Preview

Fredrick Douglas Comparison

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
329 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Fredrick Douglas Comparison
Brittany Parker P-1; 11/27/12
Fredrick Douglass Connections Paragraph

Fredrick Douglass is most like the report “Trapped in a Hellhole”, written by Stan Grossfeld about child labor in India. First, children were taken at a very young age and put to work as a ‘slave’, never to see their parents again. Fredrick Douglass was taken away from his Mother and reared on a different plantation. He say’s “My mother and I were separated . . . I never saw my mother” (2-3). Child labor in India is worked in a similarly manner as children are lured by men who falsely promise safety and education for the child to their parents. A boy named Laxmi said his father came to the factory to rescue him. He watched his father be beaten, and never saw him again. Another example can be proven in the beatings given for mishap among the workers. Fredrick Douglass speaks of Mr. Hopkins, a religious man who believed, “A mere look, word, or motion, mistake, accident, or want of power, are all matters for which a slave may be whipped at any time” (100). The children in India were treated in a similitude of the manner. Laxmi said, “If you got up, you’d be beaten,” while another boy of 9, named Udai Ram, was hit on the finger with a knife every time he made a mistake. However, in Fredrick’s case there was no law against slavery or ‘owning’ a slave as property. There is a law in India, though not enforced, prohibiting children younger than 14 from working. With this law, human rights workers can fight against child labor pertaining to the law given. In Fredrick Douglass’ time though, these fights for civil rights could not be justified by the law to protect them. Fredrick Douglass gave a true sense of what it means to be a slave and have no laws in place to help protect their rights for the future in becoming

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Fredrick Douglass was born into slavery in 1818, he spent his youth being sold from plantation to city, then all over again. At a point during his youth, he realized that slavery was wrong, and eventually once becoming aware of the north, he planned to one day escape captivity and be free. His determination was strong, so strong that he would one day escape captivity and establish a legacy of work in the North, that made him one of the core members in the fight to abolish slavery in the middle of the 1800’s. He is know historically for his publications and speeches in the fight for abolition, being a convincing and proactive voice which comes from first hand experiences in what life is like for slaves and slave owners. The purpose of publishing the text, Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave, was to put into context the details of Douglass’ life, which include his feelings and tribulations, during his journey as a slave and escape to freedom. His conviction to reveal this story, was not hindered or halted by the fact that he would be exposing himself to the public, which often for an escaped slave would be a dangerous situation. The book was first published in 1845 when Douglass was twenty-seven, at this time slavery was legal, and the book that he had just published was incriminating evidence full of names, dates, and times, which make it very easy for someone to find him and return him to captivity by law.…

    • 1213 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas are heroic because they fought for freedom and liberty. In the White House Funeral Sermon, for Lincoln, the preacher says that,“the cause he so ardently loved, [he fought] not for himself only, not for us only, but for all the people in all their coming generation.”(SB page 68). This means that Lincoln not only fought for our generation, but for all the generations after us. He was courageous enough to lose his life for the country he fervently loved. In a poem written by Walt Whitman(SB, page 69) he says, “…the prize we sought is won…[but] on the deck my captain lies, fallen cold and dead. ” Lincoln literally laid down his life to serve the land he loved the most. Robert Hayden wrote a poem about Frederick…

    • 248 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fredrick Douglas Paper

    • 1217 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Fredrick Douglass throughout this book uses experiences to show why slavery should be abolished. Fredrick Douglass was born in 1818 and he died in 1895, and he was born into slavery in Talbot Country, Maryland.(Fredrick Douglass facts page) In chapter 1, Fredrick Douglass said that he had witnessed these beatings and that it had happened often. “I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition. I was quite a child, but I well remembered it. … It was the first of a long series of such outrages, of which I was doomed to be a witness and a participant…” (Douglass pg 21) For example, the last paragraph of( page 21) going to( page 22) is the first experience of the beatings he witnessed. “He took her into the kitchen, and stripped her from neck to waist, leaving her neck, shoulders, and back entirely naked….” By using experiences, he is able to show people that even…

    • 1217 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to the narrative of Frederick Douglass, during the 19th Century, the conditions slaves experienced were not only cruel, but inhumane. It is a common perception that “cruelty” refers to the physical violence and torture that slaves endure. However, in this passage, Douglass conveys the degrading treatment towards young slaves in the plantation, as if they were domesticated animals. The slaves were deprived of freedom and basic human rights. They were not only denied of racial equality, they weren’t even recognized as actual human beings.…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Peter Ripley’s essay “The Autobiographical Writings of Frederick Douglass,” he states that, “The Narrative signaled Douglass’ emergence as a committed abolitionist and suggests his developing intellectual skills during those early years of freedom” (135). Ripley describes throughout his essay how Douglass started as a slave, fought for his freedom, became an average lecturer, and in the end became, “Ambitious and intellectually curious… reading reform literature, participating in discussions and absorbing the lectures of his associates” (136). Ripley describes Douglass’ early lectures as unintellectual because of how long he had been a slave, using “plantation dialect” (136). Early on, Douglass got the image that he wasn’t an actual slave. So, he started to write about his slave experiences, giving names and dates to all the things that had happened to him to give himself authentication and to knock out some of the rumors about him and his past. One of Douglass’ biggest critics was a man by the name of A.C.C. Thompson, who wrote that he had known “the recent slave by the name of Frederick Bailey” (138) trying to disprove all of Douglass’ firsthand accounts. Douglass responds to the statements by describing his time as a slave and explaining that without those experiences there was no way that he would’ve been able to write The Narrative in the Life. Ripley then goes on to explain how writing The Narrative was a major sign of Douglass’ growth and maturity. This essay explains how Douglass transformed from slave to abolitionist then on to sharing his life experiences by lecturing and educating others.…

