Select a quote from Chapter 10 in the autobiography and connect it to the theme(s) of American realism: freedom, the American dream, racism, regionalism, survival, "individual vs. society," and "civilized society vs. the wilderness. Responses should be 300 words each. You are expected to respond to one classmate for each quote.
“Not because he earned it,- not because he had any hand in earning it,- not because I owed it to him,- nor because he possessed the slightest shadow of right to it; but solely because he had the power to compel me to give it up. The right of the grim-visaged pirate upon the high seas is exactly the same.”(21)
ReplyDeleteThis quote shows how Douglass reacts to the injustice of his master taking all of his pay. he hates it, as he works hard all week to earn it and then his master takes it all for himself. Douglass owes no debt to his master and his master takes no part in helping him make this money, so it makes no sense that he should be able to take all of Douglass’ pay. Douglass is just as skilled as the free white workers and it angers him that he does not share in the same freedom that they have. He thinks that his master has no right to take his money, and compares it to the fact that pirates have no right to steal goods. Both of these things happen anyways despite the injustice. the difference between Douglass doing his work on the ship from doing the work of a normal slave is that the ship work requires lots of skill. Douglass isn’t just doing an average slave job that anyone can do. He is doing work that requires training. Douglass became very good at this trade very quickly, showing how smart and useful he is. this is why he thinks he is being cheated by his master. He is not just doing easy work, he is doing work that is usually done by skilled white workers, not slaves. This ability to work on ships makes Douglass valuable, so much that Douglass thinks he should keep some of his pay. It is understandable as to why Douglass’ master doesn't want him to have money. This could give him a way to escape to the north by means of buying transportation like a train ticket. Although it is understandable, it doesn't make it right that Douglass should not be paid for the skilled work that he does on the ships he builds.
This quote was a very good choice and had a huge impact toward the overall meaning of this chapter. You also did a very nice job describing it and connecting it to the idea that Douglass was a valuable slave and that is why he was treated differently. Great job your ideas were very well thought out.
DeleteI like how you showed both sides of the argument of Douglass wanting to keep the money that he is earning. You said that his master wouldn't want him buying his way out of slavery even though it was unfair that Douglass had to give up his hard earned money. Well written response.
DeleteThe quote you selected is from one of the major points in the story and really showed the freedom that Douglass had as a worker. The theme of freedom is a great theme that you connected this quote to and mostly this whole story is based on the theme of freedom.
Delete"I lived with Mr. Covey one year. During the first six months of that year, a scarce week passed without his whipping me" (9).
ReplyDeleteHere Douglass is talking about his life with Mr. Covey, as the reader finds out it was not good. He was whipped for things that he did not do to his liking or because the master was not happy with his work. The theme of this chapter was to describe his life as a slave and how the different slave owners treated him. This quote is connected to the overall theme because it does just that, it acknowledges that life with Mr. Covey was far worse than it was with his previous owners. The question why was not answered in this quote, but it is answered in the overview looking back on what was written in the chapter. Douglass was whipped and beaten by Mr. Covey because it made him feel power, it gave Covey a sense that he was in charge and that Douglass must do what he says or he will serve the consequences. At this time it was not wrong for slave owners to beat their slaves; this is because they were seen as property. That idea is the main one that connects to the overall theme of Douglass’ writing, which is the fact that slaves were not seen as people and did not have any equality but they should. Douglass did not have it as bad as some slaves though, he was given mercy from some beatings and the harshness of them because of the talent he possessed. He was a young boy who had a lot of potential and a long life of slavery ahead and owners did not want to change that. Here it is shown however, that he was not exempt from the punishment. The overall point of this quote was to show people who are looking back and reading how hard life was for slaves and what they went through , connecting it to the point that change was necessary.
I like this quote you chose as it displays the cruelty of slavery. It is also at an important part of the story. Your analysis is well thought out and connects well top the text. Overall good job!
Delete“He only can understand the deep satisfaction which I experienced, who has himself repelled by force the bloody arm of slavery. I felt as I never felt before. It was a glorious resurrection, from the tomb of slavery, to the heaven of freedom. My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place; and I now resolved that, however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact.”
