“Mr.Fore then, without consultation or deliberation with any one, not even giving Demby an additional call, raised his musket to his face, taking deadly aim at his standing victim, and in an instant poor Demby was no more, his mangled body sank out of sight, and blood and brains marked the water where he had stood.” — Chapter V

Douglass described Demby’s death very clear, and this part makes me feel sad. Mr. Fore didn’t give an additional call for Demby, it reflects their life that they can’t bargain with the master. Also, the master didn’t care about their feeling. “His mangled body sank out of sight, and blood and brains marked the water where he had stood.” I can image this part from his description. A poor slave was stand in the water, and he tried to get more time in the water, but the master was cruel, he wanted his slave back to work as soon as possible. Slaves have no rights to speak, and they have to suffer the pain and whip.

Although this is only a small fragments about a slave, but it really impressed me. Slaves could not help each other, though their companions died, they feel fear and they could not resist. Slaves and the master have different class and identity, but both of them are human. The master didn’t treat slave’s life as the same with them. The master treats their slaves like animals, and if animals against their orders and they can kill them.

I think the description of this part was very dismal  and his death deeply engraved on Douglas’s mind like a picture. At the same time, I  can felt the despair and fear of salves.

The passage that stood out to me from the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” was when he described the conditions at Colonel Lloyd’s plantation, when he lived there as a child. He talked about sleeping on the cold ground using an empty bag used for corn as warmth, and that his feet had been so cracked with frost that he said the “pen with which I am writing might be laid in the gashes.” As for meals, he recalled “our food was coarse corn meal boiled…It was put into a large wooden tray or trough, and sat 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; some with oyster shells, others with pieces of shingle, some with naked hands, and none with spoons” (p.248). While much of the physical violence in his writing stood out, this passage was the one that painted such a vivid, heartbreaking picture in my mind. All I could see were a bunch of those children, cold and hungry, huddled around this trough, fighting over what little food was there and using whatever they could find to help eat it. Even Douglass himself describes the children as being “like pigs”, who were called when it was feeding time and devoured what was given. It shows just how far they were stripped of their basic human rights. There was no humanity here; they were treated as though they were farm animals. His description of that, to me, shows how unjust slavery is even more so than the physical torture they had to endure because it shows how they weren’t even viewed as human beings. Frederick Douglass describes his experiences in such a powerful way that it feels as if you can see them in your minds eye. His words evoke so much emotion that you can’t help but feel something when you read them. And there is such a resonation of strength in his work, because despite it all, he was able to survive, educate himself, and use his words as a weapon for change. It shows just how unbreakable his spirit was, and is why his work still holds so much power today.

The quote that stood out to me was right in the beginning of the story. “A want of information concerning my own [age] was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege.” This quote made an impression on me because even though he was a slave, he had somehow become literate, and beyond odds, eloquent. I believe that the most important thing that we can learn about Frederick Douglass here by analyzing his syntax and diction is that he was not afraid to challenge his masters. He said himself that he was not allowed to try to ascertain his own age as it was banned by his master. A weaker man would not have questioned this and moved on. Without reading more than two pages in or knowing anything else about the story, I can already tell that this narrative is going to include Douglass being a crucial part of the anti-slavery movement because of his intelligence and willingness to challenge authority. From the passage, we can deduce that American slavery is brutal . If Douglass is not allowed to know his own age then we must also assume that his master is actively trying to keep his slaves as ignorant and as uninformed as possible in order to maintain his power by force. My guess is that this method will backfire on him and cause an uprising before he is required to free his slaves by law. A few questions are raised to me by this quote. Through what avenues is Douglass’ master going through in order to maintain the ignorance of his slaves? Is Douglass monitored at all times to make sure that he is following orders? Did Douglass grow up around white children and get taken from that environment, or did he know about white children by observing them from afar?

