Analyze The Changes In Frederick Douglass's Life

The Life of Frederick Douglass In the early years of Frederick Douglass’s life, Douglass witnessed many life changing events that would ultimately inspire him to become one of the top abolitionists. Around the age of eight years old, Douglass was sent to live with Mr. And Mrs. Auld in Baltimore, Maryland. While living with the Auld’s, Douglass had his first thoughts of freedom being a possibility for him and experienced one of his earliest life changing events. According to Douglass in chapter 6, his new mistress, Mrs. Auld, “very kindly commenced to teach me the A, B, C.” and “assisted me in learning to spell words of three or four letters” (Ch. 6, p. 48). During this learning process, Mr. Auld found out of his wife’s involvement and the
making, what he claimed to be, an unfit slave; an unfit slave being someone who is spoiled and becomes unmanageable. While Douglass overheard the quarrel between the husband and wife, he had a hunch that the results Mr. Auld were describing to his wife of becoming an unfit slave were true. Everything that Mr. Auld dreaded was what Douglass desired in life, and it was in that moment, that young Douglass not only realized his potential, but he realized what slavery meant to the whites and how corrupt it made them. Douglass watched Mrs. Auld change from being a warm, kind hearted white woman, to an angry, cold hearted woman. She went from believing all should be treated equal, to the idea that “education and slavery were incompatible with each other” (Ch. 7, p. 52). He understood that when the threat arises, of losing the help that makes their plantation operate, the attitudes of the owner’s change. Slave owners are rude and disrespectful for a reason; they want their property to thrive and be better than their neighbor, even if that means working their slaves until they bleed and giving them half the life they deserve. I believe this event was significant to him, by opening his eyes and igniting a fire in him to inform others of these cruel words. Just as quickly as Douglass discovered this glimmer of hope it disappeared.
By the time he was twelve he had been sent to live with, professor of religion and poor farm-renter, Mr. Covey. Covey was notorious for taking slaves from different slaveholders “for the sake of training” (Ch.9 pg.69). While living with Covey, he underwent being a field hand for the first time. Being a first-time field hand meant experiencing severe whippings. One specific beating left a sour taste in his mouth, but lead to his next glimmer of hope. While working alongside three other men on the hottest day in August 1833, Douglass fell ill, so ill he could barely stand on his feet; Consequently, Covey beat him so horribly he was bleeding not only from his side but from his head. On his hike, back from talking to Master Thomas, he encountered another slave that gifted him a “root” of protection. To Douglass, I believe this root was the sign of hope that he needed to stand up to not only Mr. Covey but to all slaveholders. Eventually, Douglass got his hands-on Covey then, gave him a taste of his own medicine; This event scared startled Mr. Covey so much he “trembled like a leaf” (Ch. 10 pg. 81). I believe this event was significant to Douglass because, it gave him a taste of what freedom was to not take orders from any slaveholder. I also believe Douglass was proud of himself for showing the slaveholders what it’s like to be in the hands of another person and have no control over what comes next.
Douglass most likely gained some respect from Mr. Covey considering he never laid a hand on Douglass again. I feel that Douglass portrays slaveholders as ones who were born pure, but have gained corrupted minds from other slaveholders.
This holds true in the case of Sophia Auld, who at first showed everyone the kindness of her heart but, quickly realized the importance of slavery that if you want to keep your slaves and property of top quality you must be mean. Slaveholders often had a competition between each other as to who could have the best plantation with the best slaves. This competition translates throughout the slaves as well, like when Colonel Lloyd’s slaves met the slaves of Jacob Jepson. In chapter 3 page 35, Douglass describes how it wasn’t uncommon for slaves to “quarrel among themselves about the relative goodness of their masters…”. Douglass notes the differences between city and plantation slaves. City slaveholders treated their slaves as “almost a freeman” (Ch 6. pg. 49) while plantation slaves were treated as if they lived in a concentration camp. He also explains the sense of shame he can see within city slaveholders, further supporting the thought of slaveholders being born courteous but raised by cruel ideals. For example, an owner such as Colonel Lloyd or Mr. Severe would have no problem beating a slave with a leather whip, whereas a newly exposed slaveholder in the city may be more cautious because they don’t want their neighbors to hear the cry of the slaves. Slave-owners such a Mr. Severe would often take out their sexual frustrations, or possible
fantasies, by showing pleasure when beating female slaves and like Captain Anthony by fathering children with their slaves. Douglass also criticized the slaveholders and their religious beliefs. In chapter nine, Douglass shares the story of Master Thomas beating a female slave multiple times a day and justifying his reason for the beating with a passage from the bible, “He that knoweth his master’s will and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes” (Ch.9 pg.68). Slaveholders with strong religious beliefs often turned to the bible to help them know what they were doing was just. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and seeing slavery from a slave point of view. The book pulled at the many different emotions I have. I was angered by Mr. Severe practically being a sexualized slave owner in finding pleasure in beating and torturing women slaves. I also found it ironic how in chapter 4 pg. 39, Mr. Gore described how slavery was a good solution that kept whites from becoming enslaved. The fact that a white man was afraid of living a lifestyle all his employees lived by was an interesting thought to me. Another interesting thought I had, was learning about his mother, Harriet Bailey an African American slave, and father, possibly his first master Captain Anthony. In certain states in society today, your race is based on the race of your father. I face this problem everyday being a person of mixed race. My father is African American and my mother is Caucasian, but on my birth certificate I am considered African American. So, if Douglass were born today he would be considered a white man. All in all, since Douglass is almost certain his father is a white man, he was treated as a slave because his mother was a slave as well as the color of his skin; People of the past and future treat you differently based on everything from the color of your skin to where you come from. I found it comforting, that Master Daniel was a protector of him and saved him from violent whippings, and ultimately helped him be sent to his new life in Baltimore. It reminded me of the saying, if you love someone set them free. Master Daniel clearly had some strong connection to him and saved him from being beaten to his death. An event that took place in chapter 3, page 34 brought some interesting thoughts in my head as well. Colonel Lloyd encountered a slave around his plantation, then quickly began to interrogate him without knowing he was questioning his own slave. The fact that you own so many slaves you don’t even know who they are when you see them is disappointing and wrong. I was impressed how at such a young age Douglass could build frienships with “little white boys whom [he] met on the street” and “converted them into teachers” (Ch 7 pg. 52). He was so focused on learning how to read and flourish that he used every resource he could to achieve his goal. Douglass went through hell and back but, it was his actions that helped many in the end.