Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass Open-Ended Reading Questions 1. How does Douglass portray the effects of slavery on masters and slaves? On the family? On religion (both black and white)? What happens to Douglass's grandmother?
Whites were corrupt and inhospitable while blacks were cultivated and good-natured. Harriet Jacobs also made the point that many black slaves had white relations within their family, disputing the idea of racial clarity. She writes, “They seem to satisfy their consciences with the doctrine that God created the Africans to be slaves. What a libel upon the heavenly Father, who "made of one blood all nations of men!" And then who are Africans?
Douglass unintentionally heard of people around him talking between them that whites maintain power over black slaves by keeping them uneducated. He instantly shocked. Douglass has known intuitively that slavery is evil, but has been mystified by the logic of how slavery works. Douglass decided to educate himself and to escape from slavery. However, he is later taken from the Aulds and placed with Edward Covey, a slave “breaker,” for a year.
She teaches Douglass his A B Cs and began to teach him words until her husband becomes aware of this abnormal treatment and thus bringing about Mrs. Auld’s transformation from a sweet and caring woman to a cruel and cold slave owner. Douglass works for Mrs.Auld for about seven years and watches his once kindhearted mistress transform into a coldhearted tyrant. While Mrs. Auld would once sit and teach Douglass how to read and spell, she now snatched a newspaper out of his hand whenever she saw him. Mrs. Auld no longer treated Douglass like she once believed every human should be treated. Master Hugh’s reprimand serves as the beginning of her desensitization.
One of things that were mentioned is “the heartless and ghastly form of slavery rises between mother and child.” Pg 45 Slaves were separated since the moment they were born, they did not get be around their parents and bond as other kids do. “The bondwoman lives as a slave, and is left to die as a beast.” “By the laws of slavery, children, in all cases are reduced to the condition of their mothers.” Pg 46 “This arrangement admits of the greatest license of brutal slaveholders , and their profligate sons, brothers, relations and friends, and gives pleasure of sin, the additional attraction of profit” pg46 It seems like they were dead to all sense of humanity the slaves were fighting for survival that was impossible. They were suffering from immoral economic advantages due to the slave owners and that caused the entire community to suffer by accepting what others believed was right. Everyone was victimized due to their human life and dignity it damaged society spiritually and morally. It made some slave holders and their overseers brutal, it made other white people feel guilty and ashamed.
She bears his child whose skin seem to become darker months after the birth. The husband, Armand, blames Desiree for the child’s color and deems them impure in his eyes. She is rejected, and ultimately driven to kill herself and her son who are no longer wanted. Chopin focuses on Armand’s pride in his purity and the prejudice towards dark skin to portray people’s believes and ideas on racism and interracial relationships during her days alive. As evidenced by the quadroon slave child who fans Desiree own baby, interracial relations did occur, but such children often ended up as slaves under the theory that even one drop of African or “black” blood made a person black rather than white.
He only saw her four or five times before she died when he was about seven. The white slave owners thought that since God cursed Ham, slavery was right. They thought that the descendants of Ham were scripturally enslaved by God. They used God as justification for their sins. Frederick’s first master was an inhumane owner.
Slavery even begins to affect the slaveholders’ own religion and shows how ignorant they really are. Douglass says that by allowing themselves to commit such acts of cruelty, the slaveholders would begin to validate their actions by saying that the Bible gives them the right to treat slaves this way. This kind of hypocrisy is to a degree that shows how manipulated the slaveholders really were. It is clear that Douglass is making a point that through slavery, identity is lost in more than just
This is apparent in his dealings with Jim, the Wilks, and even with the duke and king. His function in the story is as the narrator. “... people will call me a low down abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum...” Jim - Jim is a middle aged slave own by Widow Douglass who ran away near the beginning of the book. He is fatherly, protective, and unselfish. His clothes are tattered and his appearance is not very good since he is a runaway slave without many clothes.
Jasmine Cross His 200 Dr. Tamaka Hobbs 25 March 2013 Chapter 6 Review Question 1. The domestic slave trade and exploitation of black women affected slave families because the marriage and children and the fact that they had no legal rights, and of course no freedom. The marriages never really worked with the slaves because they were just paired together , and then children would get parted away from their families like when they were 5 or so. Also sexual abuse played a huge roll in the black women from the white southerns. 2.