrates of the pain,Read More Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay907 Words   |  4 PagesNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  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 naà ¯ve in understanding his situation. As a child put into slavery Douglass does not have the knowledge to know about his surroundings and theRead More Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay1380 Words   |  6 Pagessecond. The only chance to survive this born-into captivity, is to humble yourself before a white master or attempt to escape to an unknown safe haven. To chance an escape would put your life at risk to the bounty hunters and cause severe brutality upon those you left behind. The only logical way to live one’s life in these situations would be submissive from birth to death and to die quietly, so those remaining don’t lose what little faith they have left. This is an example of the atrocities thatRead MoreNarrative of the life of Frederick Douglass Essay1558 Words   |  7 PagesNarrative of the life of Frederick Douglass   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In reading The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, I, like others, found myself to be deeply moved. The way in which Mr. Douglass walked me through each stage of his â€Å"career† as a slave gave me a better understanding of the African American slaves’ struggle. I realized in reading this mans story that he was a gifted individual and I pondered over where his strength came from? It is true and obvious that Mr. Frederick Douglass was an extremelyRead More Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay906 Words   |  4 PagesNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, depicts a vivid reality of the hardships endured by the African American culture in the period of slavery. One of the many things shown in Fredericks narrative is how slaves, in their own personal way, resisted their masters authority. Another is how slaves were able to create their own autonomous culture within the brutal system in which they were bound. There are many examples in the narrativeRead MoreEssay on Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass1097 Words   |  5 PagesNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Complete Title: An Exploration of the Relationship between Southern Christianity and Slaveholding as seen in the â€Å"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Written by Himself†    Dr. Pautreaux’s comments: What makes this paper memorable is the fact that this student is also a minister. Both his command of the language and his insight as a minister gave this paper a unique view of the narrative.    We can so easily deceive