Frederick Douglass Inequality

1223 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Dealing with forms of oppression

Inequality is a double-edged sword

Recently with Donald Trump’s presidency, there is a new discrimination forming in the United States, especially the discrimination against Muslins and Hispanic-Americans. Many Hispanic-Americans are deported from this country, and numerous Muslims are facing prejudice merely because of their appearance or their religion. The conflict of inequality has once again come to people’s mind. However, many haven’t realized a stark issue: inequality is a double-edged sword; it strikes harshly on both the victims and perpetrators. In the story “My Bondage and My Freedom”, Frederick Douglass has demonstrated how austere both victims and perpetrators of inequality have suffered and double-sided essence of inequality. …show more content…

Although the perpetrators may not endure any physical torture, the inequality has impacted them psychologically, eroding their spirits and their souls. Before Mrs. Auld treats Douglass as a slave, she teaches how to read and shared a friendship between Douglass. But the inequality between their races has ultimately ruined their relationship as well as crashes Mrs. Auld’s inner state. In “My Bondage and My Freedom” Mrs. Auld changes from “the kindest and tender hearted women” to a slaveholder who is “violent in her opposition to my (Douglass’s) learning” (Douglass 499). The inequality has distorted Mrs. Auld’s spirit and made her abnormal in her heart. Mrs. Auld cannot go through the struggle of inequality, and finally she is devoured by it. Indeed, the conflict of inequality is so grave that it can totally inverse one’s mentality. On the other hand inequality also abases one’s inherent characteristic: at first Douglass describes Mrs. Auld as a “Christian women”; however such a noble women was finally changed by the inequality to a ruthless madman who “rush at me (Douglass) with the utmost fury ad snatch from my hand such newspaper or book with something of the wrath and consternation” (Douglass 499). The intrinsic benevolent characteristic of Mrs. Auld has faded away all because of inequality. The idea of inequality forces Mrs. Auld to treat Mrs. Auld to treat Douglass in this cruel manner. …show more content…

Recently the antiforeigner emotion has rised rapidly in this nation. And as a foreigner myself I am especially sensitive to the increasing intensity in the society. Every time I open the news site I can always see protests being held against Muslims and Hispanic-Americans. And Muslins are stereotyped as terrorists and are signed as potential danger to the public. Last year when I was traveling to New York, a Muslim family was in front of me. When going through security officer, what I have seen is that the security officer only spent a few seconds briefly check all other passenger’s the belongings; however when the Muslim family pass through the officer they were asked to take both their belt and shoe off and the officer checked thoroughfully through their bags. Although I know the officer just want to make sure everyone have a safe flight his particular attitude towards the Muslim family truly hurts them. When the family passes through the security check I can tell from their face that they must feel they are treated unequally with others, and they are the victim of discrimination. In addition, many conservatives want to deport the Hispanic-Americans and restrict Muslims to enter this country. I can’t help recall what my social study teacher said when we were learning the last chapter of the book “America is a polytechnic country, and this country is able to thrive because everyone contributes their

Show More
Related

  • How Did Mrs Auld Change

    61 Words  | 1 Pages

    Here Douglass thoughts about Mrs. Auld are quickly changed when he sees “that cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage” (176). Mrs. Auld was no longer that kind-hearted, caring person she was when Douglass first met her. She changed due to the fact that she was now effected by the harsh and horrid reality of slavery.

    Read More

  • Key Arguments in "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    In sum, all of these key arguments exist in “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” because of the institution of slavery and its resulting lack of freedom that was used to defend it. This text’s arguments could all be gathered together under the common element of inequality and how it affected the practical, social, and even spiritual lives of the slaves.

    Read More

  • The Fatal Poison Of Irresponsible Power Analysis

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prior to the mistress’ change, Frederick Douglas, author of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas (1995) describes her as “a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings.” (19) This brings us to one of Douglas’ motifs of how slavery can carry a fatal poison that if one possess’ can change their outsight to life. This poison affects some people more then others. For example, if one compares all of Douglas’ slave owners, it is easy to see that those born into a slave holding family are less likely to become as cruel as those marrying into that way of life. Auld did not convert to an evil lifestyle overnight, in fact, she was the key to Frederick Douglas’ education.

