Frederick Douglass

1. Frederick Douglass Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself

2. Frederick Douglassapp. 1817 - 1895 ”I wouldunitewithanybody to do right and withnobody to do wrong.”

3. Setting • Countryside age: 0 – 7 relatively peaceful childhood • knows of nothing else • City age: 7 – 14 learns to read and write • knowledge => agony • Countryside age: 14 - 17 agony and longing / survival • City age: 17 - ? apprenticeship

4. The more tolerable the conditions are the more he longs for freedom. During his second stay at the countryside his longing for freedom is temporarily neglected due to the fact that he is simply trying to stay alive. Meanwhile the city remains a source of knowledge and emancipation.

5. Characters Frederick Douglass, protagonist and narrator, born in slavery The Masters: Captain Anthony (father?) Captain Hugh Auld Thomas Auld Mr. Covey Mr. Freeland Employers: Mr. Gardner Mr. Price

6. The Masters can very roughly be divided into categories depending on the meanness in their characters. Douglass sees a distinct trait between strongly religious and abusive masters. This point is emphasised by characters such as Covey and Reverend Hopkins in contrast to the irreligious and more humane Hugh Auld. Religion becomes an excuse for excessive violence (the biblical story of Ham). All of the masters keep their slaves in ignorance in different manners – whiskey, fights, prohibition of gatherings and knowledge, etc..

7. Symbolism • Primarily, there are allegories to biblical mythology: • The characterisation of Mr. Covey as a ”snake” and one who is skilled at deceiving is rather similar to that of the Devil. • Separation of the wheat and chaff – a real event, but also emphasising the idea of the double standards of the slavers. • The fall of man due to knowledge. • Symbolism, however, is not a dominant feature as this narrative is closer to the tradition of realism -> social culture.

8. Form • The form changessimultaneouslywith the protagonist’sadvancement. E.g. • dates start beingaccounted for as soon as Frederick learnsthem. • Furthermore, the form becomes more consistentwith his level of education.

9. Themes • Human rights – legal as well as moral. • Religion – the excuse for slavery and abuse. • Abolition – the movementthatinspires and encourages Frederick onwards. • Freedom – the drive and goal of the protagonist. • Power – Master >< Slave, but reversedwith the accumulation of knowledge. • Knowledge – a prerequisite for freedomthough it alsobringsagony.

10. Context Published in 1845. Some critics questioned the validity of the fact that a black slave were able to write such an eloquent work as this. The majority of slave portrayals was written with the aid of white people, or were simply fictitious novels such as the praised work “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a white lady from the North. However, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” was later recognised as one of the few examples of a slave narration written by the protagonist himself.

11. The Author Frederick Douglass was one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement, and was recognized as one of America's first great black speakers. He was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. This belief was reflected in the motto of his antislavery paper The North Star: "Right is of no Sex — Truth is of no Color — God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren." Douglass served as an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and fought for the adoption of constitutional amendments that guaranteed voting rights and other civil liberties for blacks. Douglass provided a powerful voice for human rights during this period of American history and is still revered today for his contributions against racial injustice.