Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Analysis Essay

Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave exemplifies the ongoing conflict between the selfish wants of man and human moral law by providing a firsthand account of such dissension. By narrating his grisly autobiography of life growing up as a slave, Douglass details the consequences of man putting the love of power over the basic humanization of people.

Fulfilling their status as wealthy plantation owners, slaveholders disregarded their moral compass to ensure maximum profit.  Characterizing his master, Captain Anthony, who had an avid love of whipping slaves, Douglass repeats the word “no'' in his quote, “No words, no tears, no prayers, from his gory victim, seemed to move his iron heart from its bloody purpose.(Douglass, 23)” Douglass recounts a time when he was younger and witnessed his master’s degeneracy, expressing that nothing stopped the inhumane behavior that the plantation owners exhibited from their role of absolute power. 

Continuing, Douglass figuratively enhances the idea of corrupting power, recalling an incident that occured when he was around seven and had just learned to read and write. He lived with a master and his mistress who he described as a, “kind and tenderhearted woman. (Douglass, 51)” Nevertheless, Douglass says, “Slavery soon proved it’s abilities to divest her of these heavenly qualities.” Personifing  slavery Douglass  goes on to say, “Under it’s influence, the tender heart became stone.” Through the metaphorical comparison of what the mistress was like before and after holding slaves, he insinuates the fact that self-seeking and human decency cannot coexist.

Mercenaries wanted the best looking and most efficient slaves to carry out their farm tasks,Douglass describes this comparison and examination, how slaves  were viewed similarly to animals, examined for physical strength and muscle.. “Horses and men, cattle and women, pigs and children,” Douglas compares, “All holding the same rank in the scale of being. (Douglass, 59)” Implying the slaveholders considered each slave equal to a farm animal, Douglass exposes the absence of inalienable human rights and the slaveholder’s brutalization with the intention to show how cruel and unmercilessly the masters treated their slaves Sharing an anecdote through imagery of a time when he attempted to chase after an ox that belonged to his master, Covey. He claims that Covey led him back to the woods, and he “lashed [him]till he had worn out his switches,” and “cut me so savagely as to leave the marks visible for a long time.(citation)” This experience, which  affected Douglass both mentally and physically, conveys the aforementioned concept that the masters saw the slaves only as bodies, with the purpose of labor for someone else. Their views of the slaves confirmed their feeling of supremacy, which offers contradiction to their claimed religion and values. 

Though Christianity was presumably important to the slaveholders, they would often twist the Word of God to justify their hard-hearted acts. Douglass tells the story of his master, who would whip his slave until blood shed, and then quote Scripture, saying, “He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. (Douglass, 68)” The verse is a close paraphrase of Luke 12:47, which replaces the word “master” with “Lord.” This subtle difference reveals how the master’s compared themselves to God, because just as God had his people, the masters had their slaves. The masters would pay no heed to God’s moral law, which says that it is the job of people to love each other just as He loved them, and to bring them to God. Douglass’s mention of the master’s quote shows that the slaveholders manipulated God’s Word to fit their own wants, instead of fulfilling their true roles as Christians. 

Due to his enslavement, Douglass saw himself as a chained brute. Through juxtaposition and hyperboles, Douglass explains what it is like to be trapped under the thumb of a master and how he was angry at God. Yelling at the ships on the water with only God to hear, he would cry, “You are freedom’s swift-winged angels [...] I am confined in bands of iron,” and mentions that he is, “[...] left in the hottest hell of unending slavery. (Douglass, 75)” Douglass further questions God as to why he was a slave, and if there is even a God at all. Douglass compares the ships to angels, because they can go anywhere they want, and uses juxtaposition to portray the sharp contrast between the ships and slaves. He reveals ships have more freedom than he does, and goes on to hyperbolize “hottest hell of unending slavery,” to reveal how truly horrific it was to be in laborous captivity. Doubting God’s existence  because of how cruelly he was being treated by His  creations; there is a sorrowful tone created that further enhances the idea that man having control over another human violates God’s  moral law. 

Douglass offers an insightful glimpse at the conditions slaves were subjected to by comparing slavery to jail, where he was thrown into after he was seized by his masters for attempting to run away. During his time in the cell, he says, “[...] We found ourselves in much more comfortable quarters,” and “[...] we had a good clean room. (Douglas, 92)” To most humans, clean rooms and food are considered basic human necessities. To the enslaved, clean rooms and available food are things they did not get to experience because of their master’s inhumane actions. He further inflates this idea through his dejected tone in referencing the shameful ideals of the white men. Providing imagery, Douglass describes how the black men would never testify to the white men in court, because their word was never favored. Douglass claims, “[...] The slightest manifestation of humanity toward a colored person was denounced as abolitionism, (citation)” and goes on further to add that the word abolition “[..] subjected its bearer to frightful liabilities.” The white men and masters had completely lost all sense of compassion for those deemed inferior; Douglass’ explanation of their sense of abolition and the phrase, “manifestation of humanity,” reveals multiple traits about the white men during this time. Though God created all people to be equal and united in Christ, white men saw black people as those who were supposed to be suppressed, chained and enslaved, and anyone who thought they deserved freedom would be subject to punishments.

Through firsthand accounts of disturbing oppression and subjugation under the control of man, Douglass disseminates the ramifications of what happens when God’s moral law is violated. He offers a glimpse into the idea that, given too much power, man will always become selfish and that all humans are capable of evilness.