“They are, in the first place, a constant offense to their mistress. She is ever disposed to find fault with them; they can seldom do any thing to please her; she is never better pleased than when sees them under the lash, especially when she suspects her husband of showing to his mulatto children favors which he withholds from his black slaves. The master is frequently compelled to sell this class of his slaves, out of deference to the feelings of his white wife; and, cruel as the deed may strike any one to be, for a man to sell his own children to human flesh-mongers, it is often the dictate of humanity for him to do so; for, unless he does this, he must not only whip them himself, but must stand by and see one white son tie up his brother, of but few shades darker complexion than himself, and ply the gory lash to his naked back; and if he lisps one word of disapproval, it is set down to his parental partiality, and only makes bad matter worse, both for himself and the slave whom he would protect and defend.”(pg 237)

In chapter one of the narrative we are being introduced to Frederick Douglas up bringing and the memories he has of when he was a child. In the passage it describes the life of a young slave, which just happens to have the misfortune of being a mulatto child. This means a child that is of mixed race. In this specific section of chapter one, it illustrates how a child in this circumstance would suffer and struggle in his life if he were to stay living the plantation from which his mother (the slave) and his father (the master) were both originally from.

I would like to agree with the analysis that my fellow classmate Mikayla made and add a surprising choice of words that are were used to describe this horrible situation. Although understandable the feeling of disdain that the mistress feels towards the mulatto child, it is surprising how much empathy is felt when Fredrick is describing how the father is “compelled to sell his slave”. This is quite important because the specific word used is “compelled”  which gives the slave master a more human side to what initially thought to be soulless. He even goes as far as justifying the masters actions stating that it is a “dictate of humanity” to get ride of the child in order to save him from what would be his impending torture if he were to stay. This is a astonishing way to describe his capturer predicament in which he choose to sympathize with the master rather then condemning him for sending him away. This passage in particular moved me because from all the atrocities that he has suffered in such a short time to be able to say that he understands why such horrible choice were made in order to protect him, is a great sign of character.

“As I read and contemplated the subject, behold! that very discontent which Master Hugh had predicted would follow my learning to read had already come, to torment and sting my soul to unutterable anguish… Freedom now appeared, to disappear no more forever.” (Chapter VII, 254).

The passage above depicts Frederick Douglass’ awareness of the situation that he is currently in. If he did not learn to read and write, he would just be like any other slave, unknowledgeable of the nightmare that they were all forced into. Douglass wishes that he had not become educated of the cruelty of slavery. In this passage, one can understand the strong emotions that he felt through his is very descriptive language. Each sentence is a single thought that eventually leads to the point of realization that change is needed. Douglass saw that slavery was “the horrible pit… to no ladder upon which to get out.” He first saw that there was no remedy to slavery. However, he soon realizes that: “freedom now appeared, to disappear no more forever.” This line stands out because it is a critical moment of realization that the life he was living was inhumane. Many slaves at this time were not aware of their current situation. They were living a life that was imposed onto them, by people who thought themselves superior just because of the color of their skin, not questioning if “Was this the life that I am actually destined to live?” A commonly heard saying is “knowledge itself is power.” Douglass being able to read and write allowed him to use his knowledge and become a national leader of the abolitionist movement in America.
After reading this passage, a question that is raised is: “Do only the educated slaves realize that this was not the right way of life?” Douglass would not have been aware if he was not literate and read “The Columbia Orator,” learning of Sheridan’s denunciation of slavery and it being a violation of human rights.

“Mr. Auld found out what was going on, and at once forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct me further, telling her. Among other things, that it was unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read…If you teach a nigger how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master.”

According to Frederick Douglass the quote stated above was considered “a special revelation”. I consider this quote to be the highlight of the story. Being that educations is reputed to be very fundamental and powerful. There is fear that if the inferior gains this experience there would be lack of obedience to the white man. Mr. Auld says that it is unsafe for the “nigger” to know how to read, because he was aware that if they gained that experience there would no longer be any inferiority. An education helps to empower one, it helps to make one believe that they have achieved a lot and they know a lot. The feeling one gets after knowing something is a confident feeling. Whites portrayed slaves as less intelligent, and more barbaric. Allowing slaves to get an education would have only revealed that this theory was a lie.

