You will need to download the $1 copy on the FREE KINDLE app of Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave found here:
https://www.amazon.com/Narrative-Frederick-Douglass-Biographical-Introduction-ebook/dp/B000FC1C28/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=9780674034013&qid=1619455783&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
Please read it before doing this assignment. It is a very short novel. I will transfer the addition $1 into my funds and let essayshark support know that the $1 extra is to reimburse you.
I would recommend that you take a peek at the assignment before you really dig into the book. Knowing what questions you have to answer ahead of time will make the assignment easier. I think it also will be useful to jot down page numbers next to certain questions as you go. The lecture in class 15A (I will attach this lecture,) will also be useful in putting the antebellum north into a bit more context. I’d recommend you make time to watch that before you turn in your final work on this assignment.
Frederick Douglass was a brilliant man who did much to move the United States to better live up to its stated ideals, but he was almost lost to the institution of slavery. After Douglass escaped slavery in 1838, he dedicated great efforts to convincing Northerners to join the abolitionist fight. In his direct but moving speeches and writings, he told Americans from non-slaveholding areas that slavery was more brutal than they had been led to believe and that it did harm to all directly and indirectly involved in it.
Assignment:
Be as specific as possible when answering the following questions. The best answers will contain at least four complete sentences. Show me you did the reading by providing specific examples and parenthetical references to pages in the book. [Basically (Douglass, pg. 67)] At least half of your answers should include a quote. Type up and double-space your answers. All work should be done on your own; plagiarism will earn an F.
1. Douglass dedicates the first five chapters of his narrative to painting a picture of life for enslaved people on plantations. How do we see that enslaved people are treated more like animals than people?
2. What relationship does Frederick have with his family members?
3. At many points in the book, we see that Black lives are not valued in the south. What place does violence play in controlling enslaved people? What moment of violence do you think might most shockand awaken– a northern reader?
4. Douglass is aware that many in the north think that enslaved people are fairly content. How does he demonstrate that that is a myth and that northerners have been presented with an inaccurate depiction of slavery? How does he actively overturn some misconceptions?
5. Why does Douglass so actively purse literacy and education?
6. Many of the northerners who got involved in abolition were deeply religious. What place does Douglass show religion plays in the south? How do you think religious northerners would respond to that?
7. What moments in the book demonstrate that slavery brings out the worst in the white people involved in it? How does Douglass show that slavery as an institution was harmful not only to those enslaved, but to all those touched by it?
8. The battle with Covey is epic in the narrative. What do Douglasss interactions with Covey tell you about the impact slavery could have on the human spirit?
9. One of the reasons that many opposed slavery in the United States was because it interfered with free peoples ability to earn the full fruits of labor and make the best wages possible. How do Douglasss descriptions of his work as a caulker give you insight into that idea?
10. Southerners argued that without slavery, the economy would fall apart. How does Douglass counter that argument?
11. If a northerner were to read this book, what do you think would be the central thing that would make them support abolition?
12. This book and Douglasss broader work had a tremendous impact on discussions about slavery in the United States and is still widely read today. Why do you think it was so impactful? (For this question, you might think about how he writes and not just what he writes.)