    Read More

  • Fredrick Douglass

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Life of Fredrick Douglass shows how slavery could of not only affected the slaves but the owners as well. Thomas Auld was overall a cowardly owner and quite tough compared to other slaveholders. Douglass believed that since Auld obtained slave owning from marriage, it made him more of an unpleasant master because he wasn’t used to being around slavery and having so much power. Fredrick Douglass also was convinced that religious slaveholders were false Christians because they became more self-righteous and thought that God gave them the power to hold slaves. By telling stories to the reader, Douglass hoped to bring awareness to the harsh subject of slavery and show how the slaves kept hope during these miserable times.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, through rhetorical devices, Douglass demonstrates how slavery also had a degrading influence on slaveholders and thus shows its corrupting nature. Specifically, he contrasts the shift in Sophia Auld’s character through antithesis and metaphor after being exposed to slavery. Before Mrs. Auld’s corruption, Douglass described his master by claiming, “Her face was made of heavenly smiles, and her voice of tranquil music” (32). Through metaphor, Douglass makes her sound like an angel with “heavenly smiles.” Angels are commonly associated with pureness and therefore by making this metaphor Douglass associates Mrs. Auld as originally being pure. However, he then juxtaposes this idea when he claims she has received the “fatal poison of irresponsible power”(32) also known to him as being a slave master. He explains her new characteristics by stating, “That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made of all sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon”(32-33). Through metaphor and antithesis, Douglass shows how she shifts from being an angel to a demon. The metaphor associates Mrs. Auld with satan and the antithesis makes her list of changing features appear extensive. Through these rhetorical devices, Douglass is able to emphasize the abruptness of her change in character due to her experience around slavery. By explaining this personal experience in his narrative, Douglass shows to his audience the unexpected negatives of slavery and how it not only dehumanizes slaves, but masters as well. This most likely would have given Northern abolitionists stronger reasons to push for Douglass’s goal of

    Read More

  • Simple Justice

    1367 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this story it clearly shows us what the courts really mean by freedom, equality, liberty, property and equal protection of the laws. The story traces the legal challenges that affected African Americans freedom. To justify slavery as the “the way things were” still begs to define what lied beneath slave owner’s abilities to look past the wounded eyes and beating hearts of the African Americans that were so brutally possessed.

    Read More

  • What did freedom mean to harriet jacobs

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    To understand the desperation of wanting to obtain freedom at any cost, it is necessary to take a look into what the conditions and lives were like of slaves. It is no secret that African-American slaves received cruel and inhumane treatment. Although she wrote of the horrific afflictions experienced by slaves, Linda Brent said, “No pen can give adequate description of the all-pervading corruption produced by slavery." The life of a slave was never a satisfactory one, but it all depended on the plantation that one lived on and the mast...

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Narrative

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    After reading Frederick Douglass’s narrative of slavery, I couldn’t help but stop and try to gather my thoughts in any way possible. It was not the first time I had read the narrative, but this time around Douglass’s words hit me much harder. Perhaps, it was that I read the narrative in a more critical lens, or possibly it was just that I am older and more mature now from the last time I read it, but whatever the reason, I can confidently say reading the narrative has changed my heart and opened my eyes in many ways. I have always been aware of the injustices that slavery encompassed and of course like many other people, I have been taught about slavery in a historical narrative my entire life. But, Frederick Douglass’s narrative does more than just provide a historical perspective in seeing the injustices in slavery. His narrative asks the reader to look directly into the eyes of actual slaves and realize their very heart beat and existence as humans. Douglass humanizes the people of whom the terrible acts we acted upon that we learn about as early as elementary school. It is because of this that I decided to write this poem. Reading the narrative made me really think about Douglass’s journey and the story he tells on his road to freedom. I felt as if he was really speaking to me and, and in turn I wanted to give Douglass a voice in my own writing.

    Read More

  • People Wearing Turbans are Stereotyped as Terrorist

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    The way Muslims have been treated after the 9/11 incident is very different than before. Before 9/11 there was certainly some discrimination towards Muslim Americans, but after the attacks happened, between the years 2000 and 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported a 1,700 percent increase of hate crimes against Muslim Americans (Khan & Ecklund, 2012). “While trying to adapt to the outcome of 9/11, Muslim Americans dealt with an increase in negative stereotypes spoken by the common culture, and Muslim immigrants faced more negative attitudes than any other immigrant group” (Khan & Ecklund, 2012). Since the 9/11 attacks, people who dress with a substantial resemblance to Muslims worry about the upcoming hatred and unfriendliness from people of other ethnicities (Khan & Ecklund, 2012). While listening to the media, one can hear reports of negative stereotypes towards people who resemble the Muslim religion, which may be assumed that these people are violent. Negative attitudes that Muslim Americans experience may have detrimental effects on their success in America and their success of achieving the American Dream.

