Essay On Frederick Douglass Mental Dehumanization

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When you live in and witness great injustice you must have the determination to overcome. Also throughout great hardships like we have seen in many accounts we must have the power to achieve great things. Frederick Douglass saw many things throughout his life that were greatly dehumanizing to slaves. Regardless of all of the things Douglass witnessed, he continued to move forward and obtain an education and later became an abolitionist. Notable show cases of physical and mental dehumanization encountered in Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass include the murder of demby, the songs of the slaves, and Mr. Covey’s use of slaves like Caroline. The songs of the slaves show the true mental dehumanization of slavery. This is because the songs express how everyone in bondage can be drawn together under one common pain. “they were tones loud, long, and deep; they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish” (Douglass 44). Through this testimony we can see the true levels of pain that these songs …show more content…

Covey's use of slaves like Caroline show the obscene nature of slavery and showcase dehumanization. Mr. Covey's use for Caroline is to impregnate her and make more slaves for himself. “After buying her, he hired a married man of Mr. Samuel Harrison, to live with him one year; and him he used to fasten up with her every night” (Douglass 103). This testimony is giving us a window into the true horror of Caroline's life. This kind of life strips Caroline completely of her dignity and shows us truly how badly slaves could be dehumanized. Other ways that Mr. Covey dehumanized his slaves are showcased through Douglass himself. “My awkwardness was almost always his excuse for whipping me” (Douglass 100). What is told to us here is that the reason that Douglass received weekly whippings from covey was purely due to a personality trait. This truly shows that to Mr. Covey his slaves are nothing but useless items that he can freely

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