Slavery is one of the most tragic episodes in the history of the world and the most striking manifestations of human discrimination. The book of Fredrick Douglass is the memoir of a man who went through this horror and retained clear memories of his childhood and youth. Probably, that is why the story seems so true and poignant. The real names of the heroes are preserved, the facts from the life of slaves are described. Therefore, the documentary style of presentation chosen by the author makes representations of cruelty and injustice even more terrifying.
The book serves as proof that slaves were deprived of the most basic and natural rights. Through the world vision of a child, Douglass honestly tells the readers about the differences he felt between him and white kids. Slaves’ children did not know their age, were taken from their mothers, did not feel the attachment to their home or the peace people feel surrounded by their family. Douglass describes painful memories of his relatives separated from him, for example, his grandmother, who became a victim of her masters’ ingratitude and was left to die in loneliness. According to Douglass, this fact deepened his conviction “of the infernal character of slavery” (59). Education, which could help slaves seek freedom, understand the meaning of the obscure word “abolition”, and cease the state of “slave for life”, was forbidden (Douglass 52). As one slaveholder said, “A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master” (Douglass 47). These words, written in the form of strict instruction, reflect masters’ attitude to their slaves. Racial inequality was a law that could not be broken, and blind obedience was considered the main virtue of slaves.
Slaves lived in constant fear and expectation of affliction. As Douglas notes, “they never knew when they were safe from punishment” (32). This sentence depicts the instability of their position because they depended on the mood of their masters. They could not even tell a stranger about their life because this could be their master, and then a terrible fate would be waiting for them. According to Douglass, “this is the penalty of telling the truth” (33). This powerful phrase illustrates the injustice of slavery’s reality. Thus, the rule “a still tongue makes a wise head” was developed (Douglass 34). Slaves convinced everybody that their master was the best and rewarded themselves with the thought that “the greatness of their masters was transferable to themselves» (Douglass 35). An overseer who whipped them without pleasure was considered a kind man. Working on the Great House Farm gave them more pride than being elected to Congress would give white people (Douglass 28). With this comparison, the author shows the psychology of slaves – they accepted the unbearable rules of life as a necessity and tried to find the positive aspects of their existence.
Silence is one of the central motives in the book. Slaves had to observe the punishments silently and were unable to change anything, testify against oppressors. Only while singing was it possible to give in to the feeling, so these songs are among the most impressive episodes in the description of slaves’ life. However, it would be a mistake to consider them just an expression of joy because it was also a cry of grief. Douglass states that even though their melodies could sound wild and bizarre to people who did not understand them, “they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish” (30). Thus, slaves sang because they were desperate, and this contrast, aptly noted by the author, is striking. Another opportunity to speak freely about their sufferings was prayer. Douglass’s monologue addressed to God to ask him for liberation is filled with anguish: “O, why was I born a man, of whom to make a brute!” (74). However, he continued to hope, and the Providence did not leave him without mercy.
The majority of slaveholders and overseers mentioned by Douglass bear similar traits. They form a generalized image of an artful, cruel, and obdurate man always holding a whip more eloquent than his words (Douglass 37). The author attracts the attention to the surname Severe that intensifies the effect of its owner’s cruelty. Another meaningful surname is Freeland, and Douglass notes that although this man was his best master, “living upon free land” would be a much better life (90). Everything contributed to subduing slaves, including Christmas celebrations, where they were allowed to drink, which plunged them “into the lowest depths of dissipation” (Douglass 83). Even faith could not make slaveholders kinder – it just helped them find religious sanction and support for their cruelty (Douglass 65). Douglass also ironically mentions that “breaking young slaves” was considered a very high reputation (68). Sentences with parallelism can often be found in the descriptions of overseers: “his words were in perfect keeping with his looks, and his looks were in perfect keeping with his words” (Douglass 37). This technique serves to show their mindset consisting of simple strict rules and not allowing any indulgence.
The episode of Douglass living in Master Hugh’s family is a significant point in the story because the most important transformation in his mind took place at that time. After it, he obtained a new conception of his degraded condition (Douglass 57). He was determined to complete the education, so the master’s offensive words “if you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell” encouraged him for future actions (Douglass 47). Douglass’ way to knowledge can be regarded as a metaphoric movement from darkness to light: “The light broke in upon me by degrees” (54). His desire to learn in all possible ways led him to an epiphany. Realizing the truth was painful but necessary: “it opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out” (Douglass 53). Since that moment, the primary motive in his reasoning was striving for freedom. As he says, “the silver trump of freedom had roused my soul to eternal wakefulness” (Douglass 53). Thus, his personality experienced the evolution from blindness and deafness of a slave to a state of awareness and readiness to act.
It is highlighted in the book that slavery negatively impacts not only the oppressed but also the oppressors. During Douglass’s life as a slave, he explores “the brutalizing effects of slavery upon both slave and slaveholder” (58). As he goes through his way of liberation, his mistress is, on the contrary, undergoes the transformation for the worst. He notes with bitterness that “the tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness” (Douglass 50). With this phrase, the author shows that even the most benevolent people may change drastically under the negative influence of understanding their limitless power.
It is possible to find various symbols, comparisons, and metaphors in the book. The color of blood is constantly present in the text, for example, as a part of the image of slavery, the robes of which are “crimsoned with the blood of millions” (Douglass 91). The garden with various fruits resembles the garden of Eden, where slaves do not have access. The tar found on the slaves’ clothes symbolizes guilt and disgrace placed on them for wanting the same life as their masters. What is more, Douglass often compares slaves to animals that lived with them on a farm. Children had to eat their food in the same way as pigs (Douglass 42). Female slaves could be bought for breeding just like animals (Douglass 72). When slaves were evaluated and divided between slaveholders, “there were horses and men, cattle and women, pigs and children, all holding the same rank in the scale of being” (Douglass 57). As for slaveholders, running away from them is compared to being rescued from pirates or escaping hungry lions (Douglass 110). Thus, Douglass finds rather realistic and convincing images to express his feelings.
The book of Frederick Douglass remains one of the most impressive stories about fighting against slavery. The author discloses the complexity of relationships between slaveholders and their slaves, which were harmful to both sides. It is shown how the judgment of slaves was clouded to make them obedient and exclude the possibility of an uprising. The author does not hide the truth about the shocking conditions of slaves’ existence, which makes the book compelling evidence of slavery’s evil nature.
Work Cited
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. Anti-Slavery Office, 1845.