Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Narrative Essay

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Working in the hot sun all day, having no leisure time, abuse, and meager conditions are all things that shouldn’t be a reality for people. However, it is for slaves. A former slave named
Frederick Douglass became an abolitionist in order to stop the harsh conditions of slavery.
Douglass was a slave for the first 20 years of his life and witnessed first-hand the brutality of slave owners and their treatment towards slaves. He wrote Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass to expose the true nature of slavery and show both sides of the story. Douglass’ main demographic were the Northerners, who still supported slavery at the time. In addition, he wanted to inform slaves to learn how badly they are treated and how they can help themselves.
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Defenders of slavery claimed that slaves were part of the normal human order. Douglass argues slaves weren’t treated like they were humans. For example, “There were no beds given to the slaves…less difficulty from the want of beds, then from the want of time to sleep…sleeping hours are consumed in preparing the field… [Mr. Severe] seemed to take pleasure in manifesting his fiendish barbarity” (Douglass, excerpt 2, paragraphs 3-4). This illustrates that slaves weren’t treated with respect and morality. Slaves had no time to sleep, worked non-stop, and were abused by their masters. Although most owners succumb to the power of slavery and become cruel, some of them stay kind to their slaves. For example, “My new mistress was all she appeared to be when I first met her at the door—a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings…The meanest slave was put fully at ease in her presence, and none left without feeling better for having seen her” (Douglass, excerpt 3, paragraph 2). Frederick’s mistress was a compassionate woman who treated her slaves humanely. Her behavior towards them was as if they were a normal part of society and how she would act towards others. In addition to the