Themes In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

The book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass, is a story about Frederick Douglass’s life as a slave and how he goes on his quest to achieve freedom. Douglass was born into slavery and goes from master to master, and he finally sees the power of education when he reaches Baltimore to work for some new people. Here Douglass begins to learn how to read and write and he uses this to his advantage in hopes of becoming free one day. He manages to teach himself how to read in secret and then helps the other slaves become more literate. Eventually Douglass does manage to escape but he doesn’t stop there, he becomes an activist himself in hopes of ending all slavery one day. Through this book, Douglass reveals that†¦show more content†¦He writes, â€Å"The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these as I could, I conver ted into teachers†¦ I finally succeeded in learning to read† (149). Douglass knew that the little boys wouldn’t judge him just because he was a different race and he used that to his advantage. He made friends with all of the little white boys nearby who could read and write well, and through them he taught himself how to become more literate too. Making friends showed Douglass that there might be some good people out there who’ll give him a chance and by making those friendships he was able to accomplish a lot of his goals and become a more successful person. An additional point which Douglass proves to be true is that slavery can really hurt a slave’s mind mentally. I don’t think the slave owners realized how much it could hurt the slaves when they mistreated them, and in return it really did some damaging things to their heads. They began to believe everything their masters said about them, which were in fact false. During the holidays, the masters give their slaves quite a bit of alcohol and get them pretty drunk. The slave owners trick them into thinking they’re getting more freedom and then when the holidays are up they go back to treating them poorly. Douglass writes, â€Å"I have said that this mode of treatment isShow MoreRelatedNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay1102 Words   |  5 PagesDate Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Writing in the favor of black people has always remained controversial from the very beginning. Critics regard such writing as â€Å"a highly conventionalized genre† indicating that â€Å"its status as literature was long disputed but the literary merits of its most famous example such as Frederick Douglass s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass†¦are widely recognized today.† (Ryan:537) Despite of such severe resistance, writers like Douglass have pennedRead MoreJacobs Douglass: An Insight Into The Experience of The American Slave1019 Words   |  5 PagesThe slave narratives of the ante-bellum time period have come across numerous types of themes. Much of the work concentrates on the underlining ideas beneath the stories. In the narratives, fugitives and ex-slaves appealed to the humanity they shared with their readers during these times, men being lynched and marked all over and women being the subject of grueling rapes. 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In the beginning of the narrative Douglass seems to fulfill every stereotypical slavery theme. He is a young black slave who at first cannot read and is very naà ¯ve in understanding his situation. As a child put into slavery Douglass does not have the knowledge to know about his surroundings and theRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave1251 Words   |  6 PagesJustine Boonstra Frey- Period 1 MAJOR WORKS REVIEW AP Lang Version GENERAL 1. Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. 1845. New York: Fine, 2003. Print. 2. Autobiography STRUCTURE 1. Point of View: First Person, the narrator Frederick Douglass 2. Relationship of POV to meaning: 3. Plot Structure a. Exposition: Douglass describes that his mother was a black slave, and his father was a white man. Thus, he was born into slavery and was sent off toRead MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglass s Book, Many Read It And Had Their Own Ideas From The Themes848 Words   |  4 PagesWhen Frederick Douglass published his book, many read it and had their own ideas from the themes he referred to. One thing that was related to the theme of his book was how he said religious slaveholders were the cruelest to slaves. Religious slaveholders used the bible to prove that slavery was right. They quoted from the bible, Colossians 3:22, slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely becauseRead MoreNarrative Voice of Frederick Douglass920 Words   |  4 PagesNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass The tone established in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is unusual in that from the beginning to the end the focus has been shifted. In the beginning of the narrative Douglass seems to fulfill every stereotypical slavery theme. He is a young black slave who at first cannot read and is very naà ¯ve in understanding his situation. As a child put into slavery Douglass does not have the knowledge to know about his surroundings and the worldRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay1027 Words   |  5 PagesThe Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Book Report The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave was written by Douglass himself, giving a detailed description of the slaveholders cruelty. Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland, and he makes known that he does not know his specific birthdate, â€Å"... no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it.† (47), but it was approximately around 1818. 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