Reference no: EM133252433

#1. From Frederick Douglass's narrative, I believe the single most important theme was the significance of knowledge to the slaves and slave holders. Slaveholders maintained their power by restricting slaves from opportunities of learning. Douglass mentioned that slaves were often kept in the dark, being unable to learn how to read or write. Their daily lives contained mundane tasks and unlivable conditions. When Douglass resided at his old master's plantation, Captain Anthony, slaves lived together with no beds, and had to cook, clean, and wash their clothes without the proper tools to do so. The slaves were not bothered by the fact they had no beds as the act of sleeping was much more important to them. From this, it is seen that slaves lived in conditions that prioritized their chores and work rather than themselves as those options were stripped from them. Later in the narrative, Douglass also explained his time with Mrs. Auld as he learned the basics of reading and writing until her husband stopped her. He claimed as it would only harm them and Douglass. For example Mr Auld exclaimed, " learning would spoil," and "he would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master." From this, Douglass realized his true value through importance of knowledge slowly found a path to freedom. Douglass began to self study and continued to learn about the injustices of slavery.

#2. Cruelty is the single most important theme in Frederick Douglass's narrative.

Cruelty is the word that came to my mind over and over again while reading Douglass's autobiography. I think it is an important theme because it made me remember how terrible it was to be a slave and how much I hate the institution of slavery, especially in America.

I really liked the variety of slave life that Douglass's narrative offered. Douglass was traded between masters often for different reasons (working the farm, being a house slave in Baltimore, working in the shipyards, going to a master specifically to be broken, etc...). I think that often people can get caught up in thinking that life of a slave was always on the plantation and always the most terrible it could be. Douglass talks about going from city life where he was never without want of food, to going back to farming where his food was rationed and hunger became real to him again. Lots of ups and downs (not saying the ups were ever great) were experienced by Douglass. The different expectations of masters, punishments and different ways of life were very cruel. In one situation, he could learn to read or work for wages. In the next month he could be doing hard labor with very little food.

Another point of cruelty, and an interesting insight, is when one of his masters, who was already very mean, converted to Christianity, and became more cruel due to the godly justification that was found in Christianity at that time. He also notes that his most kind master, was not religious at all.