Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – An American Slave

Frederick Douglass, 144 pages

"The competitors for this office sought as diligently to please their overseers, as the office-seekers in the political parties seek to please and deceive the people. The same traits of character might be seen in Colonel Lloyd's slaves, as are seen in the salves of the political parties."

"I have often been utterly astonished, since I came to the north, to find persons who could speak of the singing, among slaves, as evidence of their contentment and happiness. It is impossible to conceive of a greater mistake."

"It was considered as being bad enough to be a slave; but to be a poor man's slave was deemed a disgrace indeed!"

"The very decided manner with which he spoke, and strove to impress his wife with the evil consequences of giving me instruction, served to convince me that he was deeply sensible of the truths he was uttering. [...] the argument which he so warmly urged, against my learning to read, only served to inspire me with a desire and determination to learn."

"The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. I could regard them in no other light than a band of successful robbers, who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and stolen us from our homes, and in a strange land reduced us to slavery."

"We were all ranked together at the valuation. Men and women, old and young, married and single, were ranked with horses, sheep, and swine. There were horses and men, cattle and women, pigs and children, all holding the same rank in the scale of being, and were all subjected to the same narrow examination."

"My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark knight of slavery close in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!"

"We felt, and very properly too, that we had almost as well be slaves to man as to rum."

"Even those who may have sympathized with me were not prepared to do this. It required a degree of courage unknown to them to do so; for just at that time, the slightest manifestation of humanity toward a colored person was denounced as abolitionism, and that name subjected its bearer to frightful liabilities."

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I am slowly realizing that I have an affinity for biographies and memoirs...

This book is a must-read. It does have triggers, as it talks about slavery and therefore a multitude of violent practices – such as whippings, lashings and hangings – and because Douglass is a superb writer who uses imagery, there are also graphic descriptions that might make those with weak stomachs cringe. However, if you can overcome it, definitely take an hour or two to read it. 

Historical context of the book is that Douglass is a runaway slave during the antebellum era, and in his narrative he mostly talks about his life as a slave prior to running away, his living conditions, the nature of slaveowners, the use of religion to justify slavery, and the injustice of the peculiar institution. 

Despite having a self-imposed and broken education in both reading and writing, Douglass's writing is mellifluous and has a simplistic beauty. In addition, because he uses a pathos rhetorical appeal, his writing is powerful and provoking. He writes with conviction and a raw sense of reality that hits the reader pretty harshly. 

One line that really touched me was, "While I lived with my master in St. Michael's..." This line is on page 67, and only at this point I realized how degrading it must have been to have a master. To be the property of someone. To be sold. To be born into a slave family. To be deceived into thinking that there is no better way to live. To be made to believe that God has commanded you to be a slave and allowed your master to whip you if you didn't obey. 

We don't treasure our liberty as much as we should. Freedom is essentially what makes us human as it is the only medium through which we can practice our free will. We take it for granted. Especially at this day and age, although modern slavery exists, due to our ignorance of it, we are not acquainted with the notion of slavery except from our historical learnings. Douglass puts many issues in perspective and enables us to catch a glimpse of what he suffered. 

As a character, Douglass is also inspiring because he manages to realize the importance of education, finds a way to learn reading and writing, devises plans to run away, teaches other slaves reading and writing, and retains his hope in freedom and equality. 

Overall, an easy-to-read yet emotionally and intellectually packed novel worth every second of your reading time.