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In Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglas, Douglas attempts to show the reader that slavery was able to exist because of the dehumanization of the slaves by their masters and by society as a whole. Throughout the work, Douglas reveals some of his first hand experiences in order to show the world exactly how an entire race of people could be enslaved by another. Dehumanization, Douglas argues, was the key instrument in turning an entire race of people into a submissive work force. ... Douglas argues that the beatings, in conjunction with many other forms of punishment, were all used together for the common purpose of dehumanizing the slaves. ...
From the very beginning of a slave’s life, he or she is deprived of even the most basic knowledge about themselves. ... One example where this particular form of dehumanization is illustrated is in the opening paragraph of the story where Douglas tells the reader about slaves never knowing their real age: “I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday…. ... ” So right away, from the very beginning mark of a slave’s life, he is deprived of knowing the most rudimentary thing about himself. ... Douglas provides a great illustration of this when he conveys his memories of his mother. ... This means that for how barbaric this “custom” seems to be, it does not even hold a candle to how atrocious life was for a slave in the Deep South. ... A shining example of this can be seen in chapter five where Douglas addresses the condition that the slaves on the plantation are subjected to: “We were not regularly allowanced. ... Douglas does a fantastic job of showing this to the reader in the following passage: “Very soon after I went to live with Mr. ... Without this knowledge, there is no way that they can be capable of independent thought or expression, and therefore, are left to live a life of servitude.
Approximate Word count = 1532
Approximate Pages = 6.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
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