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.
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