Your homework for Tuesday, August 17th is to contemplate what you've been reading so far in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (remember, the text needs to be completely read by next Monday, August 23rd!). Post your initial response to the book here and reflect on slavery in the American South and something that has impressed itself upon your mind, from the text, at this point. Aim to write between 250 - 350 words and I look forward to reading your posts.
Allanah Osborn - I'm not sure how many words this is because I wasn't writing in Microsoft Word and the program I used didn't have a word count tool so I hope it's long enough.
ReplyDeleteThis book is kind of disturbing so far. I don't really like how graphic and brutal the way the overseers treat the slaves. The book for me is a bit of an eye opener to slavery. I mean being in this generation we know about past slavery but we don't know that much, I suppose we don't really understand it, but with it being placed into front of us like in this book we can't really ignore it. Even with reading about it, I don't think I could fully understand the trauma, pain and pure brutality of the whole slavery era in history. Reading about Frederick Douglass is kind of depressing with his childhood being so unloved and him becoming so mature too early into life. The fact that when he heard his mother died and he felt the same as he would have felt if it was a strangers death he had heard about really got to me. I suppose it shows that a child isn't as attached to his mother as we would usually presume, and that if he doesn't know his mother well that it wouldn't affect him if she died. It must be really horrible to be so alone and to not know who your father is and to hear and watch your aunt get whipped every second week or so. What I don't understand is why Colonel Lloyd keeps switching his overseers. From what I've read so far I think the book gives a somewhat too vivid description of life growing up as a slave in a plantation. I'm still sort of horrified by the horrible descriptions of beatings Frederick Douglass witnessed as a child. It gives me a relatively good idea of how growing up on a plantation is like but of course I would never know for sure unless I lived through the same sort of situations. The book is interesting that way because it sort of drags you into the story. It shows the story from Frederick Douglass' perspective, it describes a little kid with too much adult whipped into him.
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ReplyDeleteThe extremes of oppression Frederick Douglass discusses struck me as devious and barbaric, in terms of their psychological impact and means of achieving it. The manner, in which slave master's controlled their slaves, was equally psychological as it was physical. The first chapter delves into how each slave was unaware of their age, and no accurate gauge on the date. This was a means to keep their slaves ignorant, and thus obedient. On the other hand, white children could tell their ages, and the slaves were aware of that, showing that they were deprived of certain privileges and cognizant of their ignorance.
ReplyDeleteThis is shown when Douglass writes, “A want of information concerning my own was a source of great unhappiness for to me even during childhood.”
The next extreme was the use of physical intimidation, and the psychological repercussions, from the repetitive and merciless whipping of his Aunt, to Mr.Severe's unrelenting sadism to Mr. Gore's example of Demby (whom he shot). Douglass probably included these memories, using imagery, as witnessing the slave masters' behavior equally stained his conscious. These demonstrations stuck with the slaves and, by Douglass's recollection, had a larger psychological impact than physical. One of these impacts that I thought was unfortunate, was that after experiencing various cruel overseers, their standards for what was cruel were low, but relatively high to most people today. Specifically when he describes Mr. Hopkins demeanor as relatively kind and reluctant to punish. He is describe as “less cruel, less profane, and made less noise” repeatedly using the word “less” to show that even his kindness was relative. The slaves who had endured his predecessor’s treatment he was called a “good overseer”, a reflection of the previously stated low standard they had for humane treatment
- Housam Silim (IB1 English, Block 8)
cole this is cole
ReplyDeleteuhh well....lets see.he writes with little emotion to the horrible situation he was in i feel sort of distanced when he recounts it but i feel to me it makes it a more real response to what he felt as i would surely flip out if i saw my mum whipped to bits. i feel that he makes the book interesting without embellishing on anythiung and this allows the book to be much more honest in its recount of his tale. i dont feel like im reading someones fictional response to slavery instead i can feel the depth from which fredrick is coming from and the way he is able to show his experience of oppression really moves me to the extent i feel for the guy. this is because he writes like well like hopeless as in the most part of the story ive read theres been no real happy part and this gives the biography a gray dark mood witch i feel is appropriate to the topic