ReplyDeleteDoulgass says this after he battles with Mr. Covey on the plantation. Douglass fights Mr. Covey because he feels as though he has the protection of the root which Sandy gave him. Douglass is saying that the only people who understand what he is saying are those who heavily oppose slavery and have tried to fight it as well. He is talking about slaves who had lost their lives battling their slave owners in hopes of better conditions. Douglass felt as though his triumph was a turning point of his life in slavery because it gave him hope of freedom. It brought him out of his misery as a slave and gave him something to hope for. When he says, “my long crushed spirit rose,” he says that he finally had something to look forward to. He no longer felt misery for himself, and instead felt hope that he would one day be free of Mr. Covey and the holds of slavery. Douglass says, “however long I might remain a slave in form,” and he means that he might always still remain a slave physically. He knows that he probably will not be freed from slavery any time soon, and that he will physically belong to slavery and his owners. Although he knows that he will probably remain a slave for a long time after this fight with Covey, he is no longer a slave mentally. He does not think like a slave. He thinks like an educated person because he received the education that he deserved when he was living with the Auld family in Baltimore. He no longer sees himself as a slave because he no longer thinks like a slave. He no longer gives his slave owners the permission to mess with his mind, but rather he thinks as though he would one day be free.
I think that the quote that you chose was a good choice because of its importance to the section. You said that this was a turning point in Douglass’s life because he fought back against what he thought was wrong. I agree with you on this point because it is what kept his desire for freedom going.
DeleteI love how you begin your analysis by setting the scene and making sure readers know what is happening in the novel at the time that the quote is written. Also, the fact that you did not just blatantly say “this quote connects to the theme of freedom”, but instead, you led it into subtly talking about freedom made the analysis flow SO well. I also liked your use of repeating “He no longer” which emphasized all the things he had lost during his time with Covey.
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ReplyDelete“This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning-point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood.” [12).
This is a quote from chapter ten and Douglass is speaking in it. The quote connects to the themes of survival and freedom. Douglass feels a sense of freedom once he stands up to covey because Covey has been beating him and whipping him. This survival skill of fending for yourself was shown in this chapter when Douglass fights off Covey and does not let him whip him anymore. When Douglass says that the battle between him and Covey was a turning-point in his career as a slave he meant that his survival skill of fighting Covey off has led him to feel a great sense of freedom. Because he has fought Covey off he was never whipped again because the word got around and it showed that Douglass was not afraid to fight back if he was being attacked which is a strategy for survival to fight back. Covey becomes afraid of Douglass for awhile, but still is not afraid to attack him to try to beat him because that is what mean slave owner’s do, they attack slaves either because they are not doing their work or he just plain and simple does not like the slave at all. Even though Douglass has still gotten into fights and things like that he has never gotten whipped from the turning point in his slave career of standing up to Covey and not letting him whip him. These two themes of the chapter ten were themes that were plotted throughout the story especially because the theme of freedom is one of the main themes because the ultimate goal for Douglass and the rest of the slaves in to gain freedom instead of being enslaved for life. The theme of survival is just a major theme in the story and especially in chapter ten.
Your quote has a huge emotional and physical impact on Frederick Douglass' narrative and is key to the turning point of his life. I like how you used the themes, survival and freedom, because in order for Douglass to soon see freedom, he needs to has strength to survive under his master's command.
Delete“I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!” (10)
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of this section, Frederick Douglass was enslaved by a man named Mr. Covey. Mr. Covey was the worst master that Frederick Douglass had ever been owned by because he severely whipped his slaves. Mr. Covey was known by the slaves as “the snake” because of his sneakiness; he was always watching his slaves work around the farm. This gave Douglass paranoia because he never knew where his master would pop out of. The slaves grew in fear of him because if he ever caught someone slacking off while they were supposed to be working they would be punished brutally. Douglass, from working in these difficult and treacherous conditions, lost his purpose. He had thought that he wanted to escape slavery when he was living in Baltimore because he had learned about the social dynamic of slavery, but now that desire had left him. When in Baltimore it was easier to learn about reading and writing because slavery was not as harsh there as it was in the south. The problem of racism grew for Douglass when he went back to the south. It made Douglass realize that it was not as easy as it seemed for him to end slavery. The terrible treatment that he received while working for Mr. Covey made Douglass break, which is what Covey was infamous for. Covey would constantly brag to the other slaveholders that he was the best at breaking slaves, which is the reason that they no longer had a desire for anything, let alone to learn. For the first time Douglass was able to relate to all of the slaves in America because he was sharing their dangerous struggle against society in a new way. He now knew how difficult slavery made trying to become educated enough to do something about their condition. Eventually, Douglass was successful in creating a school that he could teach the other slaves about reading and writing. This furthered his cause and made him gain hope for freedom again.
