The Life of Frederick Douglass

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the Frederick Douglass', 'The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave'. According to the paper, some of the writing is based on narratives passed around by word of mouth from slave to slave, while other parts are pure fiction. The paper concludes with a personal perspective of a reader.

From the Paper:

"Sophia Auld is not the only white person described as being like an animal. The "nigger-breaker" Mr. Covey is also compared to an animal, specifically to a snake, because of his sneakyness and cunning. Likewise, those who hunt down and capture escaped slaves are compared to animals, because they would "lie in wait for the panting fugitive, as the ferocious beasts of the forest lie in wait for their prey." Yet most of the time when Douglass compares humans to beasts, he is referring to the other slaves, who he frequently refers to as being stupid. "I envied my fellow-slaves for their stupidity," he writes, "I have often wished myself a beast. I preferred the condition of the meanest reptile to my own." Shortly after this statement, he describes the way that all the slaves were evaluated for their worth: "Men and women, old and
young, married and single, were ranked with horses, sheep, and swine. There were horses and men, cattle and women, pigs and children, all holding the same rank in the scale of being, and were all subjected to the same narrow examination." Overall, it seems that one of his strongest critiques of slavery is that it defiles the image of man and makes him comparable to the animals. He argues against that religion which justifies slavery, and suggests that slave owners are actually defying God. "O, how accursed is that system, which entombs the godlike mind of man, defaces the divine image, reduces those who by creation were crowned with glory and honor to a level with four-footed beasts."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Douglas, Frederick. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. The Anti-Slavery Office, Cornhill 1845. (Reprinted online by Project Gutenberg) <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23/23.txt>

More papers on The Life of Frederick Douglass:

• Narrative Essay # 22727 : "Narrative on the Life of Frederick Douglass"
• Book Review # 114667 : "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"
• Book Review # 101958 : "Autobiography and "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"

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