What Is Frederick Douglass Physical Risk

Frederick Douglass took many risks, both physical and emotional. This essay will explore how in the book, Frederick fearlessly navigated through his time as a slave, risking his own safety and well being to fight for justice and equality. In chapter 1, Frederick Douglass takes the emotional risk of retelling his traumatic experience of seeing the beating of his Aunt Hester. Later in the chapter he then talks about how his traumitization of his Aunt started, “he would whip her to make her scream and whip her to make her hush; and not until overcome.” This is an emotional risk because seeing your own aunt get brutally whipped and then having the confidence to include this part for other people to know about him and his traumitizing story is brave.

In chapter 7, Federick Douglas shows a physical and emotional risk when he learns how to read. First he states, “For it is almost an unpardonable offense to teach slaves to read in this Christian country.” This is a physical risk for him because he could’ve gotten killed because his enslavers could’ve found out. He also states, “The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers.” This is an emotional risk because Frederick Douglass had strong anger toward his enslavers. Frederick used his anger toward his enslavers and used it as a goal to abolish slavery. Chapter 10 takes physical risk by fighting Mr. Covey. Frederick Douglass states, “This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom and relived with me a sense of my own mo. “ This is a physical risk because Mr Covey because Mr Covey was known as the snake and was called the “negro breaker”. He also states, “Mr. Covey enjoyed the most unbounded reputation for being a first rate overseer and negro-breaker. His reputation would’ve been lost; so to save his reputation he didn’t punish him.” Federick could’ve died because slave owners or they would