Frederick Douglass '' The Crouching Servility'

In the beginning of chapter six, Frederick Douglass focuses the reader’s attention on how slavery can affect even the best and most innocent people. While talking about how slavery removes the good from slave owners, Douglass also explores how slavery is not only detrimental to them, but corrupts their ethics as well. Douglass remarks, “The crouching servility, usually so acceptable a quality in a slave, did not answer when manifested toward her. Her favor was not gained by it; she seemed to be disturbed by it” (19; ch. 6). Douglass’s word choice and use of antithesis in this section shows how Sophia Auld was a kind and hardworking woman who treated Douglass like a human being. She was unlike any other white woman he had ever come into contact with and it was like a breath of fresh air for him to finally meet a kind hearted person.

However, the pureness of Sophia Auld does not last forever, and Douglass describes how slavery took a hold of her: “But, alas! This kind heart had but a short time to remain such… That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon” (19; ch. 6). The use of juxtaposition in this paragraph show how much Sophia Auld’s change impacted Douglass and how drastic of a change it was. Her disposition changed after her husband transformed her view on slavery. Of course, in the end, Sophia is altered into a typical slave owner. Douglass writes, “The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work” (19; ch.