ipl-logo

How Does Frederick Douglass Present The Power Of The Slaveholders

443 Words2 Pages

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass delves insightfully within the life of a slave, revealing the natures of power and how it affects those who are incapable of handling it properly. In this record, Douglass demonstrates that the system of slavery not only pulverizes the slave, but also the slaveholders. The power that the slaveholders possess, one which is devoid of responsibility, has a dehumanizing impact on them; annihilating their ethics and sense of self-conviction. It breaks the frailest hearts and finest emotions transforming them into those of a devil. Douglass narrates his parentage to demonstrate the hardships confronted when a master adopts the guise of a father. The sinister desires of the slaveholders wreck the lives of their youngsters. It also dehumanizes the master who whips or sells his children, led by nothing more than respect for the feelings of his white wife, breaking the solidarity of the family and dividing the house upon itself. …show more content…

An example of that is the character of Sophia Auld. Before bondage produced its results, she was a thoughtful and kind lady who comprehended the nature of goodness and righteous morality. However, upon perceiving the power of the white man and his authority to subjugate the blacks, she morphed into a cruel and unforgiving slaveholder.It is here that we see how power feasts on the flesh of the weak and unprepared, denying of their humanity and understanding. Another character in the narrative is Thomas Auld. He becomes remorseless and devoid of feeling upon acquiring unprecedented authority and power through marriage, using religion as an instrument to back his decisions and support his

Show More
Related
1369 Words | 6 Pages

Slavery has been a problem in the United States for centuries. And for centuries nothing was done about it, until the beginning of the abolitionist movement led by white Northerners. Frederick Douglass, a previously enslaved Black man, was the key to unfolding the lies in Southern propaganda. Douglass was essential to countering the proslavery agenda by writing about his stories in his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. This paper will discuss the moral, economic, and racial issues Douglass discusses in his narrative and how he uses these experiences to counter the proslavery lies pushed by the South.

Read More
212 Words | 1 Pages

When humans owned people, they became corrupted by the power and control. “If you give a slave

Read More
1103 Words | 5 Pages

In the Narrative of Frederick Douglass, the author’s fundamental objective is to expose the misconceptions of the idea, or myth, of slavery within his novel. The mythology of slavery is institutionalized by the Southerners and some Northerners who held strict views and beliefs regarding slavery, which ultimately justified its existence. Many of these rationalizations or assumptions of slavery went on without any question to the public. Douglass debunks the mythology of slavery by how he rebukes the romantic image of slavery, his testimony against the belief of black intellectual inferiority, and how the system promoted the disloyalty among slaves. Douglass’s use of imagery of romanticism challenges the mythology of slavery as being superficial

Read More
492 Words | 2 Pages

In “The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass” Frederick Douglass talks about his life as a slave ,and the challenges that he went through ,but he also tells how slaveholders were affected during slavery. Frederick Douglass talks about how slaveholders have great powers over their slaves. Being the slaveholder can enforce that you are above the slave ,and that you are allowed to do what you please to you “property” ,and that could corrupt your humanity. One example of this is Sophie Auld. Sophie Auld was a kind and generous slaveholder ”I was utterly astonished at her goodness”(Douglass 45); she even helped teach Frederick Douglass to write, but after she had been the master of Douglass for a while she started to become inhumane, cruel, and malice.

Read More
498 Words | 2 Pages

Douglass tells about his own childhood and how his father might have been a slaveholder. He explains

Read More
669 Words | 3 Pages

Frederick Douglass, the author, of Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass, makes an effective argument against slavery, by utilizing a variety of persuasive techniques. Douglass’ strategic approach to appeal to the reader’s emotions, logicality, and morality is undoubtedly compelling the reader to accept Douglass as a credible writer. Throughout the entire narrative Douglass consistently appeals to the emotions of the readers by evoking specific emotional reactions such as sympathy and anger within the reader. In the second chapter of the narrative the author describes a violent encounter involving a slaveholder and bondsmen.

Read More
161 Words | 1 Pages

A particular section in the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” that stood out to me was the section where Douglass goes on to describe how slaveholding has negative affects and changes a person. Thomas Auld and Edward Covey are men in the story that both pretend to be something that they are not. Thomas auld tries to be the almighty and powerful slaveholder but eventually becomes crueler because cannot pretend to be an all powerful slaveholder, that the slaves know it is for show. Edward Covey pretends to be a Christian man but, any Christian man would not submit such cruelty to any kind of human being. The last example of slaveholding changing people for the worse is Sophia Auld.

