1. What is the significance of the information Douglass provides about the early years of his life?
2. What does he mean, on p.238, when he describes the first whipping he witnessed as, “the blood-stained gate”?
3. What have you learned from reading this narrative that you didn’t already know about slavery in America?
4. Explain the significance of literacy for Douglass?
5. How does Douglass feel about Southern Christianity? Why?
13 thoughts on “Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave”
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What does he mean, on p.238, when he describes the first whipping he witnessed as, “the blood-stained gate”?
I think that phrase can be taken a couple of different ways.
First, as a five-year-old boy, he was moving from the outskirts where his grandmother was raising him to the plantation which presumably had a gated entrance; in that sense, the entire enterprise was stained with the blood of enslaved people.
Also, Douglas get into much description of his interior life; in that sense, he could mean leaving innocence and entering into a more thorough understanding of the life to which he has been consigned.
What is the significance of the information Douglass provides about the early years of his life?
The information that Douglass provides during the early years of his life provides insight on slavery in the South. At an early age, Douglass was taken away from his mother and was raised by a grandma right outside of the plantation. He was not allowed contact with his mother. He had a really difficult childhood which included his mother’s death. This sets the mood for the reader for future events and at the same time, this creates a sense of empathy for Douglass.
5. How does Douglass feel about Southern Christianity? Why?
Douglass believes that southern Christianity is religious hypocrisy, because even though they go to church they even have slaves. Many church-goers in the South were slaves owner and they treated their slaves like animals. And also in their churches they were preaching that blacks were borned to serve and obey them .
Explain the significance of literacy for Douglass?
Douglass’s Narrative shows how white slaveholders keep their power over their slavers. The Narrative is saying that slaves even don’t know about their birth date or their family. Slaveholders make them ignorant their basic knowledge and their identity. As slave children grow older, slave owners prevent them from learning how to read and write. If they know how to read and write, they would recognize their situations and what is wrong. That’s why literacy was important for Douglass and he studied by himself. “literacy” by itself can’t bring slave’s freedom right away, but at least, it can help slaves to recognize their identity and problems.
1. What is the significance of the information Douglass provides about the early years of his life?
The information that Douglass provides us is similar to what many of the children in slavery must have experienced. He was taken away from his mother and a very young age which already shows how unfortunate he was. His childhood is like a back up to the many events that occur later in his life and how his childhood may have affected his thoughts about certain issues later on.
4. Explain the significance of literacy for Douglass?
Literacy for Douglass is very important because it provided another perspective for him, and allows him to view the world in another way. As slaves, they were expected to be uneducated so they can obey their master’s rules and not have a chance to revolt. Literacy, learning to read and write allowed Douglass to learn that there are abolitionists that escaped from slavery. There are people who went through the same experiences like him. It may have inspired him to escape himself after all. Literacy is also important for Douglass because eventually he is able to write about his experiences. His words may inspire other slaves to do the same, connect with other slaves, serve as a voice for his fellow mates about their experience and most importantly inform the world about the true experience of slavery.
4. Explain the significance of literacy for Douglass?
Literacy was Douglass’s way of escaping slavery. It was his only light and hope as a slave. When he heard his master forbidding him to be literate, he knew he must be to rebel against him. As shown later throughout the text, Douglass uses his literary knowledge he learns to forge signatures and build escape attempts for himself and other slaves as well. Furthermore, Douglass’ literacy allowed him to read newspapers and learn about the North, which offered freedom for him. Literary was significant to Douglass because it helped build his freedom.
How does Douglass feel about Southern Christianity? Why?
Douglass believes that Southern Christianity is fake and hypocritical because many southerns were Church-goers who claimed to be pious while simultaneously engaging in the ownership of slaves and treating them like animals. It’s hypocritical because how can a person believe in the words of God, which pertains to everyone despite social status and color of their skin, yet still partake in slave owning activity to dehumanize another person. In some ways he suggests that Southern Christianity augmented slavery, specifically in the part where he explained one of his masters went to church and returned to be even more cruel that before. He also explained that Mr. Covey was a very religious man yet he was very brutal and deceitful. The characteristics of the southern slave owners did not coincide with the church going, piousness they claimed to have.
Explain the significance of literacy for Douglass?
Literacy was significant to Douglass because it gave him an advantage to escape his oppressors. After being told that a slave was not allowed to read or write, he was eager to do it even more. He realized that there was some special value to being literate and Douglass eventually figures out that value. Being illiterate meant that the slaves could not escape their masters, but it also made them blind to the world outside of slavery. For example, prior to reading about the abolitionists in the newspaper, Douglass did not know that there were people in the North fighting to abolish slavery. The ability to read and write gave Douglass power and hope.
Explain the significance of literacy for Douglass?
Douglass is taught how to read by his mistress, and he gets enlightenment from his master why slavers are not allowed to be educated. From then on, he realize how important to be able to read and write. Since he is able to read, he learns from books that how injustice between slaveholders and slavers, and knows that slavers should have the same rights as slaveholders, which give him the thought to escape and become a free man.
On the other hand, only has the ability to read and write, Douglass can organize the experience of his slave life, and the succeed to gain freedom in the form of words, which makes it spread all around the world to let people knows how injustice and darkness a slaver’s life is, and narrate the cruelness and inhuman of slaveholders, in order to antislavery.
4. Explain the significance of literacy for Douglass?
As a slave, Douglass was meant to be illiterate. However, once he is told he cannot learn he becomes more determined to learn. Literacy was his way to freedom and it made him aware that people out there were trying to abolish slavery. He realized that he wasn’t alone and it gave him hope that one day he could be a free man. In the end, literacy was his way out and he was able to write about his experience to share with us.
4. Explain the significance of literacy for Douglass?
Being literate opens the doors of opportunity for a slave to become a free man. He sees the importance of achieving freedom once he starts reading and learns what abolition means. To be able to read and write encourages thinking, this can be seen as a form of empowerment. Douglas challenges his master when he hears “it will bring no good but harm to a slave if he learns to read… it will make him think.” This is when he realizes what he has to do in order to achieve freedom.
Explain the significance of literacy for Douglass?
After Douglass learns how to read and write, he feels more powerful. By reading the book, Douglass realizes how unjust slavery is and tries to escape from it. Literacy for Douglass is significant because it gave him opportunities and gave him reason to live. If he was never exposed to literacy, he knows that he would probably dead working as a slave with no contribution. By learning and reading, Douglass built the courage to rise against slavery and ended up fighting for his freedom.