Frederick Douglas And Slavery Essay, Research Paper

The Frederick Douglass text is an excellent and personal account of slavery. It was compelling to read and follow the different changes in his life throughout his time as a slave with different masters. The text significantly articulated the experiences that made Douglass the man that he was. In looking at his life and the way that he expressed this trough writing provided a unique view of the harmful effects of this cruel bondage on whites as well as blacks. It was apparent that Douglass had a purpose, which he served extremely well, in writing his life story. The insight that was gained from reading it was so overwhelming that one can see why it made such an impact upon its original circulation. I was touched in reading the text, as it is a history that very much interests me. The tribulations that Douglass endured and witnessed were so real that in reading them one can almost imagine seeing the images that were described. In his graphic detail and description Dogulass succeeds in maintaining not only an interest but also a concern, sincere emotion that cannot be denied upon experiencing his words. The explanations for certain occurrences by the slaves were helpful and also an aid in evoking emotion. I felt pity and anger as Douglass provided examples of the way that slaves would argue and even fight about whom had the best or smartest master. In writing his autobiography he not only allowed raeders to explore his trial as a slave but also provided an undersating the system itself pertaining to its operation and evaluation thereof. An example of this is the description of what was looked down upon by both slaves as well as whites such as not giving a slave enough to eat. The reading was very interesting but heart-wrenching, though sympathy was not a goal for the fervent author.

The recalled facts of the less than suitable rations of clothing and food allow one to see just how inhumane the system of slavery was as they were treated like animals. The comparison to animals was made as Douglass was sold after his masters death and was auctioned off with the rest of the property (including the animals) standing at the same value as the animals. This description illustrated the worth of a African in the eyes of a white person. I was sincerely touched in raeding his life for many reasons but the most significant is while telling of all his hardships, which were merely reality of his world, he never complained once. Douglass told his story, which was the life story of countless slaves, as a timeline that included brutal encounters that shaped his ideas and manhood. This is expressed in his earnest to learn to read, write and spell and