Frederick Douglasss Narrative of Life - Essay Example

Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of Life Insert Insert Insert Insert The Narrative of Life is an important ant-slavery piece of work exposing the cruelties of slavery and urging people to join the abolitionist cause to free slaves. The narrative of Douglass’s life is a document that shows the life of a slave. In addition, the document reveals the state of America in terms of slavery. It gives a rough idea of what America was like when it was characterized by slavery and oppression giants black people. The author aims at showing readers that slavery and freedom are more than the legal, political and historical perspectives of people and cultures. The author presents several arguments to make readers understand that there are many effects that accompany slavery and the fight for freedom. The purpose of this writing is to understand and explore the question: What does it take for the human soul and spirit to be free? The narrative of life is more of an autobiography of the life of Frederick Douglass than a documentary and story book. Douglass wrote the narrative himself describing his slavery life and the steps to his freedom. Most aspects of the account of his life are arguments against slavery. Most of the experiences in Douglass’s life demonstrate the extent to which slavery was cruel to people. However, he was able to endure such cruelty and emerge a free man. Douglass reveals the cruelty of slavery. Slavery consisted of incessant work and brutal punishment. Such treatment affected the slaves physically, mentally and emotionally. Douglass focuses on the effects of slavery on the mental and emotional aspects of a slave. Freedom from slavery requires much pain and suffering. Douglass reveals that the process of a slave recruitment including brutal punishments and mistreatments dominates the minds and spirits of slaves. The slaves were unhappy and they depicted their unhappiness in songs. Therefore, it takes much time to make victims of slavery remove it from their minds and hearts. In the narrative Douglass shows that Covey’s brutality causes Douglass to lose some parts of himself especially mental and emotional parts (Frederick 64). However, Douglass is determined to set himself free from slavery and become a free man. Douglass’s arguments reveal the association between literacy and freedom. Acquisition of literacy would lead to freedom was a major driving force for Douglass fight for freedom as a slave. Ignorance was the main driver foe slavery. Slaves were kept in bondage because of ignorance. Slavery was cruel to the extent that slaves were not allowed to read or write. In the Narrative, Hugh Auld orders Sophia to prevent Douglass from taking reading lessons claiming that the lessons would ruin the slave (Frederick 34). Douglass learns two lessons about what it takes for humans (slaves) to be free. Firstly is that the behavior of Hugh Auld confirmed to Douglass that slavery is not a natural form of society, but a strategy among a few people catalyzed by a history of deprivation and dehumanization? Douglass realized that people became slaves due to their ignorance. Enforced ignorance removes the natural sense of identity from children before they become slaves. Secondly, Hugh’s words made Douglass realize that he needed education in order to be free. It is apparent that education can be the answer to setting free human souls and spirits that bound to slavery and oppression. In the process, they were unaware of events and happenings outside the plantation. There was a common believe that slaves could not communicate through standard conventions. Slaves could not communicate with each other well and even form a rebellion or make escape plans. However, Douglass’s ability to tell his story as a slave in simple language refutes the belief that slaves could not communicate. Literacy came with the core and proper understanding of the real world. Slaves could become aware of justice and understand history. Knowledge of justice and what is happening in the larger world would help slaves advocate and fight for their rights and earn freedom. The first time Douglass was able to engage with abolitionism was when he was literate. Literacy made Douglass fully aware of the reality of slavery. According to Douglass, literacy opened his eyes to the horrible and cruel acts of slavery. Literacy made Douglass envy other slaves for their stupidity (Frederick 36). Slaveholders used ignorance to manage and have control over their slaves. Whenever a slave would rise from such darkness and see the light through literacy, the slave would attempt to escape from these bonds. Literacy made Douglass plan his slavery exodus. However, according to Douglass education does not automatically render freedom to slaves. Self-education helps slaves articulate and understand the injustices of slavery thus, help them recognize themselves as men and not as slaves. In the narrative, Douglass shows that he fought very hard to earn his freedom. According to the narrative, freedom is something that people find. Arguments from the narrative emphasize on the importance of perseverance and courage in the search of freedom. Douglass also believes that as long as anyone else remains a slave he will never be free. This is something to think of with about justice: is it possible for anyone to be free is some people are still under oppression? Many people believed that African American slaves did not have the ability to develop and