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Frederick Douglass Theme Of Dehumanization Essay

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How did slavery continue to exist despite its inhumane practices? The method of dehumanization demoted a slave’s societal status, therefore deeming blacks inferior to their white counterparts. Furthermore, plantation owners masked inhumanity by declaring themselves Christian although opposing religious values. Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, develops the themes of dehumanization and religion that help readers understand the techniques slave owners utilized to alleviate their guilt, condone their malice toward slaves, and preserve their supremacy over colored people in Southern society.
In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the dehumanization of slaves often occurs, as plantation owners view slaves as undeserving of humane treatment in order to uphold power and warrant unjust practices. Limiting knowledge for African …show more content…

Furthermore, both ideals showcase easing one’s guilt to continue the ruthless treatment of slaves. Dehumanization, the most impactful theme in Douglass’s narrative, provides an image of the horrors of slavery, as the barbarity Douglass experiences while working for Mr. Covey shows how slaves were dehumanized by excessive labor and punishments. Douglass states, “I was broken in my body, soul, and spirit...behold a man turned into a brute” (63). Moreover, the laws involving treatment of slaves showed that many viewed slaves undeserving of basic rights, as “killing a slave, or any colored person, in Talbot county, Maryland, is not treated as a crime” (34). The theme implements readers with the powerful insight that many would be unable to perpetuate the cruelty needed to keep slavery intact without

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