Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass - Essay Example

Slavery in the United s is something that can be discussed in a variety of different manners, due to the fact that there are so many different opinions on the events, including the causes, effects, and what can be done for reparations. Another thing that can be discussed in anti-slave literature and whether or not this literature had any impact on the movement as a whole. Two famous works to come out of this time period are Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, which was written by Douglass himself, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Each of these novels was effective in its own manner, as they both created dialogue on the subject. Douglass’s work has been called one of the most important pieces in anti-slavery literature because he himself had been a slave and, therefore, his account is an accurate representation of what a slave was forced to go through during this time. At the same time, however, detractors would say that there was no way that an African American could write so well and claimed that this novel was merely a piece of fiction. Stowe’s novel was different in scope, as Stowe was a white women who believed in abolishment. This novel, however, did not come without its critics, as her writing opened up the south to a great deal of pro-slavery literature in response. Despite their shortcomings, however, both of these novels are successful in their attempts open up dialogue about the anti-slavery movement because they both got people talking about the issue. Around the time of Douglass came a variety of novels that were called slave narratives. These novels were based on the experiences of slaves in the United States and were usually written by slaves who had escaped from their masters. One of the most famous former slaves to become an author was Frederick Douglass. His autobiography, which was called Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, became one of the most important pieces of literature in the abolishment of slavery. He describes an early experience when he writes, “My father was a white man. He was admitted to be such by all I ever heard speak of my parentage. The opinion was also whispered that my master was my father; but of the correctness of this opinion, I know nothing; the means of knowing was withheld from me. My mother and I were separated when I was but an infant” (Douglass 13). The manner in which this book is the most effective as anti-slave literature come with the growth that Douglass makes over the course of the story. In the beginning, he is uneducated and oppressed, appearing to be a hopeless individual who will never succeed in life. As the novel comes to a close, however, we are able to see Douglass is the present tense, as he has evolved into a political commentator who has written a book and has been able to make a difference. Douglass is effectively able to show the difference between his past self and his present self, which is important because of what it says about slavery as a whole. Douglass is living proof that when given a chance, African Americans are just as able minded as white people and, therefore, they should not be slaves. One of the reasons that slavery was justified was because there was a belief that black people were simply not as intelligent as white people, but Douglass was able to become highly education, despite the fact that he was a slave, which is an excellent anti-slavery message. Once again, there were those who did not believe that a black man could produce such a well-written novel, and many of his critics would never believe that the work was in fact his, but Douglass‘s ability to deliver excellent speeches in his time swayed many of the people who had originally declined to belief in his talents. The only weak aspect of Douglass’s book is the fact that he got two white men to write the preface for him. This shows that he did not believe that he had enough credibility to write everything on his own, so he sought out the help of white society in order to get his message out. Since his message, however, was that African Americans did not need this help, he somewhat contradicts himself on this point. Perhaps this was because of the fact that “even though he had made a name for himself and was a successful leader in the abolitionist movement, he was still subject to laws keeping blacks separate from whites” (Americas Story), which shows that he never attained equality or it could also be because “many abolitionists thought he was growing in his ability too quickly and that audiences were no longer as sympathetic to him, they thought it was best to keep a little of the plantation speech, it was not a good idea for him to seem too learned” (Thomas) Another important work from this time period in terms of African American literature was not even written by an African American. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, who was a white woman who believed in the abolishment of slavery. The reason why this novel is so important is that it was the first novel that had an African American as its protagonist. This was important to the future of African American literature as it broke down the barriers that had been preventing this sort of literature. By making Uncle Tom, who is a slave, into the protagonist of the story, Stowe broke down the barriers that said that this sort of thing was not permitted. This novel was also very important to the abolishment of slavery, as it gave a very real account of the circumstances that slaves had to deal with during their everyday lives. Tom is shown to be a very passive character, as he has a deep rooted faith with which he lives his life. Stowe is quick to point out that this novel is not about a black man, but it rather about a human being, which is important to the anti-slavery movement. Uncle Tom lives his life in a positive manner, despite what is going on around him, which is an excellent argument for the abolishment of slavery, since that is the type of person that is desirable to have in society. Through the character of Tom, Stowe attempts to spread a message of tolerance and love, which would have been difficult for Tom to distribute because of the tough situation that he is in and the way that he is mistreated. Uncle Tom is an effective character because he is able to achieve social change without the use of violence, which is something that has become very rare in society. Stowe used this novel as an attempt to explain that African Americans should not be looked at as being different and “brought the urgent issue of slavery’s brutality into the homes of white Americans. It galvanized many into becoming abolitionist sympathizers, if not activists themselves” (Cornell University Library). Uncle Tom is a character who transcends race, which was a very rare occurrence during this time period in the United States and is also what makes this novel so important to anti-slavery literature. Both of these novels are highly effective for different reasons in their anti-slavery messages. Frederick Douglass is able to show first hand that African Americans could become highly educated and could achieve that same things as white people. By sharing his story, he was able to prove that intelligence does not have anything to do with race. Stowe, on the other hand, is able to show that race can be completely ignored and that the important thing about a human being is what is inside. Both of these stories were highly effective in getting their desired messages across because they present the stories in a manner that makes people listen. While they may not have been popular in their own day for this literature, history will remember them kindly for having the courage to tell the truth about slavery in an attempt to make it come to an end. References Americas Story. "Frederick Douglass--Abolitionist Leader". Viewed 15 April 2008. http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/activists/douglass/leader_2 Cornell University Library. "Uncle Toms Cabin" Abolitionism in America. 2002. Viewed 15 April 2008. http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/abolitionism/uncle_tom.htm Douglass, Frederick. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics. 2005. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Toms Cabin. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Limited. 1995. Thomas, Sandra. “A biography of the life of Frederick Douglass“. Viewed 15 April 2008. http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/douglass/part2.html Read More