Fredrick Douglass: Chapter 11

    While reading the final chapter of the book, I think the moments we all had been waiting for finally happened. At the end of the book, there were so many joyful scenes, from Douglass's escape to him finding a job and being his own master. I was surprised when he first experienced life in the north because he described it as lonely. I was scared for him that someone would get him in trouble, so I was happy when he found people he could trust and rely on, like Mr. Ruggles. As Douglass's new life carries on, he discusses his work as a freedman. He says, "There was no work too hard... all of which I did for nearly three years in New Bedford, before I became known to the anti-slavery world" (Douglass 69). In other words, any work he did was easy because he already had so much work experience from when he was a slave. Not to mention, he worked in harsher conditions with mean masters. In addition to his work experience making jobs easier, the fact that he got to earn money and keep it also allowed him for more enjoyable work. The joy Douglass experienced made this last chapter very enjoyable.

    I also thought Douglass's education was important in this last chapter. On the last page, he talks about finally subscribing to the "Liberator" after he made enough money. Due to his ability to read, he was able to read the paper and absorb everything in it. He says it "sent a thrill of joy through my soul, such as I had never felt before!" (69). Douglass became very passionate about reading this paper. Once again, his ability to read proved to be an important part of his life that brought rewards. This was also a great thing for Douglass because earlier in the book, he regretted learning to read because of the things he was exposed to, yet the "Liberator" made his education even more worth it. This paper that he loves to read ended up getting him involved in anti-slavery meetings, allowing him to create an even stronger passion against slavery. Lastly, in these meetings, it is proven evident that although Douglass escaped slavery, he still feels a sense of inferiority. He says speaking to white people "weighed me down" because he was once a slave (69). This underlying sense of racism will probably continue for the rest of his own life, and it will surely outlive him. 

Chapter X: Douglass's first attempt at escape

    This chapter contains so many important moments, from whippings by Mr. Crovey to teaching other slaves to read to an escape attempt to returning to Baltimore to learning a trade. While reading these I thought through these moments and reflected on how I saw them affect Douglass's thoughts on freedom and identity. Douglass lost his desire for independence while hired out to Mr. Covey. He writes, "I was broken in body, soul, and spirit" (Douglass 74). Douglass was severely whipped and believes there was not one week in the first six months where he wasn't beaten. However, he is told about a root by fellow slave Sandy Jenkins who believes this root prevents white people from harming him. He states confidently to Douglass that it is because of this root kept on his right side that he has not been whipped in years. Douglass finds this root and it seems to work until Mr. Covey seizes him and attempts to tie him up however Douglass refuses to be beaten again and fights back, taking Mr. Covey by the neck. Douglass is not touched again for the next six months and is not punished for his actions. He believes this is because Mr. Covey's reputation as a slave tamer would be harmed. Eventually, Douglass's year with Mr. Covey ended and he was hired out to a Mr. William Freeland. Mr. Freeland was a much nicer Master in comparison to Mr. Covey. He gave enough food and time to eat, had enough slaves needed to work the amount of land he had, and more. Douglass writes on Mr. Freeland, "I will give Mr. Freeland the credit of being the best Master I ever had, till I became my own master" (Douglass 90-91). While hired out to Mr. Freeland he teaches many other slaves to read and plans an escape with a few of them. They planned to take Mr. Hamilton's canoe and sail up the river during the Easter holidays when slaves had six days off. Douglass even forged notes for them "signed" by their Master for when they were stopped. It was employed to Mr. Freeland that Douglass regained his dreams of freedom and made a plan to escape to the north for the first time. Douglass and the slaves he planned to escape with were betrayed though, and they went to jail, expecting death. The other slaves returned to Mr. Freeland while Douglass returned to his Master, Captain Auld, who sent him back to Baltimore to the Master's brother. Back in Baltimore, Douglass was told to gain a trade, in this case working in a shipyard. Through many trials and tribulations, Douglass was eventually earning six to seven dollars a week, sometimes even nine. It was at this time that Douglass thought again of freedom, for here he was earning a wage that, at the end of the week, went to his Master.

    In this long chapter I saw Douglass struggle with the idea of his freedom. He went to Mr. Covey being able to read and write and yearning to be his own Master however returned "broken in body, soul, and spirit." He regained his hope and spirit with Mr. Freeland, teaching other slaves to write and hatching an escape plan. When they are betrayed, Douglass mourns the loss of his freedom and expects to be beaten severely and then killed as an example but instead he is separated from the others, something they think is the worst that could happen. He is sent back to Baltimore and the family that first inspired him to learn to read and write. He is told he will learn a trade but experiences a great deal of discrimination in the shipyard, where poor white men are insulted to work with free black men and slaves. He is bossed around and beaten by the others, almost losing an eye. His Master's brother complains but no white person, no matter how sympathetic, will speak in Douglass's defense. He is moved from that shipyard to the one where his Master's brother works and begins to earn a decent wage. It is when this wage goes to his Master at the end of the week that Douglass once again thinks of the circumstances he lives with and begins to dream of freedom once again. This rollercoaster of events shows Douglass's own struggle with the idea of freedom and the desire to pursue it. I think it is something of a turning point as he has already attempted an escape, failed, and now wants to try again, this time without failing.

