Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.
The Narrative of Life of Frederick Douglass illustrates in great detail the life that Frederick Douglass was faced to endure. Through his narrative we are given the opportunity to follow Douglass from child hood to his life as a free man. Along this journey we are given a first hand account of what slavery was like in the 1800's, as well as an emotional outlook at the struggle which led Douglass to freedom, allowing him to become a prominent slavery abolitionist. This essay will explore Douglass" critique of slavery, as well as the ways in which Douglass uses his story to appeal to his audiences. .
It is clear from the beginning of the novel that slavery is evil, this is subtly apparent when we are first introduced to Frederick Douglass as a child with no identity, idea of who he is or where he comes from. Clearly Douglass has no sense of self other than his life as a slave. In a sense Douglass is dehumanized with no idea of his age or knowledge of his parents, and views himself as a piece of property. His only sense of a father is his master, a man who tortures and beats him. This cruelty of having no self-identity paints a clear image of just one of the ways slavery is evil. Throughout the rest of the novel Douglass illustrates his opposition to slavery by offering detailed accounts through visual descriptions of the violence that was forced upon the slaves by their masters. "The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest and not until overcome by fatigue, would he cease . (pg. 42). .
In his early years, Douglass followed the notion that a slave was to do what they were told or otherwise suffer the consequences. "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" (pg.