Hermel Johnson Jr.

Frederick Douglass Essay Topic #2 Rough Draft In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Douglass has given readers a look at slave life from his personal point of view. Douglass offers readers an insight into life as a slave that many have probably never imagined. The detailed descriptions of the physical and psychological violence that he recalled suffering at the hands of his slaveholders, painted a picture so vivid that reading the book became a struggle at times. Douglass was very strategic with his use of physical and psychological violence in the Narrative. He was a noted abolitionist, and one can easily deduce that his book was written from the standpoint of someone who despised the slave system. Douglass undoubtedly described his experiences as a slave with such great detail because he knew that mostly northern whites and nonslaveholders who were undecided or indifferent regarding the issue of slavery would be his main audience. His graphic depictions of physical and psychological violence, starvation, loneliness, depravity, and the like would give these readers an even more barbaric view of an already cruel slave system. The words in Douglass book would cause his audience to empathize with those who were enslaved, or to at least view slavery as uncivilized, ungentlemanly, and barbaric. Such thoughts would encourage whites who supported Douglass call for the abolishment of slavery to use their influence to sway policy makers, who were often their friends and neighbors, to push for abolition. It was these thoughts that would eventually trigger the release of some slaves by a hand full of slave masters, and would ultimately blossom into the outlaw and abolishment of slavery across the nation.

Hermel Johnson Jr. Frederick Douglass Essay Topic #2 Rough Draft Douglass use of violence in his book reveals a side of slavery that is very seldom expounded upon, to the extent that he describes it. Many times movies or documentaries about African American slave life (i.e. Roots, Amistad) show depictions of violence on screen that could easily shock most viewers. Even through the visual advent of film these on screen depictions pale in comparison to the mental images that arise when reading Douglass narrative. Life as an African American slave is revealed by Douglass to be much more violent than most people who have not studied slavery in depth may have come to know. The ideas of slavery that many may have been exposed to are by no stretch shown in a favorable light, but before reading Douglass narrative many people will have had no idea exactly how brutal and bloody life as a slave was as he describes it. For this very reason, Douglass use of physical and psychological violence in his book is a key factor. At times, the accounts of violence and suffering dealt to Douglass and his fellow slaves is so gruesome and macabre they lead the reader to think to some degree that these recollections have to be falsely contrived or exaggerated. Brutal accounts like those in Chapter 2 of the Narrative, when Douglass talks about his former master Mr. Severe, I have seen him whip a woman, causing the blood to run half an hour at the time. In Chapter 5, when he makes mention of the harsh winters that he endured as a child, My feet were so cracked with the frost, the pen with which I am writing might be laid in the gashes. Also in Chapter 8, when Douglass recounts the murder of his brother, Master Andrewtook my little brother by the throat, threw him on the ground, and with the heel

Hermel Johnson Jr. Frederick Douglass Essay Topic #2 Rough Draft of a boot stamped upon his head until the blood gushed from his nose and ears.1 Statements like these by Douglass may seem over exaggerated and unreal; nevertheless the picture that they are able to paint in the readers mind leaves a lasting impression. Aside from the fact that they did not involve bloodshed, the psychological hardships and stress that African slaves were subjected to are considerably worse than the physical hardships they went through. A physical altercation between a slave and his master could probably last for, at most, a few hours. On the other hand, the psychological impact that a master could impose by beating or even killing a slave in the presence of his fellow slaves could last for a lifetime. In Chapter 3 of the Narrative, Douglass begins by describing the garden of his former master Colonel Lloyd. After having fruit stolen from his garden Lloyd placed tar on the fence surrounding the garden. Any slave caught with tar on his clothes was consequently beaten for having thought to have been attempting to steal from the masters garden. This not only caused the slaves stay as far away from Lloyds garden as possible, but it also made them terrified to get tar on their clothes from any source (Ibid., 32). They feared the harsh consequences they would face based on the mere implications that having tar on their clothes carried with it. In comparison, during the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina, those involved were executed and had their heads placed on stakes along roadways as a reminder of the consequences that faced any other slaves who considered revolting. The slaves fear of extreme repercussions for even minor disobedience was essential to the master; and in most cases, it allowed him to exert his will on his slaves without having to lift a finger.
1

Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (New York: Signet Classics, reprint 2005), pages 27, 42-43, 60.

Hermel Johnson Jr. Frederick Douglass Essay Topic #2 Rough Draft Douglass also talked about how slaves were forbidden from some of the smallest privileges that are commonplace in todays society. Among other things, slaves were not allowed to read, write, or even to know their age. Slave masters knew that if they were able to keep slaves in complete and total ignorance, they would be much easier to manage (Ibid., 19, 48). As Douglass pointed out in the Narrative, slaves were to remain in complete deference to their master. He mentions a particularly cruel master that he worked under named Mr. Hopkins. Douglass points out that Hopkins affection for disciplining his slaves was so keen that he often whipped slaves in advance of deserving it. He also mentions that Hopkins would beat slaves for any number of small offences, such as a mere look, word, or motion (Ibid., 87-88). Douglass gives readers the perception that extreme fear and total subjection ruled each aspect of the everyday lives of slaves. Douglass narrative is proof that words have compelling power. Reading the Narrative captivates the mind of the reader so much so that feelings of sorrow for Douglass could have suddenly turned into feelings of hatred for the entire race of white Southerners. Though it is wrong to feel hatred for whites or any other race of people, as a black man reading Douglass narrative, these are feelings that are at times inescapable. These feeling are likely comparable to the feelings that a person of Jewish descent would have toward people of German descent when reading accounts of the Holocaust. Readers must be able to look at Douglass accounts from an objective standpoint and remind themselves that not all whites are racist and have hatred towards blacks. Furthermore, readers again have to consider that Douglass wrote his depictions of slavery in such a 4

Hermel Johnson Jr. Frederick Douglass Essay Topic #2 Rough Draft graphic and seemingly skewed nature, in many cases, because of his need to persuade his audience to view abolition as a necessity and to abhor slavery. Of course, since Douglass book was not intended for black readers, it probably would not provoke feelings of hatred from northern whites toward southern whites. Douglass intent was not to make the reader hate whites or any other race of slaveholders. The intent of his words was to cause the reader to detest the slavery of any race.