Mental Deprivation In The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

Mental deprivation in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Basic freedom and happiness are two of the most important parts of a good healthy life. In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass’ freedom and basic rights are taken away from him because he does not know his birthday or his age, he is not able to receive an education, and he is forced to be separated from those he loves. Although physically imposed by the slavery, the mental deprivation was more of a burden. The mental deprivation took a huge toll on his the way he viewed himself. He gains courage and confidence to fight for what he knows he deserves and pushes until he gets freedom for himself! Birthdays are a big part of what makes a kid’s life, and knowing when your birthday is very important. Douglass has no idea when his birthday is or how old he is and he knows that the white boys know their birthdays and he is bewildered by the fact they can know theirs but he can not know his. He feels they are superior to him only because they know such things and he does not. “The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell

Douglass is again denied of something he sees white people have so again he is deprived mentally. He begins seeking an education for basic things like reading and writing, things most people do automatically without even second guessing doing it. Sophia Auld starts to teach Douglass how to read, but once her husband tells her not to she refrains from it and Douglass frantically teaches himself. “Mr. Auld found out what was going on, and at once forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct me further, telling her, among other things, that it was unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read” (Douglass 48). Mr. Auld knows that literacy is what makes a man out of a slave, so he shuts down Douglass’ learning as soon as he finds out about