Frederick Douglass was a notable abolitionist and social reformer who escaped from slavery and depicted his experience in his memoir Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. He strongly believed in equality and shared his ideas in a direct and intimate fashion through his own story. Throughout the books, Douglass reflects on his life as a slave and working for slaveholders appealing to the readers and establishing his credibility. This paper aims to present a critical analysis of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass, and explore the main ideas in his writing.
Douglass uses numerous examples to argue why slavery must be abolished. His experience as a child is dark and harsh as the boy was separated from his parents at a very young age and cannot recollect his mother’s appearance (Douglass 2). Forceful separation and lack of communication with and knowledge about the child’s own parents is the primary theme touched upon by the author at the beginning of the book.
Furthermore, Douglass mentions the master who is inhumane in his actions and has no empathy for people (5). No law prohibited such cruelty at the time, and the author emphasizes the idea of highly unfair treatment that slaves faced for no reason. At the same time, Douglass remains faithful and true to himself, hoping not to be held in slavery forever and turning to God seeking the “good spirit” (27). The narrative presents a genuine picture of the world at the moment and a concoction of human feelings, fears, and hopes.
Douglass connects to the reader, sharing his desire to become free one day and share his story. Another critical theme mentioned in the book is the issue of literacy. White colonists prevented slaves from acquiring knowledge out of fear of the opposition. Slaves were made dependent on their masters not to present a threat to the slavery regimen. Douglass recognizes the power of literacy and reveals his feelings when he says, “The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers” (35).
Since the very childhood, all kinds of mental and physical methods were used to oppress the slaves, but the author mentions his ever-growing desire for knowledge and education in spite of all the obstacles. Later on, many people were amazed by the fact that Douglass, such an intelligent man, and an excellent orator, used to be a slave.
Douglass’s narrative reveals a vast number of emotions and tones the author uses to share his experiences with the audience. In Chapter 10, the speech of Douglass is emotional and full of despair, pain, and sorrow. He exclaims, “Is there any God? Why am I a slave?” which indicates how he almost loses his faith and decides to run away (Douglass 56). This scene is powerful with the range of emotions it awakes in the reader. An American slave does not care whether he lives or does; instead, he merely wishes to be free.
Eventually, Douglass becomes free and makes a strong argument against slavery. The author masterly uses his writing and rhetorical skills to emphasize the cruelty behind slavery and shed light on the appalling reality of that time. His work highlights critical issues that slaves faced in the United States. Frederick Douglass made a significant contribution to the fight against enslavement, and his story is one of the reasons it was abolished.
Work Cited
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Anti-Slavery Office, 1845.