preview

Frederick Douglass Essay

Better Essays

The effects of slavery continue to be seen in the world to this day, but its time of full force was during the time of Frederick Douglass, an American slave who eventually learned to read and write. He escaped from slavery and began to tell his story, which became very famous for its raw description of the conditions of slavery. Although many think that slaves were the people most affected, Frederick Douglass reveals that the slaveholders were also greatly changed by the institution. In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Douglass highlights the dehumanizing nature of slavery, both physically and mentally in both the slave and the slaveholder by providing insight into his relationships and experiences with …show more content…

Gore, whose “savage barbarity was equalled only by the consummate coolness with which he committed the grossest and most savage deeds upon the slaves under his charge” (33). By describing Gore with words such as “savage barbarity,” Douglass explicitly states that Gore is not a man, but a savage, a barbarian whose emotional capability has been taken from him by committing violent actions against other humans who are no different than he is. In addition, Douglass utilizes juxtaposition of “consummate coolness” and “grossest and savage deeds” to highlight Mr. Gore’s unnatural and inhuman way of reacting to savage deeds such as whipping and shooting. He shows no emotion and is unaffected by what he does, showing that he cannot feel and he is not capable of empathy; these aspects of his humanity have been taken from him as a result of being a slave overseer. The violent actions that dehumanize Mr. Gore also have a profound dehumanizing effect on the slaves. When Mr. Gore shoots a slave, “His mangled body sank out of sight, and blood and brains marked the water where he had stood. A thrill of horror flashed through every soul on the plantation” (33). When Douglass used words such as “mangled body,” “blood and brains,” and “thrill of horror,” it created a feeling of disgust and horror, and gives insight into what the slaves were feeling when they witnessed events such as

Get Access