p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"Frederick Douglas accomplished much during his life, especially in his youth and not only that, but survived to telll the tale. This is an achievement, because many did not, or never was able to succeed in gaining their longed for freedom. In Narrative Of the Life Ofspan class="Apple-converted-space" /spanFrederick Douglas, an American Slave by Frederick Douglas, which is an autobiography about his life as a slave, his strife whilst trying to free himself from the bondage of slavery, and his experience. To Douglas to be free is not merely to be free of the institution of slavery alone, but also to be educated and well informed. Frederick Douglas argues that his journey begun with being literate along with educating oneself, his realization how the institution of slavery underminde all involved by the lack of education especially on the part of the slave, and lastly, his physical struggles to escape from what he deems as an unjust system./p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"span class="Apple-converted-space" /spanLearning was what Douglas recognized was the initial step of his freedom, and to learn to be literate. Douglas was sent to baltimore to live and to servespan class="Apple-converted-space" /spana new master, a relative of his old master. It was during this time, that Mrs Ald had begun to instruct him on the alphabet, before she had become a cruel mistress to Douglas. He describes Mrs Auld as being "a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings"(43). This was when she taught him arguably the greatest lesson he could learn. This was a little of how to read and sparked his interest in further learning the art of being literate. This he notes because she taught him "the alphabet, had given me the inch and no precaution could prevent me" (48). This enriched his knowledge and informed him that there was more to be had out there, which he begun to seek. Most written news and media, and even propaganda which could greatly help his argument was written. He was always around other slaves and masters and certainly they were not going to disseminate to him this type of rhetoric. On the contrary, they were very opposed to a slave being educated. They disagreed with abolitionists, and it was certainly because of them when slaves "did any thing very wrong in the mind of a slaveholder" (51). This means he had to seek it by his own efforts and to do this, he had to be literate. He managed to teach himself byspan class="Apple-converted-space" /spantraining himself to read and was able to use this to his own benefit. He read what he could, whenever he was able to obtain it, which helped him. One of the textts Douglas described as thus, "I met with one of Sheridan's mighty speeches on and in behalf of catholic emancipation" (50)), which offered him plenty of ideas and new perspectives, which he could relate to his own life. He also taught himself how to write, using his access to the ship-yard, where he was able to use the letters written on the timber meant for ships. He used that to teach himself writing by "copying them, and in a short time was able to make the four letter named" (52). Being literate was only a first step to freedom, and by no means the only cause of his freedom./p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"span class="Apple-converted-space" /spanHe realize that slaveholders were undermining themselves and their slaves, and a decision to rebel against this practice. One of the first instances he noticed this was when he suddenly was retrieved from the Auld's household to be evaluated. He recognized that by grouping "men and women, old and young, married and single, were ranked with horses, sheep, and swine" (55), that this was dehumanizing. Another example of dehumanization was when he was with Mr. Covey where he acted insubordinately as he wouldn't follow directions, as a human, someone whipping you for not following orders is inappropriate. According to this end, he did not follow Mr. Covey's order to take off his clothes and because of this, Douglas recounts, "he rushed at me with the fierceness of a tiger, tore off my clothes, and lashed me till he had worn out his switches" (67). He felt the cruelty and dehumanization of slavery the most the first six months with mr. Covey. Mr. Covey's slaves would be dehumanized by always working, as douglas states, "it was never too hot or too cold; it could never rain, blow, hail, or snow, too hard for us to work in the field."(70). The holidays is another example of dehumanization as according to Douglas it's to serve as "conductors, or safety valves, to carry off the rebellious spirit of enslaved humanity" (79). The lack of humanity to the slaves was not only dehumanizing to the slaves but the slaveholders. Doing this all one's life, one learns to be callus. Mrs. Auld who never owned a slave before, was really good to Douglas, and treated him well, too well, infact for most slave owners. Douglas wasn't sure how to behave towards her, because he was "utterly astonished at her goodness" (43). Also, the lack of educationspan class="Apple-converted-space" /spanhelped one to be more inhumane. One of his masters, mr. Freeland, was an educated man and did not belong to the farming class, originally and wasn't one of those who never became educated as Douglas states "seemed to possess some regard for honor, some reverence for justice, and some respect for humanity" (80), was much more humane. He also elaborates on how he managed to free himself from his slave holder, after preparing for it emotionally and equipping himself intellectually./p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"span class="Apple-converted-space" /spanTo be truly free and an independent man, he had to physically escape from slavery, Mentally doing so wasn't a complete enough of a solution. He started his physical escape by planning tactics to free himself and others. Douglas described his process of persuading the other slaves as such, "meanwhile strove, on all fitting occasions, to impress them with the gross fraud and inhumanity of slavery"(85). They finally solidified a plan, after some time, One of the original members decided she did not want to join them after all. They planned "to get a large canoe belonging to Mr. Hamilton, and upon the Saturday night previous to Easter holidays, paddle directly up the Chesapeake Bay" (87). However this plan failed, and they were betrayed, thus, they were punished and sent to jail. Douglas remained in jail the longest, and originally his master planned to sell him to an slave trader. This did not occur, instead, he was sent back to baltimore. He served the Auld family for some time, and eventually he got a job as a calker, and earned his own living after a while even if it was slowly. He finally by some means escaped to a free state, which was New York. He felt excited at first, then afraid for his safety, and then lonely, but yet he persisted. He didn't talk to many, but was soon rescued "by the humane hand of Mr. David Ruggles whom vigilance, kindness, and perseverance, I should never forget" (105). His freedom was fought for and it was determined that it wasn't safe in New York. Thus, Douglas was asked where he would like to go, which he did not know, except to be able to find work as a calker. His soon to be wife arrived and together they left from there to New bedford after a marriage to his new wife. I disagree with William Lloyd Garrison, a critic of Douglas's narrative, because he was a free man. As according to douglas he had no one to answer to as a slave, he was no longer in bondage, as "I was now my own master"(110). He proceeded to work in a number of jobs. In this way he became his own master, and a free black man./p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"span class="Apple-converted-space" /spanDouglas through hard work in terms of educating himself, remembering always that he could be freed and kept in mind how inhumane slavery was, his own perseverance, and finally making the physical journey in terms of escaping became a free black man. However a little of it may have been due to the correct circumstances presenting themselves to him, such as being in a city when he escaped instead of on a plantation. This is a moving and touching account which we could all learn from, and furthermore, be inspired by. It is a powerful masterpiece that Douglas wrote. In this, also, history is told, and unfolds, and we get a great advantage to having a perspective of a slave who escaped from Slavery./p