This was a very well written analysis. I really liked the quote that you chose. You supported it with details of how it connected to the theme of freedom and how he was changing because of slavery. I also liked how he talked about Mr. Covey being harsh and how his treatment was changing him.
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ReplyDelete“I could think of nothing, scarcely but my life; and in thinking of my life, I almost forgot my liberty. I have observed this in my experience of slavery, that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment , it only increased my desire to be free, and set me thinking of plans to gain my freedom”(21).
ReplyDeleteThis quote connects to the theme of freedom, and individual vs. society because he wanted to be a free individual in the society that he lived in. Frederick is saying that his experiences as a slave is causing him to realize that he does not want to live enslaved. The experiences that he had when he was given freedoms, including during the Holiday’s were times that he could know how it feels like to be free. This made his earning to escape more because he knew the value of his life was much more than what he was having. Since he was always working, this quote shows that he was reflecting on his life and how he was not treated fairly. This quote is summarizing the idea that when he was living with Mr. Freeland, his life was better and this made him realize how much better his life could get. This passage is connecting to individual vs. society because he was a slave that wanted to be free in a society where that was not going to be possible for him. Frederick exclaimed this as showing readers that his experiences were making him aware of the realities of himself as a slave. In this passage he was almost being sarcastic when he said “I almost forgot my liberty.” because he was proving to the slave owners that even if they gave him freedoms, he knew the overall life that he deserved and it wasn’t this. The author is revealing that Frederick is gaining mental and physical strength throughout his experiences. The purpose of this quote is to explain how Frederick is learning about himself and slavery through his good and bad experiences. This quote is informative about the whole message of the story which is showing how important freedom is and how it takes experiences of bad and good to know the worth of life. Frederick’s intentions of this quote could be to reach other slaves and show them that they too should be free. This could also be purposeful for readers to understand that the slaves were mentally weak also. The theme of freedom is everywhere in this story and this passage reveals it by putting into perspective of his personal experiences.
ReplyDelete“I was sometimes prompted to take my life, and that of Covey, but was prevented by a combination of hope and fear. My sufferings on this plantation seem now like a dream rather than a stern reality.” (10)
In this quote, Douglass talks about how awful he is treated by Mr. Covey. He was severely whipped weekly and had no time to heal in between each beating. When Douglass says that his sufferings were now a dream rather than a reality, it shows that being a slave under Mr. Covey was so terrifying that he hoped that it was a dream. Douglass looked at it as a dream so he could escape the terrors of reality. The overall theme in this chapter was to show how all slave owners were different, and many owners drove their own slaves to hurting themselves or others. While living with Covey, Douglass was treated far worse than he was while living with the Aulds. This chapter connected to the theme that slaves are not seen as people and were not given rights that most white people had during this time. Douglass and all slaves were treated as property; it seemed to be Douglass versus society and he was not given the freedom that he deserved. Covey looked at all of his slaves as property; Douglass was the only slave who was able to stand up to him. Freedom was also a theme throughout this chapter; it was something that was not given to slaves. Douglass wanted to be free so badly and living under the thumb of Covey made freedom look impossible. Douglass was fighting himself, and when he said he was prompted to take his own life, it showed that society did not take into consideration the lives or feelings of slaves. Overall, the theme in this chapter was that freedom can change depending on who Douglass worked for. When he worked for Covey it showed that freedom was not a thought that came into the minds of slaves. Douglass would rather look at his life as a dream so he did not have to face the cruelty of reality.
The response you wrote about this passage was very well written and touched on an important point that Fredrick Douglass was trying to make in the chapter. His message was that the cruel slave drivers who ran plantations drove slaves to their physical and psychological limits, leaving them at the brink of suicide. I think you explained this aspect quite well.
Delete“The holidays are part and parcel of the gross fraud, wrong, and inhumanity of slavery. They are professedly a custom established by the benevolence of the slaveholders; but I undertake to say, it is the result of selfishness, and one of the grossest frauds committed upon the down-trodden slave. They do not give the slaves this time because they would not like to have their work during its continuance, but because they know it would be unsafe to deprive them of it”(13).
