Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass review

(11) What has Douglass begun to do by the end of the book? How does he feel about it?

By the end of the book, Douglass has begun living his life as an activist for black lives. At first he's nervous about speaking to a white crows, but it soon becomes liberating for him. He also states that it gives him hope for the future.

(10) Why does Mr. Covey buy the salve Caroline?

Mr. Covey buys Caroline to be a "breeder"

What does Sandy Jenkins give Douglass? Does it work? Is there any logical reason for Mr. Covey to not whip Douglass that day?

Sandy gave Douglass a root that she says has magical powers that will cause him to not be whipped if he has it on him, it did work. There is no logical reason as Douglass had an act of defiance that day.

(10) What do slaves typically do over the Christmas break? why does Douglass think the white masters encourage these activities?

Slaves would see family, weave baskets, and do less harsh work over the holidays. Douglass thinks the masters may do this in respect for their religious beliefs

(11) How do blacks in New Bedford treat each other? Give one example

The black people of New Bedford treated each other well. They understood the importance of anti-slavery reform. They looked out for each other as a community.

(4) Describe the situation between Demby and Mr. Gore.

The situation between Demby and Mr. Gore runs form the brutal whipping he is receiving from Mr. Gore and hides in a stream. Gore then threatens to shoot Demby if he doesn't leave the stream and when Demby doesn't leave on the count of three he is shot.

(5) How did the salve children eat?

The slave children ate mush which was a large tray placed on the ground and like pigs they would come and devour the mush.

(IQ) Is this a primary or secondary source? How do you know?

A primary source is a firsthand account of someone who was actually there for an event and a secondary source is interpretation of what happened from evidence because the person wasn't actually there

(3) When asked about his/her master, what did a slave usually say?

A slave would usually only say something positive. For example, they would say their master was string and a good leader, They did this because it was known that some slaveholders would sometimes get other people to test the slaves to see if they were loyal. Someone could also be listening in on the conversation as well.

(2) What is a sloop? In what business is the sloop involved on Colonel Lloyd's plantation?

A sloop is a single-masted sailboat. The business that the sloop is involved in is the Slave-trading business and carrying market goods such as tobacco, corn, and wheat.

(F.U.Q) What happens to Frederick Douglass after the end of his narrative?

By the end of his narrative, Frederick resettles in New Bedford, MA, changed his name, and married Anna Murray. He wrote three autobiographies. He traveled and lectures widely on racial issues such as the Civil War and the Jim Crow segragation. He also edited "The North Star", the most influential black newspaper.

(2) Where did the children sleep?

Children slept on the floor.

(6) How are city slaves treated as compared to plantation salves? Why is there a difference?

City slaves are generally treated better when compared to plantation slaves. Slaves in the city have better living conditions and privileges, such as being adequately clothed and fed. There is a difference between the treatment due to there being more decency and humility for the city slave owners. The city slave owners wanted to be known to treat their slaves well, instead of being known as cruel masters. The city slave owners did not want a bad reputation.

(3) How did Colonel Lloyd deal with the salves that took care of his horses?

Colonel Lloyd dealt with the salves that took care of the horses by whipping them.

(3) How wealthy was Colonel Lloyd? Give two to three examples.

Colonel Lloyd was very wealthy. This can be seen through the lavish garden he has that requires four people to maintain it and the well kept carriage and riding equipment he owns.

(11) Why is Douglass surprised by New Bedford?

Douglass always thought that the North was poor because they typically did not have slaves, therefore he was surprised by how wealthy New Bedford was.

(11) To what city do Anna and Douglass travel? What state is it in?

Douglass and Anna travel to New Bedford, Massachusetts

(10) Douglass talks to the boats on the Chesapeake Bay. What kinds of things does he say to them? Why does he envy the boats?

Douglass asked the ships why they are free and why he is enslaved, he envies that the boats have obtained freedom.

(11) What does Douglass ask High Auld for? Does Hugh agree? What are his conditions?

Douglass asks Hugh Auld to be able to find his won work. Hugh agrees under the conditions that Douglass has to find all his won work and pay Auld $3 each week to buy his own tools, boards, and clothing

(A) What thought does Douglass have about religion and God?

Douglass clarified that he was not opposed to all religions, except Christianity

(5) To whom/what does Douglass credit his eventual freedom?

Douglass credit's his eventual freedom by being able to live in Baltimore and God, as he thought it was Divine Intervention.

(4) Describe Mr. Gore

Douglass describes Mr. Gore as someone who is proud, artful, obdurate, cruel, ambitious, and preserving.

(5) Why does Douglass describe his "departure from colonel Lloyd's plantation as one of the most interesting events" of his life?

