Frederick Douglass Character Analysis Essay

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Not knowing what to do is the worst kind of suffering. The characters in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass suffer as they struggle to make the right decisions. The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass was written by abolitionist former slave Frederick Douglass. The book highlights the factual details about the harsh treatment and the poor living condition of African American people during Slavery. The book also display the dehumanization and the inferiority of African American people. Each character falls in different stages of Lawrence Kohlberg’s “Developmental Stages of Human Moral Reasons.” Kohlberg is an American psychologist best known for his theory of Stages of Moral Development. Colonel Edward Lloyd is in stage one …show more content…

The diseases of slaveholding overtakes Sophie Auld’s kindness and responsibilities. Auld falls in stage three of Kohlberg’s framework: “Judging and deciding what to do is based on that which pleases or helps others and is approved by them” (1). Sophie Auld was responsible and kind; she treats Douglass kindly and teaches him the alphabets and some small words. However, she transforms from being responsible and kind person to cruel and irresponsible for her action to gain approval and respect from the society. “The poison of irresponsible power was ready in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with range; that voice made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon” (47-48). Slavery makes Auld to lose herself control and to move forward blindly without analyzing that slavery is unjustifiable. Hugh Auld tells Sophie Aulds that teaching slaves would give them a power to question slaveholders’ authority, so she becomes more strict and cruel. She is utterly changed as a person to keep her husband satisfies and to gain more power in her

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