ReplyDeleteIn this passage, Fredrick Douglass recounts the annual practice of the slaveholders to give a holiday where slave’s duties were suspended between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Douglass gives the reader insight into the truth behind a holiday for slaves, not coming from the feelings of compassion or pity for their slaves, but that holidays were merely another method of control to the slave-owners. This passage relates to the theme of freedom Fredrick Douglass feels throughout the narrative because he expresses his desires to be away from the corrupt world of slavery and its evil, corrupting nature. He explains that owners would give holiday time to slaves as a taste of freedom each year, so as to satisfy them. Their motive behind giving slaves freedom for some time each year, according to Douglass’ account, is “to disgust their slaves with freedom” (13). Slaves who asked for freedom were given artfully crafted deceptions by the slaveholder under the name of liberty, so as to make being free less appealing than slaves had believed. One plan of the slaveholders during the holiday season was to promote the drunkenness of slaves, occasionally holding drinking contests to see who could drink the most before becoming drunk. This mentioning of this event is used as a metaphor by Fredrick Douglass to mean that slavery was a contest to see which souls could stand against it the longest. The relation to the drinking contest is that after it was finished, all the slaves were drunk, just as slavery would take hold on every last person after being exposed long enough. Douglass points out the truth of slavery’s nature is to corrupt all with evil, extending to slaveholders turning even joyous holidays into clever deceptions to ensure supremacy. Fredrick Douglass uses this passage to explain the real motives behind the actions slave owners make.
Your analysis of the quote is very well written. It is an important part of the narrative how slave owners uses holidays as a form of control over slaves. Nice job
Delete“You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.”
ReplyDeleteThis sentence was the major turning point, the climax, of both Douglass’ narrative and his life. Douglass has suffered from the world making him a slave and with that denied education and literacy. He lost the ability to obtain knowledge, and being torn away from his mother by slave owners, he lost the human closeness of family. When being beaten and tortured by his white slave owners, he lost his sense of pride. In all of these ways, society turned Frederick Douglass, a man, into a slave. When Mrs. Auld taught Douglass how to read, it sparked an urge inside of him to overcome slavery at all costs. Douglass was made a man by his willingness to take risks for the sake of freedom. Mr. Covey strived to break the spirit of Douglass, by whipping him for 6 months straight and at least once a week. Douglass was mutating into an animal and the rest of the slaves were treated like cattle, by the way Mr. Covey constantly tore their will power with his whip raised high. Douglass’ lifelong risk taking for the sake of his freedom led up to the afternoon when he retaliated towards Mr. Covey’s beating and he soon regained his manhood back. Mentally, Douglass regained strength from his retaliation, but he has yet to be physically free from being a slave in the south. Douglass was once free, but the white folks made him a slave to society and now he is showing the reader how he, a slave, is salvaging his manhood. He was physically taken away from his home, his family, and daily life to what is now his worst nightmare. As Frederick Douglass rebels against being an unworthy slave, he gradually becomes the man he used to be, but free.
Frederick Douglass makes a strong point in his narrative about how slaveholders who are religious are much more abusive than non religious slaveholders. This comes at a time when he moves from Mr. Covey to Mr. Freeland. Mr. Covey had a religion, but he really only had it for looks. He made himself out to be a great guy. The truth was that he was very cruel and treated his slaves really bad. Covey had no respect for the slaves at all. Mr. Freeland was the opposite of Mr. Covey; he had no ties to a religion, he was not rich, he believed in some justice, and had a little respect towards slaves. Douglass describes that religious slaveholders are the cruelest because their religion is the cover for their violent actions. Although it was in the south and the majority of people were violent anyway, if a priest were to be seen beating a slave it could be viewed as a work done for God, or something like that. Slave owners with no faith had no cover like that. They would just be seen as violent and beating their slaves. Douglass’ tone throughout this quote, similar to earlier in the narrative, is not angry or upset towards the different owners. He is relaxed when saying this and is thankful Mr. Freeland is not one of the religious. Most people at first would assume that religious slaveholders would be the kinder people that respect humanity. Priest and brothers in the south would be the people that have good morals. Instead it is the people without a faith that respect life and humanity. This quote connects to the theme of survival because depending on which type of owner a slave would have makes their way of survival different. A slave would have to know if his owner is religious or not so they can know what to expect from them.