Douglass describes this as an interesting event due to the fact that he was greeted kindly by the Auld family upon his arrival in Baltimore, and he felt relieved to no longer be at Colonel Lloyd's plantation

(5) How does Douglass get to leave Colonel Lloyd's plantation? Where does he go? How is his new master connected to Captain Anthony?

Douglass gets to leave Colonel Lloyd's plantation because he is moving to Baltimore with Mr. Auld, Captain Anthony's son-in-law's brother.

(10) How was Douglass' attitude changed since he lived with Mr. Covey?

Douglass had realized that he can use his fight back and be successful in doing so, but also made him realize he needs to escape so he can be free.

(1) Discuss Douglass' parentage.

Douglass hardly saw his mother due to her living on another plantation, and his father was implied to be his master. He was raised by his Aunt Hester.

(10) Why can Douglass receive no justice when he is attacked by his fellow workers?

Douglass is treated harshly as a slave and has no backup from his masters or any of his fellow worker.s In this field it is all for themselves and no one helps anyone in hopes of their own survival.

(10) What trade does Douglass learn?

Douglass learns ship caulking which helps Gardner's shipyard meet a deadline.

(7) How does Douglass continue his education?

Douglass learns to read by trading bread to the poor boys in his town in exchange for lessons.

(7) How does Douglass learn to write?

Douglass learns to write by watching carpenters in the shipyard write labels

(9) Why does Douglass frequently let his master's horse run away?

Douglass lets his master's horse run away so that he can get food from the nearby farm.

(6) Who begins to teach Douglass to read?

Douglass lived with the Auld family, where Mrs. Auld teaches him how to read and write.

(6) What does Douglass realize after Mr. Auld's speech.

Douglass realizes that Mr. Auld is sort os scared of him. This gives him great confidence

(10) Why does Douglass return to Balitmore?

Douglass returns to Baltimore because his master sent him to be "broken" by Mr. Covey

(10) why does Douglass say 'I should regard being the slave of a religious master the greatest calamity that could befall me'?

Douglass says this because more often than not, religious masters would use their beliefs as a way to falsely justify beating slaves

(10) Douglass spends several days avoiding Mr. Covey. What happens?

Douglass spends several days hiding after getting into a fight with Mr. Covey, where he meets Sandy Jenkins who gives him a way to protect himself from Mr. Covey.

(11) For a while, Douglass stops working all together. Then, for several weeks, he becomes very industrious. Why?

Douglass stops working because he is spending time with friends outside of Baltimore and Mr. Hugh thinks he is trying to escape and goes back on his deal to let Douglass work by himself, he doesn't work for a week. He plans his escape but to hide the fact he works for weeks to lower Master Hugh suspicion.

(8) At the valuation, why does Douglass suffer more anxiety than many of his fellow slaves?

Douglass suffers more anxiety because he knows what it is like to be treated without cruelty and with dignity, he's no longer as numb and no longer unaware of what is denied to him.

(11) What job does Douglass take? Why can he not get a job caulking?

Douglass takes the job of oiling a sloop. Douglass cannot get a job caulking because the other white caulkers have strong prejudices against black caulkers. This makes it hard for him to get a job.

(1) Where and When (approximately) was Douglass born?

Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland and he does not know when he was born.

(5) Why was Douglass so excited to leave? Why was it so easy for him to leave his home?

Douglass was excited to leave because he was going to Baltimore to work. It was easy for him to leave because he got to go North, he got a pair of trousers, and normally children could not leave their home.

(5) What surprised Douglass about Sophia Auld?

Douglass was surprised that Sophia Auld was not cruel to him, She tried to give him a basic education and treated Douglass with a level of care.

(1) What is the first "bloody scene" of slavery that Douglass ever sees? What happens?

Douglass witnesses his aunt be whipped by the slave owner because she was seen with another man

(10) What work does Douglass do while he lives in Baltimore?

Douglass worked as a field hand at both master Thomas' plantation and also Master Covey's

(1) Who is Douglass' first master? First overseer? What seems to be the overseer's job?

Douglass' first master was captain Anthony. HIs first overseer was Mr. Plummer. The overseer's job was to watch the slaves, make sure they were doing the right thing, and if not give them punishment.

(8) What happens to Douglass' grandmother? Why does her treatment make Douglass especially angry?

Douglass' grandmother is said to be too old to work int the fields, her new owners abandon her in a small hut in the woods. Douglass is sad and angry about the cruel way she dies.

(9) Describe Douglass' new master

Douglass' new master, Auld, gave him little food to sustain himself, because Auld was born poor and only acquired property and slaves through marriage

(7) Have you ever heard the phrase "ignorance is bliss?" What does it mean? How is this phrase proven true in this stage of Douglass' life?