basically i think that the way fredrick speaks cuts deep. he doesnt exactly exagerate what he says, but he sort of says it in not just words but emotions...like for example when he explains how his mother had to work on the farm in the morning but then in the evening she would come home to be with him he says "She made her journeys to see me in the night, travelling the whole distance on foot, after the performance of her day's work". The way he says that line shows it meant alot to him even though he hardly got to know his Mother before she died. I think that it is easy for the reader to feel his reactions and emotions when he is describing the situation, especially when he is describing when he has to watch his Aunt get whipped which strikes as excruciatingly horrible, makes the masters look like monsters, which they are anyway! It is a touching book and trying to imagine the emotions going through his head is hardly possible, as in it must have been 1000 times worse than anyone could imagine. TEJVI MULJII
ReplyDeleteThe author portrays slavery in the book to a lesser extreme than I had expected. He talks about the mistreatment of African Americans, and tells stories of abuse in great detail. The text is moving; however Douglass’s distant narration doesn’t enable a reader to feel remorse. The content is such that should make someone cry or feel depressed, but Douglass’s detachment is so matter of factly that we take the stories as information more than a sad story. The book is more like an article, showing people the depth of American Slavery. People are unaware of how disgustingly unjust African Americans were treated before they had rights. This book gives multiple examples of how extreme American slavery was and in turn broadens people’s knowledge and perspective on American slavery. Personally the book has changed my perspective of home. The setting of the story takes place in Maryland, about 40 minutes away from where I live. The book makes it difficult to compare Maryland now, to how it was many years ago. The Chesapeake Bay then and now seem to be entirely different. Maryland seems emancipated now that segregation has become obsolete. People of all color now live together in peace, however all are living ignorantly. It would seem- because of the behavior of Americans- that no one remembers or acknowledges how Maryland use to be. Their emancipation is not appreciated because the importance of it has been forgotten. Douglass’s book reminds us of hardship which makes the people grateful for what Maryland and the rest of the states are like now.
ReplyDeleteBy Chris Deal
ReplyDeleteFrederick Douglass’s story allows readers to feel the pain and emotion he went through personally. The several examples of injustice Douglass uses in the book shows slavery as what it truly was, a terrible act of injustice towards an undeserving nation of victims. Prior to reading the book my outlook on American slavery was that it was a terrible period of time in history. Having read the book enabled me to better understand the horror behind American slavery. The way the slaves were treated was morally wrong, appalling, unfair and unjust. Never could I imagine myself ever treating another individual similarly no matter how different we may appear to be. Frederick Douglass shows racism in the book as normal, because in the giving time of the story it was. It was the culture to believe white Americans were better than black Americans. The African Americans had no rights and were inferior. Wrong as this may be, Douglass’s writing proves that white Americans being superior was just a fact of life and was not seen as right or wrong. If a slave opposed the way society worked he was either beaten or killed and therefore learnt to accept that things are just the way they are. Douglass’s description of the way slaves were treated allows readers to feel grateful for how things have changed. He enables us to feel his pain which further enforces that treating someone how slaves were treated, today would render incredibly difficult. It would be impossible to commit such a disgusting crime without feeling as if your actions were wrong, unlike back then when mistreating others was normal. As Douglass said on page 69 “it was worth half a cent to kill a nigger and half a cent to burry one.” We can only be thankful that is not the case in our society today.
- Chris
Douglass’ narrative shows how determination and willpower can help a single human being overcome any obstacle. Rather than telling the reader about his horrid life, Douglass uses his story to prove that the human spirit can achieve anything. There were few slaves that had the same vision as Douglass, but freedom wasn’t free. He had set the right goals and could withstand any means of torture, which was a result of his determination. As Douglass grew throughout the book, so did his dignity. He became harder to manage not in terms of being a brute, but as an independent intellectual. He also did more than was expected of him; he educated himself. Education was highly unacceptable which made Douglass crave it ever so much. At some point, Douglass became too proud to bow down before any individual that did not share the same ideas as him. This led to Douglass becoming a non-conformist and did anything in his power to avoid white rule. Neither physical beatings nor separations from his loved ones could break his spirit. He was free from physical or psychological harm and worked to system to gain the upper hand. I failed to find any act that Douglass had performed that proved to be dishonorable to either himself or his friends.
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