The Slave Life of Frederick Douglass, Essay Example

In his own account of his life, virtually everything Frederick Douglass recalls of his existence as a slave conforms perfectly to the realities of slavery as known. This is evident from the beginning, as Douglass, like so many children born to slaves, is separated from his mother after his birth. He remarks that this is the “common custom” (Douglass 17), and he also relates that his father’s having been the white master is equally ordinary. From this unfortunate start in life, the boy is exposed to the cruelty he himself will bear, as he vividly recalls the savage whipping done to the older slaves by his first master’s overseer, a sadist named Mr. Plummer. If any act, in fact, informs the reader of a consistent element in Douglass’ experience as a slave, it is the whipping. Perhaps second to this is the shared feeling he expresses of utter helplessness in a world where the most despicable violence was considered an ordinary way to deal with disobedience, and where an overseer who does not actually take joy in beating slaves is seen as a blessing.

Even as he recounts much that he witnessed, Douglass invariably confirms his place among his fellow slaves. More exactly, his experiences were similar because exceptions were few, if any. For example, Douglass tells of how a slave, innocently answering questions from a supposed stranger, was horribly punished for telling the truth of his life (30-310. From this Douglass explains his own history of always keeping the reality of slavery to himself; they all learned that speaking the truth could bring on dire repercussions. In keeping with Douglass’ place among his fellow slaves, he describes a situation known to many, when a relation of his was savagely murdered by a white woman, and no charges were brought on this woman (36). At the same time, and equally running throughout the entire narrative, there is a distinct sense of how different Douglass was. Part of this is due to his eloquence as a writer; few men of any color write so expressively and beautifully. There is also, however, a strong core of rage building in the man that seems to be absent in his fellow slaves. Beaten into submission, it is likely most slaves gave up hope, but Douglass’ sense of the monstrous injustices occurring never lessens. His anger is also supported by his profound belief that the misery must end: “From my earliest recollection, I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that slavery would not always be able to hold me” (42). This, above all, sets Douglass apart, because slavery was for him always an unnatural state of being that could not go on.

Works Cited

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Forgotten Books, 2008. Web. Retrieved April 29, 2012, from http://books.google.com/books?id=k5c1THo4xpUC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false