essay topic

my essay topic was how owning a slave can change a person. i must use frederick douglass' narrative to prove my points. my main argument is that people become cruel and make those around them cruel also. there are countless names in the narrative that describes the person as cruel, or, that person becoming cruel by either owning the slave or being with or around those who do. this new found cruelness is like a plauge, once you get it, you can spread it to other people, like when the master turned his misstress cruel when she tried to teach douglass how to read.

frederick douglas: the final chapter

i especially liked this chapter, not necessarily because he escaped but because of the way he used his words and explained what happened. his enthusiasm in his writing is not like the other chapters, in this one he seemed glad to be writing this, which is understandable considering the former chapters, it seems like he is so enthusiastic that he is trying to paint a picture for you with his story. i could very much so understand and picture what was going o in this chapter rather than the others. and on top of that, he escaped!

he first explains that he did in fact escape and that he did not want to explain how in fear that slave owners would know how he escaped and would be more prepared for other slaves escaping. but then he resumes his narrative by explaining his planning and contemplation for escape. one of the reasons is that which his owner gives him six cents every time the money comes, one would think that this would enlighten him, but rather, it infuriates him know that Mr. Hugh is only doing this to make himself feel better about treating slaves like this. and i love the way he describes it too; "giving me a few cents would ease his conscience, and make him feel himself to be a pretty honorable sort of robber. i liked this because he is telling the reader that no matter what Mr. Hugh gives, he is still a robber.

his escape is, again, never really explained but i like that he did it. and i can understand why he would not like the underground railroad either, because when people show off that they did it, it only encourages the slaveholders to try and keep the slaves from escaping even more. he understand that the underground railroad is a way for slaves to escape, but it also creates a danger of the slave catchers to want to recapture the slaves more than before.

his fear of being free is also understandable, because even though he is free, he must begin to take after himself. he must find shelter, food, and money which were provided for him in being a slave. i believe it was ruggles who would turn his life around, and would eventually send him to new bedford after Douglass married anne.  i also enjoyed new bedfords residents, there is no poverty and everyone is equal, how it should be.i think that an astonishing part in his life is when he subscribes to the liberator and actually reads of anti slavery movements

comments:i don't think Mr. Hugh shouldn't have discontinued his work because of some thing that wasn't his fault.
it was nice of ruggles to take douglass in at his time of need.
questions: why did he want to work?
when he was alone, poor, and starved, did he ever think of just going back to the plantation?

reaction to chapter 10

chapter 10 was the toughest to read out of all the chapters so far. in reading chapter 10.i got practically nothing. i went back time and time again and basically got crap. i got that he taought others slaves to read and write, was sent to build ships, and somehow gave his master money. i honestly read this three times over and it made no sence to me at all.;

questions: why did douglass give his master money?
what was the point in sending him to build boats?
comments:this showed me how much the slaves werent treated as equals
i like how mr. covey has stopped beating douglass

response to chapter8- page 40

i thought the reading was sad and kind of confusing. i thought it was very sad that douglass' master died without having a will. i also thought it to be very inhuman the way he was ranked amoungst animals. cause thats just not right, treating people like animals. and yet the story becomes even more depressing as douglass suffers from starvation. the sabbath school was a horrible, horrible failure as to them only meeting three times until shut down. i belived that chapter ten may have been the worst because his master, mr. covey was constintley whipping douglass without any hesitation. he would always try to catch the slaves doing something wrong as an excuse to beat them further. i found it very sad that in his free time, he would go watch the boats and dream of freedom, but as hopful as this seems, it was always cut down by mr. covey. esspicially when he was sick. douglass would be beaten for not getting up even though he was sick. this is obviously not fair to douglass, but i did not expect mr. covey to care for douglass is only property to him. i think  this last part is the best from the readings, douglass was refusing to listen to covey and they had an epic battle. douglass, obviously stronger from working all his life, kicked the crap out of covey, causing him to never touch douglass again.


