The Characteristics Of Slavery In Frederick Douglass's Narrative

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Frederick Douglass 's narrative is an autobiography. It’s a story of his life, from the time he was born a slave, to the time of his escape, to freedom in the North. It 's also a piece with a strong political message. Douglass wrote this book in 1845; slavery was still legal in much of the United States. He became a public speaker and writer to abolish slavery. He believed that if he showed people what slavery was like, slave owners would understand why it needed to be abolished. “Douglass 's Narrative was an instant success, selling over 35 thousand copies in the U.S. and Europe, and was quickly translated into both French and German “(Shmoop). Throughout his life, Douglass continued to revise and expand his autobiography, publishing a second …show more content…

He 's born a slave on Colonel Lloyd 's plantation, but as a child, he had mostly spared the worst kinds of suffering. For example, he sees his Aunt Hester get beaten, imagine how traumatizing that must be. Instead, he suffers without realizing it. He never knows his father and only meets his mother a handful of times before she dies. Ironically, he isn 't allowed to go to her funeral. He doesn’t realize for a long time that not being able to attend his own parent’s funeral, or not even know who his parents are is something a normal child shouldn’t experience growing up. So, the first turning point in life is a basic, but also major epiphany—he realizes that he is a slave a deals with what it …show more content…

So, Covey tries to whip him again, Douglass, defends himself from the slave breaker. After a two-hour fight, Covey gives up. Douglass vows never to be whipped again, and as a result, it never happens again. After this, Douglass is passed from master to master. While being handed around, he is constantly on the lookout for a way to escape to freedom. He finally succeeds, after one failed attempt at escaping, and makes his way to New York, then finally back to Massachusetts. But even after he 's free, he quickly realizes that his journey isn 't

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