form strong arguments against slavery. However, the fact that Douglass published his narrative on anti-slavery disapproved people and proved that the slaves could not only rely on white men to lead their fights. The slaves were able to defend themselves in public because they were becoming literate and enlightened. Douglass argued that people had the right for fair treatment and believed that slavery was wrong. Through in the narrative, Douglass encouraged slaves to fight for their rights. Douglass ends the narrative by calling on abolitionists to continue fighting for the cause (Frederick 117 ). According to Douglass, slavery is a perversion of Christianity. In the narrative Douglass develops a difference between true and false Christianity. Douglass also argues against religious hypocrisy (Frederick 95). It is clear from Douglass’s arguments that it is impossible to be a Christian and a slave owner at the same time. In the narrative, most slave owners claim to be Christians. Douglass shows that the slaveholders Christianity is not evidence for their devotion and goodness, but hypocritical show that they use to cover for their inner brutality. Douglass points out the distinction between peaceful Christianity and the cruel immoral acts of slave holders. Despite the fact that most of Douglass’s friends are extreme Christians, Douglass arguments are very harsh towards slave owners who claim to Christians. Douglass reveals that religious slave owners are worse than people who pretend to be Christians. Mr. Covey is a good example of a Christian who owns slaves. When Douglass refuses to pray with him it is clear that Douglass has not time with religious hypocrites (Frederick 95). The character of Thomas Auld stands out as an example of hypocritical slave holders who hide under the umbrella of Christianity, but their hearts are full of cruelty and brutality. Thomas’ cruelty increases after he develops a belief in his god-given right to own, hold and mistreat slaves. Douglass uses the character of Auld to demonstrate that the southern church was very corrupt. The Auld’s church, like other southern churches is full of cruelty and brutality towards slaves. Some Christian critics may view Douglass’s arguments as targeting Christianity. However, Douglass arguments were not focusing on the Christian religion itself but were focusing on religious hypocrisy. Douglass arguments try to answer the question: can slavery co-exist at the same place with Christianity. According to Douglass, religion is not about what a person does on Sunday but it is about what one does the other days of the week. According to Douglass slave holders who go to church are not real Christians (Frederick 98). Douglass also presents an argument that slavery not only affects the slaves but also has damaging effects on slave holders. Slave owners are corrupt and irresponsible persons. The corrupt and irresponsible power slave owners have can have detrimental effects on their moral health. Therefore, slavery is an unnatural act that has many negative effects on people and the society. In order to bring out the damaging effects of slavery on slave holders, Douglass describes particular behavior patterns of slaveholders. Douglass recounts the number of slave-owning men who were tempted to adultery and rape thus, fathering children with their female slaves. The immoral behaviors of these men threaten the stability and unity of their families as such fathers punish their own children and their wives resolve to cruelty and hostility. Slaveholders such as Thomas Auld do not see the sins they commit in their own homes. Slavery has an irresponsible power that changed Sophia from an idealist person to a devil (Frederick 35). Douglass describes the behaviors of slaveholders such as Thomas Auld and Sophia to illustrate the detrimental effects of slavery. Thus, Douglass shows that slavery is a bad act that should be outlawed for the greater good of the society. Some of Douglass’s ideas would be very helpful for slaves in the antebellum period. The Antebellum period marked the time before the American Civil War. Slavery was an important issue in the antebellum period that resulted in the civil war. Slave labor contributed to a significant amount of the economy in the south. Through literacy as advocated for by Douglass, many slaves would become aware of the cruelty of slavery and the right for slaves to be free. Through literacy, people would be able to preach equality across the country. With the ability to read and write slaves would be aware of what is happening in the world outside the plantations. Legal and moral concerns over slave labor would be on the rise thus many slaves would fight for their rights and freedoms. In fact, Antebellum Americans understood the seriousness of the conflicts arising from the slave-labor south and the free-labor North. As Douglass explains he was able to plan his escape while working for Hugh Auld at a shipyard in Baltimore. After the escape Douglass explains that he was very excited and felt like he had escaped the teeth of lions (Frederick 107). Slaves working in Southern plantations in the South during the antebellum period can borrow many things from Douglass’s narrative. With the right education and literacy it could be possible for the slaves to plan successful escapes. The enlightenment would reduce slave labor during the time and play a role in preventing a civil war. Work Cited Frederick, Douglass. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. 1845. Read More