This passage makes me value education more, it also helps to motivate me. Frederick Douglas was a determined man. People were getting killed for simply learning their ABC’s, but Douglass was able to write an entire passage.As an African American young lady, I am more empowered by this text; because it proves to me what my capabilities are and how much an education can do for me.

This passage simply enhances my understanding about slavery in America, it also helps make me aware that although we might have overcome slavery. However reducing the opportunities for blacks to gain an education is still well alive in our society. A contemporary strategy of trying to stop blacks from gaining an education include the school to prison pipeline strategy, as well as lack of resources for students to learn from. School to prison pipeline discourages students, it helps to put fear in the hearts of the young underprivileged students. This program is implemented in most school that are in low income communities. Furthermore, many of these low income areas are predominantly African American, and Hispanics. I believe that there might still be an objection that African American are to become superior. Although it is easier today to gain an education than it was, there are still many obstacles that we have to face to get this opportunity.

My reading and understanding of slavery in America was strongly impacted by the following passage from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: “A want of information concerning my own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived the same privileges.”

In this passage, Frederick Douglas evinces a major problem that all slaves in America were facing at the time. That is, being deprived the ability to know anything about themselves and the world around them. To Frederick Douglass, the mere fact of not being able to know his own age had a great impact on him. Slaves were prevented from understanding anything more than the harsh routines they went through each day. Their minds were controlled by their slave masters, who did not care to provide slaves with even the slightest information about their family or where they were from. As Frederick Douglass explains, this problem began at childhood, and knowledge was considered a “privilege” that only the whites were given.

From his words, I learned just how confined slaves were, not only physically but also mentally. Frederick Douglass’ diction reveals that he is upset and frustrated by this unfair treatment he and other slaves were subject to. His words help us to understand the harsh mental component of slavery, and the inhumane treatment of the slaves. Knowledge, as Douglass describes, was withheld from slaves. From this passage and some of his later explanations, I learned that many slaves did not know where they came from, who their family members were, or how old they were.

Before reading this passage, I knew little about this lack of knowledge. When I thought of slavery, the first thing that would come to mind was the physical component. That is, the lashing, beating, and so on that is more commonly mentioned when referring to this awful time. This passage given by Frederick Douglass has helped me to understand the mental impact slavery had on those subject to it. After reading I am still curious about how common reconnections were between family members, and how many slaves were ever able to learn who their birth parents were.

“Her arms were stretched up at their full length, so that she stood upon the ends of her toes. He then said to her, “Now, you d – d b – h, I’ll learn you how to disobey my orders!” and after rolling up his sleeves, he commenced to lay on the heavy cowskin, and soon the warm, red blood (amid heart rending shrieks from her, and horrid oaths from him) came dripping to the floor. I was so terrified and horror-stricken at the sight, that I hid myself in a closet, and dared not venture out till long after the bloody transaction was over. I expected it would be my turn next. It was all new to me. I had never seen anything like it before. I had always lived with my grand-mother on the outskirts of the plantation, where she was put to raise the children of the younger women. I had therefore been, until now, out of the way of the bloody scenes that often occurred on the plantation. “(P.239)

The above passage provides a thorough and genuine description into Douglass’s memory of his aunt’s painful condition under the barbaric torture of her master. The story left me deeply intrigued as Douglass was able to provoke nuanced emotions of his readers through his adept literary style. “And soon the warm, red blood came dripping to the floor” creates a frightening sentiment. Following the terrifying moments came a feeling of angriness that arose by the cruelty of the master to his slave. Not only did he strip her “from neck to waist” and call her “you d – d, b – h,” the master completely lost his humane side in a sense that he did so in front the eyes of an innocent child. In a very short passage, Douglass successfully employs a streak of descriptive adjectives (“dripping,” “terrified,” horror-stricken”) to describe his astonishment before such a petrifying scene. Through this vivid yet horrifying memory of Douglass, the audiences, besides undergoing multiple levels of emotions, gain better insights of how the American slavery system in the 19th century works. There was hardly any existence of human relationship between slaveholders and slaves. Moreover, I also learned that lives on the outskirts, where Douglass used to live, weren’t deemed to be as harsh as those on the plantation. As Douglass expressed at the end of the passage, he was “out of the way of the bloody scene” until he moved to the plantation. All in all, with Douglass being exposed to an outrageous scene at an early age, his experience not only etched an indelible mark on his memory but also on that of thousand readers whose feelings are shaken by the immorality of the American contemporary society.