ReplyDelete“For of all slaveholders with whom I have ever met, religious slaveholders are the worst,” (4).
DeleteI enjoyed your connections to the fact that the religious slaveholders are the most abusive. I found this to be a deep and profound connection that I didn't see before.
DeleteQuote #13: “This battle with Mr. Covey was a turning-point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote connects to the themes of American realism: freedom, the American dream, racism, regionalism, survival, "individual vs. society," and "civilized society vs. the wilderness”.The first connection that is evident is the connection to the theme of freedom. Freedom is seen here through Douglass, and this is seen through Douglass in the way that he fought back against Mr. Covey and regained his dignity. This clearly shows the way that Douglass fought for his own dignity which connects to the theme of freedom. The next connection that can be seen is with the American dream. This is evident also when Douglass fights back against Covey. While Douglass fights him he is struggling to make his dream come true. That dream is to gain the physical respect that he deserves from Covey. This shows the American dream in the way that Douglass is trying to better his own life by chasing his dream of respect from Covey. The next theme that is see here is racism. This can be clearly seen in the way that Douglass had to fight for his own dignity which savery had taken away from him. The next theme that this quote connect to is regionalism. Regionalism can be seen in the treatment of slaves in the quote. The inhuman treatment of slaves shows regionalism in the way that this treatment was predominate in the south. The next theme that can be seen in this quote is survival. This can be seen in the way that Douglass fighting Covey not only was symbolic, but was also Douglass attempt to stay alives and avoid a beating. The second to last theme that can be seen in this quote is “individual vs. society”. This idea can be seen here in the way that Douglass fights Covey who represents the racist south, and Douglass fighting him back represents himself. This clearly shows “individual vs. society”. The last theme that is seen is “civilized society vs. wilderness”, and this can be seen in the way that Covey represents the wild nature of man while Douglass who fights back represents the civilized society trying to take control of their own nature.
I like how you showed specific examples about his dream of freedom. I also like how you incorporated so many themes.
Delete“O God, save me! God, deliver me! Let me be free! Is there any God? Why am I a slave? I will run away. I will not stand it. Get caught, or get clear, I’ll try it.”
ReplyDeleteThe theme of the quote is mainly connected to the ideas of freedom and the American Dream. This quote is connected to the idea of freedom because Douglass wants to become free by escaping the chains of slavery. He wants to be able to do everything as a free person. He is wondering why he isn’t free and his asking a god, if there is one, to deliver to freedom. He feels that he deserves to be free. He doesn’t deserve the terrible life of a slave. He comes to the fact that he will try to force himself into freedom by escaping. He says that he doesn’t care if he gets caught doing it or if he actually succeeds. All he really wants is to get out the slavery way of life. He wants more out of his life than just being a slave. He wants to be a free person that has all the same rights as everyone else. This quote can also be connected to the theme of the American Dream. The American Dream is the idea that one can have their own land and live their lives for themselves. This idea was prevalent in America during the time period that this narrative was published. This dream was accomplished by many people. This dream stayed a dream for a lot of other people. Douglass shared the dream with a lot of people. At this point in the narrative Douglass’ dream is just that, he hasn’t accomplished the dream yet. He might achieve the dream later on. He wishes for this dream to be completed. The main part of his dream is the fact of becoming free. For others afflicted with the American Dream already had freedom, they didn’t have to dream about that. They already had it. Douglass has their same dream plus the dream of freedom.
You did a really nice job analyzing such a short quote. Well done.
Delete"I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!"