    Read More

  • The Institution Of Slavery’s Corruption Of The White Slaveholder

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Douglass moves to Baltimore, he becomes the property of Hugh Auld. There he is cared for by Hugh’s wife, Sophia. The reader’s first impressions of Sophia are favorable; she is a warm, gentle woman who wishes to teach Douglass to read and write. Douglass himself is surprised at how kind she is at first, and he mentions that Sophia Auld has never owned slaves before, and therefore has not been affected by the evils of slavery. Douglass notes that she does not wish to punish him just to keep him subservient like his former masters did, and she does not beat him or even mind at all when Douglass looks her in the eyes. Sophia also teaches Douglass the alphabet and several words. However, her husband Hugh, who has already undergone the transformation that slavery causes, immediately orders her to stop when he hears of this. Here, we see the contrast of two distinctly different people with regards to the institution of slavery. Sophia Auld is pure, innocent, untouched by the evils of slavery. Hugh Auld, on the other hand, has experience with the system of slavery and knows that in order to keep slaves obedient, they must also be kept ignorant and fearful.

    Read More

  • The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: The Formation of Identity

    2136 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave details the progression of a slave to a man, and thus, the formation of his identity. The narrative functions as a persuasive essay, written in the hopes that it would successfully lead to “hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of [his] brethren in bonds” (Douglass 331). As an institution, slavery endeavored to reduce the men, women, and children “in bonds” to a state less than human. The slave identity, according to the institution of slavery, was not to be that of a rational, self forming, equal human being, but rather, a human animal whose purpose is to work and obey the whims of their “master.” For these reasons, Douglass articulates a distinction between the terms ‘man’ and ‘slaves’ under the institution of slavery. In his narrative, Douglass describes the situations and conditions that portray the differences between the two terms. Douglass also depicts the progression he makes from internalizing the slaveholder viewpoints about what his identity should be to creating an identity of his own making. Thus, Douglass’ narrative depicts not simply a search for freedom, but also a search for himself through the abandonment of the slave/animal identity forced upon him by the institution of slavery.

    Read More

  • Comparing Zoroastrianism and Christianity

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...lim violence mentioned in class lectures include a taxi cab driver in NYC who identified himself as a Muslim and was shot dead by the passenger, four pieces of construction equipment was destroyed at a future mosque site in Tennessee also in Tennessee, a pipe bomb went off in a mosque in Jacksonville killing somewhere around 60 people. This is only a few example of the many hate crimes committed against Muslims in the United States. Muslims not only face hate crimes in the U.S., but all over the world today which is particularly disturbing in the U.S. which has a Constitution that states all citizens are free to practice their own religion, but clearly as of late, this is not true for Muslim Americans.

    Read More

  • My Bondage and my Freedom

    1925 Words  | 4 Pages

    At first glance, the book “my bondage and my freedom by Frederick Douglass appeared to be extremely dull and frustrating to read. After rereading the book for a second time and paying closer attention to the little details I have realized this is one of the most impressive autobiographies I have read recently. This book possesses one of the most touching stories that I have ever read, and what astonishes me the most about the whole subject is that it's a true story of Douglass' life. “ Douglass does a masterful job of using his own experience to expose the injustice of slavery to the world. As the protagonist he is able to keep the reader interested in himself, and tell the true story of his life. As a narrator he is able to link those experiences to the wider experiences of the nation and all society, exposing the corrupting nature of slavery to the entire nation.”[1] Although this book contributes a great amount of information on the subject of slavery and it is an extremely valuable book, its strengths are overpowered by its flaws. The book is loaded with unnecessary details, flowery metaphors and intense introductory information but this is what makes “My Bondage and My Freedom” unique.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Ignorance

    1819 Words  | 4 Pages

    He does this by describing the inhuman behaviors of slave owner as perpetuators of slavery. Douglass talks of many slaveholders who have committed rape and adultery resulting in children from female slaves . Indeed bearing children outside marriage has an effect on the slaveholder’s family. In many cases the father is forced to sell or alternatively punish his children for being slaves. On the other hand, the slave owner’s wife becomes cruel and resentful to the child. Others develop a skewed sense of religion to excuse themselves for continued sinning around their own homes. Douglass depicts this skewed sense of religion through Sophia Auld who transform from an idealistic to a ruthless woman . By depicting the consequences of slavery through Sophia Auld, Douglass concludes that slavery is such a dehumanizing act that it should be barred from the face of all

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Dehumanization

    819 Words  | 2 Pages

    A reader can see the loss of compassion that makes a person human. Sophia Auld lost her humanity when greeted with the chance to control another living being as “[t]he fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands...and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon” (Douglass 337-338). With the bonds of slavery in place, Mrs. Auld realized that in society it was dangerous to be courteous to a slave. Her demeanor towards Douglass changed mostly due to her husband’s view on slavery, as well as what it already stood for.

    Read More

More about Frederick Douglass Inequality

Open Document