comments/ questions:
chapter 8: did douglass really care that his old master had died? i thought how it was very witful of douglass to use the white boys
chapter 9: why are the fairbanks important? i think the sabbath school shouldnt have been shut down
chapter 10:why did mr. covey specifically eat douglass so much? i think it was awesome how douglass beat up covey

questions and comments- chaptes5-7, geoff & bradley bond

chapter 5:
question- why was master Daniel so nice to Douglass?
question-why was Douglass the one to be chosen to go to Baltimore?
comment-the mush sounds really nasty
comment-Baltimore sounds really peaceful and nice

chapter 6:
question-why was his mistress so nice to Douglass?
question-what is the point in teaching Douglass how to read?
comment-i liked that the mistress would teach him how to read
comment-i think its really sad that the two girls were whipped to where it was as though they were cut to pieces

chapter7:
question-why did his mistress start to treat him badly?
question-why was the mistress beating particularly the women with the cowskin?
comment-i liked ho Douglass learned to read and write.
comment-it was sad how Mary was renamed pecked because of she was underfed

salves are human

in the time period of Fredrick Douglass slaves were treated as property, not people. yet a lot of chapters five six and seven show how they were. on page 23, last paragraph before chapter six, Douglass talks of how when he was a boy, he believed that slavery would hold him for his whole lifetime. this is hope, something that no piece of property could ever have. i believe that instead of needing to find reasons he was arguing that slaves were human too, we should just look at the whole narrative itself. the whole reason he wrote this was to convert people into believing slavery is wrong. so obviously, he must be human, not property, to have this much compassion for this belief. in chapter seven, he writes of him making friends of the white kids in hopes of learning to read and write, this is common for man, to want to learn and be above what is expected of him. so this compassion he shows throughout the entire narrative should be enough proof that slaves are human. because no man could ever write of such things he cared so deeply for. so for us to say that they are not human, is a great fallacy.

amistad reaction

my reaction to all of this is startling. why would someone ever think of doing this to another human being? just because its money that they need it still does not make it right. i do not know if i would jump off of the ship or not. jumping off the ship means certain death, while staying on still leaves you as a good chance for dying, and even if you don't die you are still constantly abused daily by the slave owners and anyone else that comes around. but if i had to choose, i would stay on the boat and try not to draw any attention to myself. but if i had a baby i would do anything to make sure the baby lives so if i were to jump off, i would not take the baby down with me. but i would probably stay with the  baby to ensure its survival so jumping off wouldn't be a good idea.

chapters 2 through 4

reading the four chapters was morbidly depressing, especially when Douglass talks of when Mr. severe whipped that lady and she bled for a half hour while her kids watched it. and yet the depression continues as he writes of the songs they sing as they are like prayers of freedom. also that the people of the north had thought they were happy songs, but it is "impossible to conceive a greater mistake". in chapter 3, it sounds like hes adding some positive information to his story, only to be cut down by explaining no one could be near the garden without being punished severely. this Mr. Loyd is a very rich man, and is compared to Job, he had so many slaves he did not know them, nor likewise. this lead to a slave telling of his hardships to him where he was then taken away to another trader in Georgia. the slaves would never have freedom of speech because the slave owners would send in spies to see if the slaves are speaking against them. the next chapter is just like the others, its about him explaining who his owners were and so forth. Douglass seems to stick with the same subject, but there is a limit. he used three whole chapters to explain the whole thing. this entire packet is just the same thing over and over. i think that's the only thing i don't like about this narrative, i like its deepness in its explination, but it just repeats itself too much.

the reading of fredrick douglass

The purpose of the two letters is to tell you about the author. the preface is by douglass' friend whom he met at a anti-slavery convention. he wrote of douglass' amazing speech that made him hate slavery more than ever before and that he would make a great edition to their movement against slavery. the second if by Wendall Phillips, the beginning was weird because he starts with the fable of "the man and the lion" but ended well by stating how much of a great speaker and an inspiring person.

My reaction to the first chapter is surprisingly  better than i anticipated it to be. i thought this was going to be of a man just complaining about his hardships. but it goes deeper than that, he explains these hardships on a more personal level instead of implicit whining. when he write of his mother it almost seems like i can feel his longing to see his mother again and his affectionate attachment to her. he would only see her a few times when she would sneak out to go see him but then disappear again to her own slave owner. i did not want to put this down when i started reading it but i only went to page twelve for homework.

while i loved reading the first chapter, i didn't like the preface because it seemed to repeat itself. it would talk about his amazing speech then how great he would be for their movement about slavery, but that was it. it just said the same thing over and over. i do not think it takes that much writing just to say he makes great speeches and is an inspiration.