Read More
328 Words | 2 Pages

There is no doubt that the institution of slavery is detrimental to slaves as they are brutally tortured, severely whipped and punished, and also killed if they dare to rebel or disagree with their slaveholders. Not only slavery is extremely terrible to the slaves, but also it dehumanizes the slaveholders and turns them into evil monsters devoid of any human feelings and sentiments. In Douglass’s slave narrative, he shows how slavery affects the slaveholders like Captain Anthony who was a savage beast “hardened by a long life of slaveholding” and he enjoyed whipping and torturing the slaves (Douglass 5). Moreover, Douglass highlights on how slavery affects the slaveholder’s character and turns him/her into brutal torturers.

Read More
1700 Words | 7 Pages

Douglass could no longer see parts of himself, and thus, he felt himself broken and damaged. Douglass, however, is able to eventually regather himself, have an intellectual epiphany, and develop an understanding of how slaveholders break down the slaves. This emotional confinement is expressed through the terms “mental darkness” (p. 55). The symbol of a “mental darkness” is important in understanding the mental captivity Douglass was in, and the process of how the slave owner broke Douglass down to a point where his own view of his self-worth was minuscule, comparing himself to a brute. From this low point, Douglass was able to discover what it was that creates a complacent attitude in slaves: “I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to a make a thoughtless one.

Read More
1185 Words | 5 Pages

Douglass argues the fact that slavery is not good and it should be nonexistent. Fredrick Douglass proclaims “nature made us friends and slavery made us enemy’s.” The disturbing nature disrupts what should be to something that is not proclaimed to be. Through all aspects of slavery, dehumanization and pinpointing the victims allows Douglass to reflect on what has occurred and how he has become someone that everyone reads

Read More
1368 Words | 6 Pages

In 2016 slavery is but a distant memory, an embarrassing moment in history. In the 1800s Slavery was alive; it was a perfect for the white southerners, not for the African Americans. In Frederick Douglass’s Book, “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” Frederick shows us how slavery was cruel and harsh, how it corrupted slaveowners, and how bad the slaves lives were. Frederick shows us what the slaveowners would do to the slaves, and how the slaves would live in fear.

Read More
1442 Words | 6 Pages

On the eve of the Civil War, the abolitionist movement and the opposition to slavery were very strong and powerful. While many people knew that slavery was a disgusting and degrading institution, there was not much first-hand information available about the inhumane effects that slavery had on both black and white people. In his narrative, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Frederick Douglass demonstrates the dehumanizing effects slavery had, not only on African slaves, but also on the white population. In order to kindle the abolitionist movement and the opposition to slavery, Douglass includes his own personal accounts of life as a slave in America and utilizing elevates diction and vivid imagery

Read More
637 Words | 3 Pages

In addition, another objective from the lens of politics that illustrates the theme of the novel is on the ways this novel represents aspects of colonial oppression. The text in the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” by Frederick Douglass expresses colonial oppression through his personal experiences as a slave. Douglass’s narrative exposes the brutal realities of the slavery system, including physical and emotional abuse, and the denial of basic human

Read More
1112 Words | 5 Pages

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass is a powerful autobiography that provides a firsthand account of the institution of slavery in America. In this narrative, Douglass reveals the different injustices endured by the enslaved people of America at the time. With a personal perspective, the author provides an emotional appeal that helps connect to the readers. Through an exploration of the themes, this paper seeks to illuminate the insights provided by Douglass into the dark reality of slavery in America. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass demonstrates the gut-wrenching realities of physical and psychological abuse endured by slaves, the intentional breaking down of social bonds

Read More
618 Words | 3 Pages

The concept of slavery is an idea that’s nearly universally shunned and considered barbaric in the eyes of modern society. However, as we all have learned in school, slavery was once considered one of the foundations of society in America. Rounded up and used like cattle, these people were forced from their home country, forced to do backbreaking work, and forced to dedicate their lives to their owners for profit. Yet, despite the haze of darkness and despair that enveloped the lives of American slaves, bits of light shine through, showing what life really was like for a slave. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is one such bright source of light, giving a unique glimpse of daily life in slavery.

Read More

More about How Does Frederick Douglass Present The Power Of The Slaveholders

Open Document