ReplyDeleteThis quote relates to the two themes of racism and also individuality versus society. For the first theme, racism, this quote relates to it because racism had made Frederick Douglass this way. It had caused the slavery that had broken Douglass. At this point in Douglass’ life, it was basically a turning point because he had been truly affected by slavery and racism at this point. He had always had a bit of hopefulness in him, but at this point, he had basically been, as he had said, broken. At this time, he has basically been decimated and drained of any hope, but luckily for him, after being enslaved by Mr.Covey, and Mr.Freeland, he had escaped. At the time though, basically any chance of him escaping had been gone. On to the next theme, which is individuality versus society. The reason why this quote goes with that theme is because the individual, Douglass, was going up against society, slavery. In this case, slavery had emerged victorious, but later on he was able to fight it to a victory, but that happens later. This theme of individuality versus society is one that also is recurrent all throughout the whole writing. One of the major example of this is when Douglass was learning and read, because society said it was something that shouldn't happen, but Douglass fought and learned how to do that. To get back on topic though, this theme is vital, especially to this chapter and quote. All in all, this quote is one that is very important, not only to the chapter, but also to the story as a whole. Its relation to the two themes chosen, racism and individuality versus society is very effective with the two going basically hand in hand with the quote, the chapter, and the story as a whole.
I completely agree that at some point it seemed that Douglass was broken so bad that there was no recovering from it. This was a prime example of a single slave going into a fight with society and somehow coming out as the winner. This quote was broke down very well.
Delete"But, by this time, I began to want to live upon free land as well as with Freeland; and I was no longer content, therefore, to live with him or any other slaveholder."
ReplyDeleteThis quote by Douglass focuses on the American Dream for than any other key concept. It shows that reader that even though Douglass is thrilled to work for Freeland and that he is happy in that he in the position he’s in, deep down he still wants to be free. He would love to come back and work for Freeland, but he wants to be a free man to live his life and make his own decisions more than anything else he could dream of. I don’t blame him he is such a smart willing man with so much potential, but he ends up stuck as a slave where all he can really do is eat, sleep, do farm work, and in Freeland’s hands study on Sunday’s. Douglass is extremely conflicted, but knows that being free lets him fulfill the potential that he knows he has and lets him grow into being a truly great man, which is what ends up happening. More than that it lets him have a chance to share his entire story with the world and let people see slavery in his eyes. This autobiography showed people of the north how brutally bad it truly is in the south and showed them why they should be fighting so hard to end slavery and free these poor people. Douglass also saw that even though Freeland was the best slave owner that he ever had, he still saw him as no more than a simple minded slave that was practically useless for anything, but hard labor. Since Freeland saw him as nothing, but this he had no reason to stay and know that he would never reach anything better than what he was doing there.
ReplyDelete“I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed me into a brute!”
Frederick Douglass discusses how much life at Mr. Covey’s changed him as a person. This connects to the themes of freedom, survival, and “individual vs. society”. The effects of Mr. Covey’s treatment to Douglass restricted his freedom not only physically, but mentally. Douglass wanted to learn to read and write and become an educated slave so he could become a free man. Not only did Mr. Covey’s harsh treatment restrict him from being a free man; he was restricted from having free thoughts as well. Douglass now felt like broken down from all of the mistreatment that he no longer had a desire to learn and follow his dreams. Mr. Covey ultimately destroyed him as a person. The fact that he was restricted so greatly through mind and body follows the theme of freedom and how Douglass felt so far from it. This also follows the theme of survival due to how it Douglass wanted to continue to learn and work towards freedom and that idea was one of the only things keeping him alive. However, when Mr. Covey ruined his spirit and soul, this makes Douglass feel as if he does not want to live any longer. He reaches a point where he wants to die. Luckily, his spirit eventually returns which was the little bit left that was helping his survival. Lastly, the theme of “individual vs society” is shown through this and how Douglass wanted to learn and do something that is not accepted in society, however, the torture of living with Covey made this urge go away. Ultimately, Douglass felt as though his personal feelings and thoughts had been stripped of him by Covey and he no longer felt the same passion as he had before. This is how the themes of freedom, survival, and “individual vs society” are shown in this text.
This is a great a quote. I agree that Douglass is discussing how living with Mr.Covey has changed him. I also agree that Mr.Covey's treatment of him restricted him from having free thoughts too. You related this quote to themes from American realism very well.
