Frederick Douglas is an American icon who escaped the excruciating pains of slavery to become a public speaker, prominent activist, and author. He also led the abolition movement whose main objective was to end slavery before and during the Civil War. This essay talks about my responses to the experiences Frederick Douglas had while in bondage.
Experiences that deeply affected me from the account.
What affected me most is the harrowing experience that Douglas under the watchful eye of his slaveholders in the South. Slavery in the place he was held captive was in the mildest form, but he shares about, “the atrocities that would make your blood boil at the statement of them” (Levine 1173). Douglas, in his speech, narrates about how oppressive his slaveholders and laments about how they could, “commit all the atrocities” on a helpless slave (Levine 1174). This statement indicates how ruthless his oppressors were and had lost their sense of humanity. Slavery cannot be justified without instances of inhumanity.
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What offended me the most
Whatever pissed me off was the comfort and desire that the slaveholders handled their subjects. It seems like they enjoyed the show. To be specific, one man named Austin Gore was respected for being, “cruel and artful” (Levine 1180). What a pathetic reputation. The man would tie up men and lash them. Women were never exempted from this brutality. Women would stretch up on the tree limbs and have their bare backs made, “made bloody by the lash” (Levine 1182). It was very disrespectful for women. Gore at one time frustrated a man who couldn’t stand his brutality and ran away. The monster pursued the man and shot him. When questioned by Mr. Lloyd, he “replied coolly” that he did it, for necessity” (Levine 1191). Gore’s attitude toward human beings offended me because he seemed to have created a hobby out of inflicting pain.
Shameful deeds
I am ashamed of the ignorance that Northern people portrayed about the suffering of slaves in the South. These people, according to Douglas, asked why the Southern slaves, “do not rise” (Levine 1193). They go ahead to endorse the slaveholders constitutionally and “swear under God” to submit to slavery or die. Their cowardice is a disgrace to humanity. Their failure to stand against slavery, these people are, “as bad as slaveholders” (Levine 1195).
Word count: 397 words
References
Levine, R., 2017. The Norton Anthology of American Literature . New York: W.W. Norton.