Douglass's experiences with reading and writing have proven to him how powerful a tool literacy is, and realizes that not knowing may have been hurting more than helping.

(10) What are the first six months of Douglass' stay with Mr. Covey like?

During Douglass's first six months with Mr. Covey he was beaten frequently, nearly worked to death, and nearly mentally broken

(10) When Douglass lives with Mr. Freeland, what does he do on the Sabbaths?

Frederick taught slaves how to read and write on the Sabbath

(2) what was colonel Lloyd's plantation called?

Great House Farm

(10) What does Douglass plan with this fellow slaves? Does it work? Why or why not? What happens?

He and his fellow slaves planned to escape from Covey. It doesn't work because he was deceived and Douglass is punished for putting all of those ideas of escaping into all of the other slaves' minds.

(11) Why does Douglass take the name Frederick Douglass?

He chose his name from a poem after escaping slavery.

(11) Why does Douglass refuse to give details about his escape from slavery?

He does not want slave owners to read about his escape and use it to further prevent other slaves escaping in a similar way.

(8) Why is Douglass required to leave Baltimore?

He has to leave Baltimore because his old master died and since he is considered property at the time, he is to be redistributed between the master's kids

(8) Why is Douglass forced to permanently leave Baltimore?

He is forced to leave master Hugh in Baltimore and go live with Master Thomas because the two brothers got into a misunderstanding and as a means of revenge Thomas took Frederick for himself.

(4) What reason does Mr. Gore for his treatment of Demby? How does Mr. Gore seem to want slaves to think of him?

He says that if he lets slaves get away with bad behavior like that, the rest of his slaves won't respect him. He wants his slaves to think that he is to be feared and he will hurt them if they mess up.

(10) What about Douglass' current experiences made him desire even more to be free?

He sees how the drive for power over another person can lead to such horrible things and he doesn't want any part in it.

(11) What does Mr. Ruggles do for Douglass?

He tells Frederick to go to New Bedford, MA to find work as a caulker. After Frederick's wedding, Mr. Ruggles gives Frederick a letter of recommendation and five dollars.

(10) Why does Douglass think slaves came to his Sabbath meetings?

He think that they came to his meetings to learn how to read and write.

(11) Why is Douglass surprised to find New Bedford clean and wealthy?

He was excited that they were clean and wealthy as this gave him a chance at a better life.

(6) Describe Henrietta and Mary and their situation

Henrietta and Mary were house slaves who were given very little food in addition to being whipped by Mrs. Hamilton to the point of near death

(1) What happens to Douglass' mom? Apparently, this practice was common among southern slaveholders. What attitude does Douglass say it gave to salves?

His mom was separated from him at birth, which was the common practice. This gives slaves an attitude of isolation by not having a bond with their mother and feeling distant from family.

(A) Does his disclaimer in the appendix challenge the picture he paints in the narrative, or just offer a guid to interpreting that picture?

I offers a guide of interpreting the picture and the inner workings of the South

(F.U.Q.) What do you think the purpose of this narrative was? Did Douglass meet that purpose?

I think that the purpose of the narrative was to persuade the readers that slavery should be abolished. Since he was part of the abolitionists movement, I think that Douglass did meet that purpose as slavery was abolished, and also his writing invoked a feeling in people when they saw the truths of slavery.

(10) After the Monday morning incident, why do you think Covey stops whipping Douglass?

If he whips him it proves that he hasn't broken him and he's afraid of retaliation

(11) How does Douglass feel in New York. Why?

In New York, Douglass feels relieve that he is free,. He is relieved to be in the North because he gets to start a new life.

(10) One myth of slavery is that slaves do not love each other. What does Douglass say to prove this myth false.

In this chapter he says, 'I agreed to do so and accordingly devote my Sundays to teaching these, my loved fellow-salves, how to read.' He also talks about how much the salves love on another throughout the chapter.

(11) Why is it so difficult for Douglass to leave Baltimore?

It was hard for Douglass to leave Baltimore because he was trying to escape slavery without raising any suspicion to Master Hugh. He also did not want other slaves to find out about his plan and have them escpae the same way because it would only get them caught and hurt.

(11) Douglass leaves Baltimore without Master Hugh's permission. Douglass says, 'I told him I hired my time, and while I paid him the price which he asked for it, I did not know that I was bound to ask him when and where I should go. This reply troubled him; and, after reflecting a few moments, he turned to me, and said I should hire my time no longer, that the next thing he should know of, I would be running away.' Why do you think Master Hugh is so troubled by what Douglass tells him?

Master Hugh is troubled by what Douglass tells him because when he asks for his freedom it makes Douglass seem like an equal to Master Hugh. This disheartens and troubles him as a slave should not be equal to a slave master.

(10) Why does Mr. covey not take Douglass to the constable?