Delete“My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place; and I now resolved that, however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact. I did not hesitate to let it be known of me, that the white man who
ReplyDeleteexpected to succeed in whipping must also succeed in killing me.” (13)
This is Douglass thinking to himself after he gets into a fight with Mr.Covey. This became a turning point for Douglass as he regained confidence to seek freedom. He is willing to try hard enough to gain freedom even if he dies in the process. He starts to talk about how good he felt right here as he began his path to being a free man. Douglass is saying in this quote that he had lost hope of ever gaining freedom but that in this moment of defiance he regained the courage to try. This quote is an example of a paradox. Douglass says that while he is still a slave, after today he is technically a freeman. This means that Douglass is almost certain that he will escape from slavery even though it might take him awhile. Even if he never escapes slavery they will never again be able to control how he thinks or be able to force him to think like a slave is suppose to after this fight with Mr.Covey. Douglass does not think like a slave because he is an educated man and knows that he deserves to be granted certain inalienable rights. This quote is connected to the theme of freedom as it is what Douglass is speaking about in it. The fight with Mr.Covey and this conclusion give Douglass hope that he will one day be a freeman.
I enjoyed that you commented on how Frederick Douglass was determined to become free; he had the positive thoughts in his head, and he knew he would eventually become free one day. You may want to elaborate on the theme of freedom in American realism. Altogether a well thought out response to the quote you chose.
Delete“I had been at my new home but one week before Mr. Covey gave me a very severe whipping, cutting my back, causing the blood to run, and raising ridges on my flesh as large as my little finger.” (8)
ReplyDeleteThis quote comes from The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an autobiography written by Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass was born and raised in slavery, but he eventually freed himself. This quote takes place in the beginning of chapter ten of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. What Douglass is saying describes how harshly Mr. Covey treated him; leaving cuts on his skin as large as his little pinky finger. The reasoning for the severe punishment is that Frederick Douglass was not a very talented field worker, and Mr. Covey still sent him out to do work with oxen. Mr. Covey made Frederick Douglass go out in the woods on a cold January morning to retrieve wood. He sent Douglass out with a team of unbroken Oxen, and the team crashed two times. This quote connects with the theme of survival in American realism. The theme of survival in American realism connects to this quote because Frederick Douglass nearly faces death twice due to the crashes of the oxen carts, and when he returns Mr. Covey beats him so brutally that he could be killed. Frederick Douglass realized that he may be killed or severely beaten when he returns to the plantation due to the damaged cart and the possibly injured oxen, but that does not stop him from returning. Also, Mr. Covey was most likely not too pleased that this task of retrieving wood took Frederick Douglass half of the day instead of one or two hours. Frederick Douglass keeps up a strong mental state in order to survive being enslaved at Mr. Covey’s plantation. Douglass comes to the realization that the only way he will ever become free and survive is if he keeps up a positive attitude, especially when it comes to being harshly treated by his masters.
very good support in your analysis and i enjoyed how you selected this quote which related to the brutality of slavery. You related this well to American realism and your analysis was solid.
Delete"This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning-point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood. It recalled the departed self-confidence, and inspired me again with a determination to be free. The gratification afforded by the triumph was a full compensation for whatever else might follow, even death itself. He only can understand the deep satisfaction which I experienced, who has himself repelled by force the bloody arm of slavery. I felt as I never felt before. It was a glorious resurrection, from the tomb of slavery, to the heaven of freedom."
ReplyDeleteThis passage describes Douglass' internal feelings after triumphantly winning a brawl against his slaveholder, Mr. Covey. Douglass describes how after this fight, Douglass ceases to ever be whipped again, which he attributes much to the respect he gained after this fight, which he describes as a,"turning-point in my career as a slave" This victory added to Douglass' own thirst to be a free man, which connects to American Realism in the form of the American Dream. Douglass has the American Dream in mind at most times in his life as a slave, his dreams being to be a free man and to be able to do as he pleases as a citizen of the United States of America. Thus is apparent in his multiple attempts to escape and to learn to read in his lifetime, which do pay off eventually as he eventually escapes into the north and becomes a free man after all. Douglass' thirst for freedom is a dream in which many people in history have come to America to quench, however in Douglass' situation, being in america is what had enslaved him for much of his life. Although the US bore slavery in it's south, douglass shows the fact of just how bad it was in the region of the south, this passage shows the satisfaction felt by Douglass after he gained a small sense of respect while working in the south where prior to this event, he had been beaten and abused countless times in his life there. This moment is a very "individual vs society" esque moment in Douglass' life as a slave; he shows feelings of triumph is a place where his own life is brought to a monetary amount. Throughout the narrative Douglass speaks very little of his personal ties with other people in his life, which puts the story into a perspective where readers see that in the life of a slave, it is you vs the world.