Frederick Douglass Narrative Analysis
From the beginnings of America in 1619 to 1865 the institution of slavery has had a detrimental effect on the humanization of both black and white individuals. In his narrative, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, author Frederick Douglass explores not only his experience with this abhorrent establishment that was slavery, but the personal anecdotes of others that, combined, strengthen his overall argument that the institution of slavery has been dehumanizing for not only blacks, but whites as well. The dictionary definition of “dehumanize” is to “to deprive [an individual] of human qualities, personality, or spirit”. Working with this definition, it is immediately clear how the institution of slavery has been dehumanizing
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A human being’s natural instinct is to preserve, protect, and nurture human life. However, by being given such an unnatural power over another human being, whites themselves make themselves less human. Stripping another human being of their basic rights and setting aside their own instincts and feelings of what is right and wrong changes the quality of that person to something completely unnatural and inhuman. An example of this change of white slave owners’ character is demonstrated by Douglass when he says “Whilst I was saddened by the thought of losing the aid of my kind mistress, I was gladdened by the invaluable instruction which, by the merest accident, I had gained from my master” (Douglass 78). The kind mistress, Sophia Auld, had been teaching Douglass how to read. However, when her husband, Hugh Auld, learns of this, he immediately instructs Sophia to cease her educating of Douglass under the guise that education would ruin a slave for slavery. As Sophia, and individual who has never known slavery or the powers associated with slavery, it is interesting to see how she changes, from a natural human being to a sentient being with no human qualities whatsoever. Sophia becomes a cruel slave owner regarding Douglass as nothing more than completely inferior to
A human being’s natural instinct is to preserve, protect, and nurture human life. However, by being given such an unnatural power over another human being, whites themselves make themselves less human. Stripping another human being of their basic rights and setting aside their own instincts and feelings of what is right and wrong changes the quality of that person to something completely unnatural and inhuman. An example of this change of white slave owners’ character is demonstrated by Douglass when he says “Whilst I was saddened by the thought of losing the aid of my kind mistress, I was gladdened by the invaluable instruction which, by the merest accident, I had gained from my master” (Douglass 78). The kind mistress, Sophia Auld, had been teaching Douglass how to read. However, when her husband, Hugh Auld, learns of this, he immediately instructs Sophia to cease her educating of Douglass under the guise that education would ruin a slave for slavery. As Sophia, and individual who has never known slavery or the powers associated with slavery, it is interesting to see how she changes, from a natural human being to a sentient being with no human qualities whatsoever. Sophia becomes a cruel slave owner regarding Douglass as nothing more than completely inferior to