Mr Covey does not take Douglass in order to preserve his reputation. Mr. Covey has a reputation as a cruel and harsh overseer that could break the slaves. Worth noting, Douglass was sixteen at the time. If Mr. Covey had sent Douglass to the constable, then it would have jeopardized his reputation, which was important to him.

(9) Describe Mr. Covey. Why does Douglass gladly take him as a temporary master?

Mr. Covey is a poor man but is well known for dealing with problem slaves. Covey brutally beats slaves if they are being lazy while doing labor work and is known as the snake as he surprised his slaves and tries to attack them. He was brutal to Douglass and would beat him often. Douglass takes Covey as his temporary master because Mr. Covey made Douglass realize his need for freedom and to survive.

(10) Why is Douglass first whipped by Mr. Covey? Describe the scene

Mr. Covey whips Douglass for the first time because Douglass failed to guide the team of oxen. In this scene Douglass refuses to take his clothes off so Mr. Covey rips his clothing off and whips him

(4) What was Mr. Gore's maxim? Why might he have practiced this?

Mr. Gore abided by the maxim laid down by slaveholders, -"It is better than a dozen slaves should suffer under the lash, than that the overseer should be convicted, in the presence of the salves, of having been at fault." No matter how innocent a slave might be-it availed him nothing, when accused by Mr. Gore.

(10) What happens between Douglass and Covey on Monday morning.

On Monday morning, Covey found Douglass in the stable and attempted to tie him up. Douglass fights back and Covey calls for other slaves, They fight and Douglass explains to Covey that he does not want o be treated like an animal anymore. Afterwards, Covey never touched Douglass again.

(6) Describe Sophia Auld. How and why does Sophia change?

Sophia Auld started off as a nice and caring slave owner who became a very cruel slave owner.

(11) While in New Bedford, Douglass subscribes to a newspaper, 'The Liberator". How does this paper affect Douglass?

The "Liberator" further reinforced Douglass's beliefs about slavery and gave hime a good idea of what anti-slavery reform would look like.

(7) Why does the "Columbian Orator" and a copy of Sheridan's speeches become so often read, and so important to Douglass?

The Columbian Orator was important to Douglass because it was an intellectual turning point that liberated him from the mental shackles of slavery. The Sheridan's speech was important to him because Douglass recognized that people talking about the same thing he's going through

(2) What did children on the plantation wear?

The children on the plantation received just thin linen shirts, of which they received two per year.

(2) List the members and relation of Douglass' master's family.

The members of Douglass' master's family are Colonel Edward Lloyd, Lucretia, Richard, and Andrew. There are also the two overseers, Mr. Severe and Mr. Hopkins that also live on the plantation. Colonel Edward Lloyd is the head of the family. Lucretia is the Colonel's daughter. Richard and Andrew are his two sons.

(10) Why are the next six months a turning point in Douglass' life?

The next six months are a turning point because Douglass gains a lot of confidence. He was starting to really crack under Mr. Auld, and it seems now that he is back . He is given to another master whim Douglass really likes.

(4) What happened to people who murdered slaves?

The people who murdered slaves were not treated as a crime by the courts or community and the salves couldn't testify against them.

(2) Why did the salves sing? What mistake did people in the North frequently make regarding slave songs?

The slaves sang because they were suffering and the songs talked about how poorly they were treated. The people up North thought that they sang because they were happy.

(6) Mr. Auld tells his wife, 'if you teach that ** how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself... it would make him disconnected and unhappy." Do you think there is truth in Mr. Auld's words? Why or why not?

The truth in this is that if the salve becomes smarter than their master, they may begin to question their master's authority.

(7) what word does Douglass become curious about? What does the word mean?

The word Douglass becomes curious about is 'Abolitionist'. This word means a person that is in favor of abolishing slavery,

(IQ) Whom do you think this book was originally written for? Why?

This book was written for all people of America to read. Douglass being an advocate for abolishing slavery and being a slave wrote this to tell the citizens of America what slavery really does to everyone that goes through it. He also wrote it to give hope to other slaves that life can get better.

(1) Law decreed that all children born to slave women, no matter the father, were to remain salves. How does this law benefit slave masters?

This law benefited the slave masters because if they were to have a kid with on of their slaves, they would not have to take care of the kid and would have another slave that he acquired for free. They would also sell the child as a slave for money.

(9) How does religion change Thomas Auld?

Thomas Auld uses religion to further drive his hared and evil behavior towards slaves. He would quote scriptures as he beat them.

(2) What did Douglass firstt understand sue to these songs?

When hearing these songs for the first time, Douglass truly understood how inhumane slavery was. Back then, he did not understand the meaning of these songs, but now looks back and realizes how bad things were.