Pathway From Slavery To Freedom Douglass example essay topic

In his autobiographical work Frederick Douglass presents to us a period of the American history that virtually every citizen of the United States is ashamed of. The author in such a way that it horrifies the reader expresses a revealing picture of American slavery. Douglass way of narrative allows the reader to feel authors pain and pity of terrible past, the life experience of the writer is an example of great will and serenity of soul. Douglass writing is an attempt of the author to express his personal point of view on the deeds of the past time. Frederick Douglass views his past through the prism of wisdom, which comes only with life experience. The author does not blame anyone in his work; he is rather concerned with the idea of why did all of that happen?

What are the drives of the society that were present at those times? Douglass begins to examine the hatred of the slavery by introducing the reader to the structure of the society of those times, and living conditions of slaves. Slave owners, often referred to as masters, simply did not have to provide adequate food and clothing because there was no enforcement of it by law or any other authority regulator. In general, consideration and generosity for slaves were at the discretion of their beholders.

Within these tragic lifestyles, ties between biological family members within the slave community were very rare. Most slave children new little, if anything, about there parents. The slaveholders instructed the elderly to care for young children and often broke the bonds between parents and their children to keep unity suppressed and ignorance high. Although Douglass too had been separated from his mother he knew of her whereabouts and was able to make contact with her prior to her death relatively early in his adolescence.

We see that Douglass persistence to keep his first name shows us he still values his heritage and family. Education was another matter that Douglass deeply valued. He believed education was the pathway from slavery to freedom. (p. 49) Douglass had learned this as a boy from one of his masters. Little did his master know of the significant information he had implanted into the mind of such an ambitious and courageous young man.

In the South, slave education was forbidden and in some cases punishable by death. Slaveholders believed that if educated the slaves might possibly rebel and / or even run away. This was quite the contradictory perception to their teachings to their slaves as being incapable of learning, fear kept the slaveholders from educating their slaves about the truth they consciously new. Douglass became convinced that the only way men can be enslaved is by remaining ignorant.

This idea would pave the pathway to one of the greatest slave escapes of all time. The violence slaves endured was the most vivid representation in Douglass portrayal of slavery in the South. No emotion or rage was held back by slaveholders and no pity or sympathy was put forth either. Cruelty and abuse were the only means of control the slaveholders believed would keep order. The pain inflicted upon these individuals, even to the point of death in some cases, fueled the typical masters obsession with domination and power.

However, throughout Douglass turmoil, his religious faith remained exceptionally strong. At times he found himself questioning how might his God allow him to endure such grueling circumstances, but he never let his curiosity hinder his faith. He also questioned how a man could call himself a Christian and yet treat another human being in such a humane manner. Douglass could never comprehend how the slaveholders were able to justify slavery through their faith and church as some of his owners did. It might leave one to believe it was a search for an interpretation that would ease there restless minds so that perhaps they would not feel as guilty and be able to sleep better at night. Slavery had such a catastrophic affect on America during this century that it finally lead to the division of the North and South and brought about the Civil War.

Politically and morally slavery separated the northerners against the southerners. American slaveholders of the south believed it should be no concern of the North to involve themselves in the Souths business. Americans who lived in the north and were commonly referred to as abolitionist fought for the abolishment of slavery and justice of mankind. Slavery also created a terrifying evilness and greediness nature within the slaveholders.

They found that more money came with more slaves and more slaves meant a higher social and financial status. It was a vicious cycle that was stimulated by money and the obsessive desire for it. Frederick Douglass narrative proved to be quite the learning experience for me. I was blind and unaware of the malicious and gruesome conditions slaves had to endure during this unforgettable time in our history. Some of the intense and graphic accounts that Douglass describes in his life story were all too realistic in contrary to the typical facts and statistics one is usually accustomed to learning in a traditional textbook. There was a face and name behind the stories Douglass told, which made it personal and easy to relate to.

Douglass narrative of his life could definitely correspond with todays society. Even today slavery and civil right movements are a main concern and cause controversy in our communities and towns across the nation. Some Americans with black heritages still experience racial discrimination and hate crimes for the color of their skin. Although slavery is now abolished and illegal in the United States, we still see how our country has not completely moved on from its past.

There is still a tie between slavery and racial discrimination that affects individuals, societies, politics, and our country as a whole. America is still to this day repaying the debt to the families whose ancestors endured slavery so many years ago.

Bibliography

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. Yale Univ Press, 2001..