“It is better that a dozen slaves suffer under the lash, than that the overseer should be convicted, in the presence of the slaves, of having been at fault.” ( 245). This tenet held by the slaveholders is so uncontested and cruel that it leads the slaves to view themselves as innately wrong and flawed. This perception is that the dignity of a slaveholder would be tarnished if they happened to be reprimanded for a wrong doing, and if they are to exhibit authority, then they must lack faults. Consequently, it led the slaves to think low of themselves, inhibit them from questioning wrong acts, being submissive and subservient to any crimes committed against them. It also alluded to the ideological concept of slaveholder’s being the master’s of judgement, in a sense that they ideally could express through their power what is just and unjust. In their case, nothing was unjust, beside looking  like a fool in front of a slave. On the contrary, the author narrates what he saw and  felt, which could attest to his critical analytical ability to think and understand that in fact, he and the rest were being mistreated. Fredrick Douglass is what could be considered an anomaly. Being able to runaway and flee and write an autobiography detailing the sadness and gore of slavery that many at times overlook or take for granted. The diction that invariably lies from the quotation stated above is a sense of hierarchy and condescension. It takes away the unalienable rights of the slave and places him/her at the bottom of the chain both figuratively and literally. The questions it raises is what about the overseer gives them that line of authority?Why should the slave feel like his voice doesn’t matter, and more so must the slave be held liable for acts of cruelty against him even when his conduct shows no sign of rebellion?

Chapter IV

“No matter how innocent a slave might be–it availed him nothing, when accused by Mr. Gore of any misdemeanor. To be accused was to be convicted, and to be convicted was to be punished; the one always following the other with immutable certainty. To escape punishment was to escape accusation; and few slaves had the fortune to do either, under the overseership of Mr. Gore. He was just proud enough to demand the most debasing homage of the slave, and quite servile enough to crouch, himself, at the feet of the master. He was ambitious enough to be contented with nothing short of the highest rank of overseers, and persevering enough to reach the height of his ambition. He was cruel enough to inflict the severest punishment, artful enough to descend to the lowest trickery, and obdurate enough to be insensible to the voice of a reproving conscience. He was, of all the overseers, the most dreaded by the slaves. His presence was painful; his eye flashed confusion; and seldom was his sharp, shrill voice heard, without producing horror and trembling in their ranks.

This passage from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass resonated with me because it shows just how unfair, and barbaric the conditions were that the slaves encountered in America during the 1800’s. Even those that complain about the inequities in our current legal system would be taken aback at theses horrific revelations that prove American society has come a long way since slavery was legal less than 200 years ago. It is one thing to be accused of committing a crime, but it is a completely different story to not even be granted a trial or opportunity to plead your case. This passage suggests that merely being associated with any sort of wrongdoing was grounds for a guilty verdict, something that goes against everything the courts throughout our country stand for. In today’s legal system, a suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty; only after the defense and prosecution present their arguments can a final decision be rendered. However, Fredrick Douglas is implying that slaves were stripped of all their legal rights and deemed to be culpable even when there was no concrete evidence indicating that they were in fact responsible for what they were being accused of. Looking at this from a modern day perspective repulses me, and makes me question the values of the American people at that time in regards to slavery. Did the public really not know that slaves were being victimized and taken advantage of by their masters? Or were they simply ignorant and indifferent to the plight of these group of people? Regardless of the explanation, the mistreatment suffered by slaves in the 1800’s is a bleak period in our country’s history and reveals that we did not always hold individual legal rights in high regards like we do today.