How Is Frederick Douglass Refute The Romantic Image Of Slavery

Throughout Frederick Douglass’ work Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, written by himself, Douglass exposes the falseness of the certain beliefs that Southerners had about slavery. He used his book to show the cruelty of slavery. Douglass debunks the mythology of slavery by rebuking the romantic image of slavery, convincing the readers of his intellectual capabilities, and proving the promotion of disloyalty among slaves.
Frederick Douglass rebukes the romantic image of slavery by using vivid imagery to describe situations that he has witnessed. For example, he states that many slave owners are not wealthy and live very modestly, which gives people the romantic image myth about the Southern lifestyle. The Southerners believed that slaves were happy to be slaves because they would be working for gentle, honorable masters. Douglass refutes this idea by stating that white people misinterpret slaves’ singing as happiness and contentment; when in fact “slaves sing most when they are most unhappy” (Douglass 30). The singing slaves are viewed as a type of romantic image towards white people, but Douglass explains that it expresses their sadness. He writes about the harsh treatments that slaves would receive from their masters. One of his masters, Mr. Plummer, would whip his slaves for no legitimate reason. In one
He rebukes the romantic image of slavery, convinces the readers of his intellectual capacities, and shows how the system promotes the disloyalty among slaves. Douglass debunks the idea that slavery is a mythologized institution. The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass was written as an antislavery propaganda and a personal revelation. Douglass influenced the abolitionist cause by inspiring many African Americans to follow in his footsteps to free themselves. He proved to the world that slaves are not incompetent like most people