The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave

"I am left in the hottest hell of unending slavery. O God, save me! God, deliver me! Let me be free! Is there any God? Why am I a slave?” (Douglass 265). This miserable plea for freedom is from the powerful Narrative entitled, The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. In this descriptive story, he shares with the reader the viewpoint of a mixed-race American born man, raised parentless as a slave worker. Douglass’s mother was separated from him at a young age and his father was rumored to be their master, which is not out of the question, as many masters impregnated their female slaves. Douglass grew up not knowing his real age, with very little clothing and no bed to sleep in. In addition, the food was always rationed

Suffering and hardship are pervasive themes throughout the book, as Douglass shares both the physical and mental torments that he faced as a slave. The Narrative is so full of tales of barbarity and cruelty on the part of the masters that it is difficult to choose which ones to share. There is one incident in which a slave by the name of Demby was brutally beaten by his master, ran to the creek in order to cool his wounds, and was shot by the master for not returning when called. As Douglass describes it, "His mangled body sank out of sight, and blood and brains marked the water where he had stood" (Douglass 246). Readers at the time of the book 's release must have been moved by such tales; they were not inclined to think of slaves as human beings capable of such suffering, but Douglass provided them with undeniable proof that a slave is as much a human being as they were. This message is important to keep in mind today, as we are taught to fear or despise groups who are different from us in some way; Douglass ' Narrative shows us that human beings have much more in common than their differences would suggest. The endurance is best expressed through the fact that at the hardest times and when the slaves felt they were at their lowest, they would sing songs while they worked. These songs were not sung out of joy, but out of sadness and to pass the time as the slaves worked. “The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears” (Douglass 242). As we can see, Douglass and other slaves in his situation lived through indignity and pain that is difficult to imagine. At the same time, they found ways to preserve their sense of themselves and their culture, which we are able to read about and admire in Douglass '