Essay on Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas Frederick Douglas, a slave born in Tuckahoe Maryland, was half white and half black. His mother was a black woman and his father a white man. Though he never knew his father, there was word that it was his master. Douglas wrote this narrative and I felt that it was very compelling. It really showed me the trials and tribulations that a black man went through during times of slavery. In his early years, Douglas lived on a farm where he watched many slaves receive harsh beatings and whippings. For example, one of his masters whipped his Aunt Hester because she was not there when he desired her presence. At the time she was in the company of another man, which was something that Colonel†¦show more content†¦Hopkins, and Mr. Austin Gore were all cruel overseers. An exception to this was Mr. Hopkins, who was not a typical overseer. Unlike the others, he did not curse a lot, and bent the rules every now and then. â€Å"He was called by the slaves a good overseer† (p. 7). The typical overseer would have beat a slave the second he stepped out of line. For example, Mr. Gore, who took Mr. Hopkins place was very cruel and would not take any sort of talking back. He would not communicate with any of the slaves except for giving orders and beating them. â€Å"He was, in a word, a man of the most inflexible firmness and stone-like coolness† (p. 13). There were also those white people who encouraged black people to escape, and them catch them to receive rewards. Slaves could not catch any breaks. On the other hand, there were some good whites. Douglas wanted to learn how to read, so he made friends with some little white boys on the street. Douglas spoke of running errands, and stopping in with the white children to learn to read in his spare time. As a symbol of his gratitude, Douglas would give the children bread to eat. They, in fact, had a discussion about slavery at one point. He told the children, â€Å"You’ll be free as soon as you’re twenty-one, but I’m a slave for life! Have I not as good a right to be free as you have?† (p. 22). He recalled that this troubled them, but they still showed much sympathy towards him. The presence of sympathetic white people gave himShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas757 Words   |  4 PagesAn Analysis of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas In the autobiography Frederick Douglass presents a clear picture to me of a horrifying period of American history that far too few people understand. Douglass’s personal narrative as a slave lets you feel the fear of his past and allows us to experience the suffering and pain inflicted by underserved beatings and an unhealthy lifestyle with too much physical exertion. 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