Defenders of slavery argued that slavery was not bad for slaves, but Douglass argues that it is terrible. One way it is terrible for a slave is that they're taken from their parents. Douglass is not sure who his father is but he guesses it is the master. he is separated from his mother and he only saw her at night. Douglass says that his master tries to “blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child” (1.3). This quote explains how slaves miss out on the affection of their mother as children. Furthermore, Douglass describes "Their yearly clothing consisted of two coarse linen shirts, one pair of linen trousers, one jacket, one pair of trousers for winter, made of coarse negro cloth, one pair of stockings, and one pair of shoes; the whole of which could not have cost more than seven dollars."2.2 …show more content…
Mrs. Auld was a kind person who was unlike other white women. Slaves could look her in the face and she smiled, putting the slaves at ease. She taught Douglass how to read but Mr. Auld forbade it because he said that teaching slaves how to read would give them a way to escape. Slavery began to cause Mrs. Auld to become cruel. Douglass described this change as “That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage...and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon.” This explains how slavery is horrible not only for slaves but also for