    The thing that caught my attention the most about this reading of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was the fact that the workers under Auld were not given enough food to survive. The pure evil and disregard for humanity that Auld displayed towards his slaves was inhumane. Douglass did, however, get to work with his sister, Eliza, and his aunt. Douglass describes having to steal food to keep him and his family members alive. This was a hard pill to swallow when reading, because I have never had to wonder where my next meal was going to come from. Up until this point, Douglass has been through a lot of traumatic events even starting as an infant. What occurred to me overall when reading is how thankful I am. I am thankful to live in a house with both of my parents and my sisters, to know my birthday, knowing I will be able to eat, and not have to worry about getting hurt by those around me. I have access to an education and as much as I say I don't like school, at the end of the day, I am forever grateful for my education and for all the blessings I am given in life. Douglass talks about how he was able to read, and how this was a rarity for slaves and black people in general. Nowadays, it is a rarity for someone to not know how to read; it is a norm for people to be able to read. This was another concept that was also very strange to me. 

    Mental health is something that is so apparent in today's society, and is often a priority in people's lives. When Douglass was living through these events, it was not. This is another concept that was hard for me to fathom, especially when he says, "I found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead; and but for  the hope of being free, I have no doubt but that I should have killed myself, or done something for which I should have been killed," (Douglass 24). This is heart breaking to me, as I believe that mental health is just as important as your physical health. To see that Douglass made it without any of the resources we have to support our mental health today, says a lot about perseverance. 

Douglass's Relationship with Reading and Writing

While reading this selection, I learned much about Frederick’s curiosity with reading and writing, and his desire to gain a literary education. His master, Sophia Auld, had originally begun to teach him the ABC’s, and this sparked his desire to read and write. Although his master had forbidden him from learning to read and write, and barred his wife from assisting him in learning to do so, Douglass nevertheless persisted in his studies. He found creative ways to learn how to read, as he would venture out into the streets and recruit young city-going boys to help him, and would give them bread in return. Not only did these boys teach him how to read, but also supplied him with a hope he never received elsewhere. “You’ll be free by the time you’re 21!”, they exclaimed. And though Douglass knew this wasn’t true, it didn’t matter because no one had uplifted him the way his new “friends” had. Douglass also learned to write in the harbor, where he would see large letters standing for timber on the ships and write them down. From there he began copying books, as well. 

But as Douglass began to write and read more, his curiosity and new literary proficiency made him increasingly aware of his servitude and its longevity. He learned the word “abolished” and also read texts like the “Columbian Orator”, which served to help him understand slavery, though his awareness began to weigh on him. However, it is an immense achievement to learn to read and write essentially all on his own, especially considering Master Auld’s complete condemning of his learning (though Douglass says it was equally as helpful as Mrs. Auld’s early lessons). It was equally as heartbreaking to see that something as simple as reading and writing, Douglass could not be afforded.

Learning about Douglass’s journey with reading and writing, which in and of itself is a rare one for the majority of slaves, showed me Douglass’s dedication to his education while having to maneuver his master, who so strongly denounced him learning to read and write, and risking the consequences. In addition, this showed the incredible intelligence of Douglass and it is no surprise that his memoir is so profound because he was able to become so capable in reading and writing at a relatively young age. Even in the preface, William Lloyd Garrison speaks to Douglass’s ability to engage the crowd with his powerful language, which his early education only aided. Douglass, in the bliss of his studying was able to recognize, with humility, the privilege he had in being able go receive such lessons, despite the fact that he wasn’t even really allowed to. 

 I definitely struggled to read these first 5 chapters of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. I was overwhelmed with the detailed accounts of the brutality Douglass witnessed and the outrageous acts of those in power. I was particularly shook by his memories of childhood and how he rarely knew comfort (both physical and emotional). I can’t begin to comprehend the cruelty and evil required to allow a child (or any person for that matter) to suffer like that. My focus for this reading was his description of song. These songs are the furthest thing from joyful, they are actually tragic and slaves sang when they felt the lowest.The power that music has always amazes me and I find it interesting that Douglass included this in his first few chapters. Music can evoke all sorts of emotions and Douglass makes it very clear that the songs of slaves haunt him and continue to grow his hatred for the institution of slavery. And how these songs connect to the journey to the “Great House Farm” and the privilege it was to be doing errands for that farm. These sad songs were often sung during the walk between farms which revealed the two warring emotions of joy and sadness. It's a beautiful reflection of the complexity of the human heart and how music influences daily life. 

Quotes: 

“While on their way, they would make the dense old woods, for miles around, reverberate with their wild songs, revealing at once the highest joy and the deepest sadness”(Douglass8). 

“Those songs still follow me, to deepen my hatred of slaver, and quicken my sympathies for my brethren in bonds… Slaves sing most when they are most unhappy. The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears”