Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Struggles Essay

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Fredrick Douglass, a now-known household name, who is known for his many trials and triumphs, writes the story of his life. In his narrative, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, he retells the stories of his poor childhood, the transition into being a slave, and how his determination led him to become a free man. Douglass fits years and so much pain into an eleven-chapter book and does it so profoundly that the reader has no choice but to consider what Douglas encountered and the pain he endured. Throughout the book, Douglass emphasizes how knowledge was what he used to set him free, how slavery and slaveholders used slaves’ unawareness to perpetuate them, and the effect of slavery as a system. Being aware of the fact …show more content…

Covey and struggles mightily to complete the tasks set before him. He appears to be subjected to heavy whipping because of his clumsiness regularly. He is abused and overworked to the point of collapse, which occurs one day while he is working in the fields. He receives another savage beating from Covey as a result. After complaining to Thomas Auld, who then sends Douglass back to Covey, A few days later, Douglass resists Covey's effort to tie him up. During a two-hour physical struggle, Douglass finally defeats Covey. Law enforcement does not penalize Douglass, which is thought to be because Covey values his status as a "negro-breaker," which would be compromised if others knew what transpired. Douglass is assigned to reside on William Freeland's plantation when his one-year contract with Covey expires. Douglass makes remarks on the mistreatment that occurred under the more benevolent but more secular Covey and the relative tranquility under Freeland. Douglass makes friends with other slaves on Freeland's plantation and teaches them how to read. Before they can execute their escape plot, Douglass and a small group of slaves are apprehended, and Douglass is imprisoned. A week or so after his release, he is sent back to Baltimore, but this time to learn a trade. Due to his color and status as a slave, numerous white apprentices at the shipyard where he works as an apprentice under Mr. Gardner despise him. When they fight, they …show more content…

For example, one of the points in the thesis that I took from the narrative was the damage that the system of slavery has placed upon slaves. You could say that his own experiences would be enough to defend his thought but not only did Douglass do that he also included the experiences and traumas of the gender that has been left out of these discussions, women. Douglass includes imaginative descriptions of the abuse that women around him encountered to show the bruteness that women faced on a daily. Douglass didn’t stop there he also used depictions of events to show how slaves were seen as property and only that by their slave owners. It’s ridiculous to enforce and carry out the notion that someone who is born in America is another person's inherited or brought property. To defend his thesis, along with objective information told to the reader, Douglass appeals to the emotions of the reader to incite anger and rage from the mistreatment of the oppressed, and getting the audience to feel anything besides impassiveness is a great way to get your message

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