Philosophical Perspective of Douglass Slave Narratives - Report Example

DOUGLASS The slave narrative was a popular literary genre in previous centuries, and Frederick Douglass’ slave narratives was one of the most famous and widely read. The current report looks at this narrative with the basic assumption that the underlying philosophy of Douglass narrative is the humans can (and must) struggle against what fate has dealt them, in order to create their own destiny. Douglass, made a slave against his will, does not fall back on bitterness: he uses every opportunity available to make himself a better person, and strives always for the most important thing to him, freedom, until he gets it.  Todays society has overcome and overpowered with numerous challenges, and Douglass can still provide an inspiring example to others, even in these modern times.  Frederick Douglass is a man who took great risks and suffered greatly so that he could determine his own identity, not as a slave, but as a free man and a human being. He lived through hard times during his slavery to families in Maryland, but eventually set about getting his freedom. The way that he did this was by increasing his knowledge by learning how to read and write. Then he began to understand things like liberty and freedom and what they meant to him, and he realized that he needed to be free. There were a lot of slaves in his day who did not make this discovery and were destined to suffer through slavery because they did not make the intuitive leaps that Douglass did about his situation, and they were kept in fear and illiteracy by their oppressors. But Douglass escaped to the north and emerged as a free man eventually, and also one of the most important writers of his time and ours. The basic assumption of this current presentation is that the key to Douglass’ freedom was literacy: before he was taught to read and write, he was powerless. However, after he became literate, he became exponentially more powerful. “I used to spend the time in writing in the spaces left in Master Thomass copy-book, copying what he had written. I continued to do this until I could write a hand very similar to that of Mater Thomas.....after a long, tedious effort for years, I finally succeeded in learning how to write.” (Douglass, 1997) In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the author begins his story by detailing the harsh conditions of slavery when he was growing up. As a boy, he saw his aunt whipped by the slave-master until she was bloody, and this was a common occurrence in those times. Also, the author starts out his story by stating that he does not know his own birthday, since no one thought that slaves had to know their exact age during those times, and he remembers being jealous of the white kids who could say how old they were. This may seem like a minor detail, but it shows very importantly the message that slaves were treated as inferiors and animals by their owners; they were not treated like human beings. “By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs,” Douglass states, “and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant” (Douglass 1997). The book is written from a hindsight narrative. What Douglass is basically setting up with this history is that he comes from a disadvantaged place, but his philosophy and his quest for freedom gives him the advantages he needs. Douglass philosophy was a major breakthrough, altering our perspectives historically. This permanent impact has isolated most arguments of social class, allowing all racial classes the opportunity to be educated, or, as Douglass did, educate themselves.   After examining Douglass’ narrative, I believe that this book has critically demonstrated the power of a human being’s desire to escape from ignorance and fear, to freedom.  The narrator eventually is chosen to work at the Great House Farm, an institution that is respected by the slaves for its status, but one that is still full of cruelty and horrible crimes against humanity. The slaves were whipped and beaten constantly by a series of cruel and oppressive overseers, and some slaves were even murdered, although their murderers never received punishment for their crimes: “Thus she escaped not only punishment, but even the pain of being arraigned before a court for her horrid crime” (Douglass 1997). As the narration goes on, the narrator is sent to Baltimore, also a place of great status among slaves, to work for Hugh and Sophia Auld. On his way to the new place, he does not feel any homesickness or even that the Great House Farm was a home. He looks forward instead of back as he leaves behind the cold and hungry misery of the farm for the city. “I left without a regret, and the highest hopes of future happiness” (Douglass 1997). Sophia teaches him to read, and he reads a dialogue selection from a book called “The Columbian Orator” in which a slave who has run away confronts his master with the evils of slavery in a philosophical argument, and sees that “the conversation resulted in the voluntary emancipation of the slave on the part of the master” (Douglass 1997). This beginning of literacy also marks the beginning of Douglass’ rise from slavery to freedom. “Freedom was heard in every sound, and seen in every thing. I saw nothing without seeing it, I heard nothing without hearing it, and felt nothing without feeling it....it (freedom) smiled in every calm, breathed in every wind, and moved in every storm” (Douglass, 1997).  Growing up, Douglass was also not allowed to have close familial ties, as his mother died and his father was unknown, and his sisters and brothers seemed more like friends than family. Before she died, he could only see his mother at night, since she was a field hand who was not allowed leave her work during the day, and she worked miles away. Douglass describes the conditions of slavery as being awful, as the slaves were treated like animals by their masters in more ways than one: they were made to eat from a trough on the floor, and didn’t get adequate clothing until they were able to work. Until Douglass becomes literate, he is treated like an animal, and he doesn’t know any different; he accepts his lot and tries to make the best of it, because he doesn’t have any personal power. At first, it seems that Douglass is truly on his way to happiness in Baltimore, as Sophia Auld is not like any of his previous masters, and wants to treat him like a human being in comparison to them. She begins to teach him how to read, but is cut short by her husband, and winds up becoming just as cruel as any other slave-holder in the city when she is forced by her husband to accept that slaves are not a people. But Douglass has undergone perhaps the most important development, the first development of his literacy, and he continues to instruct himself to become literate even after his initial lessons from Sophia are over. Literacy is the tool that Douglass uses to rise up from slavery and become a success. If Douglass hadn’t learned to break the bonds of his oppressors by becoming literate and learning to articulate what he was thinking and feeling, Douglass would have been destined to the same fate that so many suffered ring slavery times. Therefore the purpose of his works is to serve as a reminder for humanity’s ability to determine their own identity and not be brought down by situations that seem undefeatable, because there is always a road to freedom if the person is dedicated enough to overcome adversity and oppression to find what they are really looking for. For Douglass, literacy and freedom are interlinked. After the point where he becomes literate, Douglass steadily increases his resolve to be free. He endures great suffering to achieve his goal: he is forced to leave Baltimore due to a family quarrel, and winds up back on the farm that he had hoped to leave behind permanently. He is beaten severely until he finally stands up to his oppressors and learns to fight back. Frederick Douglass overcame adversity and oppression through literacy, and then became a famous writer, editor, and orator. His works remind us of humanity’s ability to determine its own identity. Once a slave, Douglass escaped and became free because of his will and dedication. But it was also his knowledge that made him a truly free man and a defender of liberty. He took great risks so that we could see how great and important freedom is. The reader is inspired when the narrator rises up, “revived within me a sense fo my own manhood. It recalled the departed self-confidence, and inspired me afain with a determination to be free....I felt as a never felt before. It was a glorious resurrection, from the tomb of slavery, to the heaven of freedom....my ...cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place” (Douglass, 2009). Even in today’s modern times, Douglass’ message of freedom and self determination can still be an enlightening one. REFERENCE Douglass, Frederick (1997). Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1997. Read More