blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery, through which I was about to pass … I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld.” (Excerpt 1) Douglass wanted the people to understand how the slaves felt. He wanted to change the minds of people who weren’t against slavery. Frederick knew he could abolish slavery by speaking on behalf of all the slaves. Douglass’ audience consisted of Northerners who either supported slavery or wanted an end to it. Throughout the entire story…
Words 789 - Pages 4
system corrupts the morality of slaveholders, effectively dehumanizing them. For instance, he describes the transformation of Mrs. Auld, a woman who initially exhibited kindness but became cruel under the influence of slavery. This shift from compassion to brutality illustrates how the system can warp a person’s character. Similarly, Douglass recounts the gleeful savagery of Mr. Covey when punishing the slaves. This highlights the perverse pleasure some slaveholders derive from their absolute power…
Words 168 - Pages 1
Frederick Douglass also writes about how slavery can be evil towards the slaves. The slaves are treated less like people and more like animals because of the evils of slavery. Douglass explains how every slave is subjected to this punishment of corrupt slaveholders by writing, “Every city slaveholder is anxious to have it known of him, that he feeds his slaves well; and it is due to them to say, that most of them do give their slaves enough to eat. There are, however, some painful exceptions to this…
Words 462 - Pages 2
The practice of slavery is dehumanizing in nature, and burdens the innocent with the cruelty and brutality of society. Frederick Douglass uses his narrative to emphasize the evil nature of slavery, which beheld the United States of America during this period of time. He describes the vile cruelty inflicted upon slaves by their slaveholders for common mistakes. Douglass stresses the horrors of slavery through his own personal experiences as a slave, and includes his reactions and emotions in connection…
Words 1513 - Pages 7
fathers, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr., have faced this peril in the pursuit of freedom. In 1845, Frederick Douglass published Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, in order to do just that- to establish the truth behind slavery and advocate for freedom. In his narrative, Douglass uses diction, structure, imagery, and other…
Words 1224 - Pages 5
known with his previous masters. Slaveholders in urban areas were less likely to whip their slaves due to the close proximity of the houses; it was viewed as unsavory. Furthermore, there were fewer slaveholders in the Baltimore area than further South, and Douglass noted that his master’s wife “had been in a good degree preserved from the blighting and dehumanizing effects of slavery,” (pg.47) and was less accustomed to the attitudes that were encouraged of slaveholders. Therefore, Sophia Auld treated…
Words 458 - Pages 2
right and then went on to tell his story to freedom in his book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Along with telling his story, Douglass also conveys two main points which include, slavery is terrible for slaves and slavery corrupts slaveholders. Frederick Douglass strongly believes that slavery is terrible for slaves. In excerpt 1 of his narrative, Douglass tells the story of his life as a child. He explains that his mother was sold, and because of this, he was only ever…
Words 1394 - Pages 6
The Compromise of 1850 will not effectively solve the conflict over the issue of slavery because the compromise won't have everlasting effects on the North and South. Although the compromise brought a lot of victories and defeats among the North and South, both sides viewed it unfair. First I will discuss the North and why they view it unfair. The first notable compromise was when the Fugitive Slave Laws were passed. The North was mostly made up of abolitionists, so when the Fugitive Slave Laws…
Words 597 - Pages 3
communities as well. After six years of being happy and naïve, Harriet Jacobs, known in her book as Linda Brent, is thrown into the harsh game of slavery accompanied by years of abuse. In her book, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”, Harriet Jacobs expresses a battle for freedom in ever aspect of her life as well as others. Through her fight to overcome slavery, be a mother, and understand religion all while being an African American female in the south, a desire to be free exists in even the smallest…
Words 1266 - Pages 6
Even before the very founding of the United States, slavery was a highly controversial issue. The brutal trans-Atlantic slave trade, which began in the 15th century, sent millions of Africans to work on tobacco and sugar plantations that were vital to the colonial economy and created a system of race-based bondage. Almost all the Founding Fathers owned slaves, but by the time of the Constitutional Convention, many hoped that slavery would quietly disappear. In order to preserve the new union, however…
Words 1334 - Pages 6