    • 531 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass uncovers an abundant amount of American history during this time of slavery. Douglass does this by the way he describes the slave family, the treatment and living conditions of slaves, and the master-slave relationship. The master often tears families apart by breaking them up. Douglass says that many times mothers have to leave their babies, before the child reaches one. He thinks this occurs to damage the bond of affection between a mother and child. Douglass also goes on to state that families are always at risk of being separated by being put up for sale. The treatment of the slaves is somewhat barbaric. If one of the slaves "misbehaves" in anyway, they will be punished by being hit with a…

    • 303 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Christian is in no way an accurate name for a slaveholder. The name is in fact ironic. The Christian faith calls for freedom, respect, and kindness for every creature God has created. It is not justice for a “Christian” to treat another human or any living thing in such a cruel manner. Douglass makes a distinction between “true” and “false” christianity. Slaveholders are “false” christians because they do not execute justice for all of God’s creations. A “true” christian would not advocate for slavery because it goes against their Gods teachings. A “Christian” slaveholder in truth can not exist. Slave owners also committed sins such as adultery, which is how Douglass was born. They were hypocrites that claimed to be part of a just society and religion, but could not carry out their actions in such a manner. Douglass describes how white slave owners would send their most defiant and unruly slaves to Edward Coveys plantation. Douglass describes his own experience on Covey’s plantation. Slaves were sent there to learn a lesson, and to be “broken”. Covey would make them take care of the horses he had. The slave had to keep the horse healthy, clean and happy at all times. If the slave did not do the work to Coveys liking, the slave would get whipped. Covey also committed adultery. He tries to “break” the slaves in a sense that they will feel like they are not worth more than a horses life, and they will forever be but a tool to white folk. The slave is “broken” when he or she has no spirit, cheerfulness, or motive. Covey tries to pass himself as a pious man, a man who has a strong faith and belief in his religion, christian. But this is a defective adjective to use to describe him because he commits sins every day! Every person sins. But not every person commits the same sin over and over and tries to pass it as “normal” or “just”. That is the cruel and wicked part of his…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    It was once said that with great power comes great responsibility. It gives one great power to overcome great obstacles. Frederick Douglass adulthood was full of these great accomplishments because he thrived on his intellect, but it wasn't without hardcore struggles as a slave that fueled his passion to accomplish. The purpose of this essay is to directly pull events in Frederick Douglass' youth and times in slavery to his political ideologies, because we ultimately know that overcoming obstacles builds character. Douglass' political standpoints are formed on the ideological bases of legalism, moralism, and also accommodation. So to fully understand his beliefs, we must look at his traumatic enslaved childhood.…

    • 1296 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fredrick Douglass

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass: An American Slave is a narrative autobiography written based on Fredrick Douglass’s experiences as a slave. He wrote this book with the purpose of revealing the injustice institution of slavery and to make the statement “slavery is unfair.” Fredrick Douglass supports his arguments about slavery by using pathos, or the appeal to the emotions of the audience, where he attempts to persuade the audience through gain of sympathy. This emotional appeal to the audience can be best shown through the examples of the treatment of his grandmother, the separation between him and his mother, and the beating of his brother.…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    I am so glad that I finally have the chance to write you again. Unfortunately, I have been really busy with this new book I am reading. Well, calling it new may be a bit inaccurate. The book is called Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. It is an autobiography by Frederick Douglass that was published in 1845, which makes it over 170 years old. Going into reading this book, I expected it to narrate the atrocities that occurred in the Antebellum Period, but I could not prepare myself for the level of detail that Douglass used. He described rural slave culture on his former home in Talbot County, Maryland as cruel and ruthless, with detailed descriptions of beatings, murder, and even sexual abuse (Douglass 1). He recounts, for instance, how one overseer named Mr. Gore murdered a slave named Demby for not listening to his warning about getting out of a creek. Even after moving to Baltimore, Douglass still encountered abuse in the city. The only difference was that the cruelty was better hidden and rarer. The worst abuse that Douglass ever saw, in fact, victimized two slaves named Henrietta and Mary in Baltimore. Throughout the book, Douglass established a disparity between the treatment…

    • 1497 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Frederick Douglas

    • 3340 Words
    • 14 Pages

    I plan to write a comparison essay about Lucy Grealy and Frederick Douglas personalities for high school English and social studies…

    • 3340 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    These policies created a white American society that allowed inhumane treatment of the black race through violence and psychological abuse. Throughout Douglass’s autobiography,…

    • 1596 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Growing up in the United States it is a requirement to learn about the history of our nation. One of the biggest events of our history would be the slave trade. In the events of slavery there have been many names of important heroes that ended slavery which include one of the most significant, Fredrick Bailey (Douglass). In his story “Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass”, Douglass explains in great details his horrors and accomplishments living as an African American during that time.…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Many people were oblivious to the corruption behind slavery. Fredrick Douglass was privileged enough to learn how to read, a trait extremely rare among African Americans during times of slavery. Unlike others, he knew that the key to becoming a free man was to learn how to read and write. Through this skill alone, he was able to expose slavery for the disgusting act it is. Trying to convince whites to side with abolition, he talked about the oppression of slaves through dehumanization, torture, and malnutrition. The only way for slavery to be maintained was to keep slaves ignorant and this was done in various ways. Slavery was justifiable to Christians under something called the protestant work ethic which is the basis for capitalism today. Protestants believed in predestination, it says that at birth a person’s fate is already decided and unchangeable. However, protestants took wealth as a sign of salvation, slavery was a way to gain maximum wealth with additional benefit. “I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the south is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes, - a justifier of the most appalling barbarity, - a sanctifier of the most hateful frauds,” (38).…

    • 1077 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics