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Frederick Douglass #2

Frederick Douglass was a man who accomplished great things, even though he lived in an environment where he could easily have his life and dreams taken away at any point. He was extremely persistent to say the least. From reading the narrative, it seems as though Frederick Douglass would not give up for anyone. He gave it his all until he had no more. Sure Douglass wanted to be free and probably always had, but one day this dream got a just a little closer to reality. He became aware of one very necessary skill that would lead to success and a better future came, and it came when he least expected it. His mistress, Mrs. Auld, began to teach him the alphabet, and then went on to teach him words. This was the first time that Frederick had been taught the alphabet. When Mr. Auld found out that Mrs. Auld was teaching Frederick the alphabet he was not happy but enraged. Mr. Auld said, "It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master." (Douglass 937). Mr. Auld said this about Frederick learning the alphabet, because he knew what the power of knowledge could do to him. Mr. Auld even went on to say, "It would make him discontented and unhappy." (Douglass 937). Mr. Auld was right when he say that Frederick would be discontented and unhappy. It could be said the this discontent that Frederick had lead him to keep trying to find a better life. Frederick seemed to be consumed with the thought of freedom, which is evident when he said, "I saw nothing without seeing it, I heard nothing without hearing it, and felt nothing without feeling it." (Douglass 941). The thought of freedom was driving Frederick insane clearly. Though the thought of freedom almost drove him crazy, Frederick later reached his goal.

Frederick Douglass

The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, aside from its historical significance, is a book that cannot be described with just a mere word. The emotions that come from this narrative have to be read to be completely understood. It is a very personal story, which definitely adds to the emotions that come from the words. Being that the story is a personal account of part of the history of the United States, even though it might not have been the prettiest or most highly thought of time in history, adds to its significance greatly, because it can be related to by many, in different parts of the country. It seems very appropriate to say the Frederick Douglass was a man that had a very strong will to not only survive his circumstances, but to free himself from his circumstances and lead a more promising life. The perserverance that Douglass showed along the way was nothing short of inspirational and somewhat unbelievable. Douglass went through many difficult things that most people simply would not be able to handle. "He rushed at me with the fierceness of a tiger," said Douglass about Mr. Covey, and Mr. Covey was just one harsh man that Douglass had to deal with (Douglass 949). Douglass had to deal with being constantly intimidated and mistreated by Mr. Covey. Douglass said the marks left by Mr. Covey were, "visible for a long time after." (Douglass 949). Violent acts were directed toward him all the time, but they did not stop Frederick. He kept living his life, even though it was not easy.

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Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass

Judging by the way this book reads so far, it is one that I could read in one sitting if I had an afternoon with no other responsibilities. I’m drawn to this type of historical information, whether it is in books, movies, interviews or any other form. I was actually exited when I learned that this was one of the literature pieces that we would be reading this semester.
Fredrick Douglass opens the narrative in a way that immediately grabs my attention. As he stated, he had no accurate knowledge of his age. He said that this was the case with the majority of the slaves he knew. “By far the large part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs” (Douglass 923). He estimates his age based on hearing his master mention that he was about 17 years old in 1835.
It is somewhat difficult to organize my thoughts on this narrative so far, having read such a small portion of the story. I can say that Douglass is very crafty in the way he describes the people in the narrative, more specifically, the masters and overseers. He describes his first master’s overseer, Mr. Plummer as “a miserable drunkard, a profane swearer , and a savage monster (Douglass 925). Another overseer he describes is Mr. Gore. He is described as “proud, ambitious and preserving. He was artful, cruel and obdurate” (Douglass 932).