Dehumanization Of Slavery In Frederick Douglasss...

When looking at the idea the United States emphasizes freedom vs. emphasizing the very real existence of chattel slavery. The issue of slavery in America was not as easily thought as black and white. Mostly, people in the North were opposed to slavery, while the South promoted it. However, many people were indifferent. People in the North could see slavery as neither good nor bad, instead a way of Southern life. Frederick Douglass, knowing the North was home to lots of abolitionists, wrote his narrative â€Å"Narrative of Life† in order to show indifferent people in the north to see slavery as the shameful practice that it is. Douglass focuses on dehumanization of slaves, existence of slavery, and freedom in order to get his point across.†¦show more content†¦When Douglass was a young boy, he witnessed for the first time a slave getting whipped, Douglasss first encounter was of extreme cruelty that slaveholders can have. The slave receiving the whipping is Douglass Au nt Hester. By witnessing this Douglass sees that slaves are treated no better than animals, they lived in continuous fear of being beaten if they did not behave. The issue of freedom is here as well. Do these animals have more freedom then themselves, it seems so. The slave owners dehumanized the slaves with the power of the whip, showing the horrors of traditional slavery and property they have over slaves. Issues of freedom vs being enslaved did not stop with whippings. Douglass has memories when it was time to eat, our food was coarse corn meal boiled. This was called mush. It was put into a large wooded tray or trough, and set down upon the ground. The children were then called, like so many pigs they would come and devour the mush; some with oyster-shells, others with pieces of shingle, some with naked hands, and none with spoons. He that ate the fastest got most; he that was strongest secured the best place; and few left the trough satisfied (Douglass 957). This moment they have of them eating a meal could be that of rats fighting over garbage. This was no way to treat hardworking people that had worked all day long. Douglass experiences the discomforts of hunger and cold during his time as a slave.Show MoreRelatedDehumanization Of Frederick Douglass1419 Words   |  6 PagesThe Dehumanization of Slaves and the Black Race of People in America, as Portrayed in the Autobiography Nar rative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and the Television Show Roots   Ã‚  Ã‚   Since the beginning of American history, the black race has been the inferior race during times of slavery and times of freedom for black people. 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