The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass - An American Slave
Douglass begins by saying that he does not know his birthday and this bothers him. What a simple statement yet is conveys so much of the laments of an ex slave and the cruelty of the slave system. Douglass was a famous orator who wrote his memoirs as a means of discussing abolition. The writings of Frederick Douglass are seen as being the most influential in the 19th centu...more
Paperback, 112 pages
Published
September 6th 2007
by Book Jungle
(first published 1845)
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Thank you Mr. Douglass…this was a life changer for me. You are a true American hero and the fact that there are not more monuments, government buildings, holidays or other commemorations of your life seems to me an oversight of epic proportions.
How often is it that you can honestly say that you’ll never be the same after reading a book? Well, this life story of a singular individual has changed me....irrevocably. I will never be able to sufficiently express my gratitude to Mr. Doug...more
How often is it that you can honestly say that you’ll never be the same after reading a book? Well, this life story of a singular individual has changed me....irrevocably. I will never be able to sufficiently express my gratitude to Mr. Doug...more
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I know that most Goodreads members probably have their minds made up about slavery by now, but I had forgotten until recently what a remarkable piece of literature this is:
"On the one hand, there stood slavery, a stern reality,
glaring frightfully upon us,- its robes already crimsoned
with the blood of millions, and even now feasting itself
greedily upon our own flesh. On the other hand,
away back in the dim distance, under the flickering light
of the n...more
"On the one hand, there stood slavery, a stern reality,
glaring frightfully upon us,- its robes already crimsoned
with the blood of millions, and even now feasting itself
greedily upon our own flesh. On the other hand,
away back in the dim distance, under the flickering light
of the n...more
This is one of the most amazing pieces of writing I have ever read. Unfortunately, I grew up in Texas--a fact for which I have only recently forgiven my parents, with difficulty--and therefore was never forced to read anything more incendiary than To Kill a Mocking Bird or Uncle Tom's Cabin. Digression: Also, I had a creationist biology teacher. But yes. We didn't read any firsthand slave narratives. I don't even remember learning about the civil rights movements. Maybe we did. All of this jibba...more
Not bad for a guy who taught himself to write while his masters weren't looking. Even the smallest knowledge of Douglass' post-slave life makes you wonder at the title: Who would have the gall to chain him up, of all men? The facts of slavery are still frightening after all this time. What makes it scarier is that Douglass was in Maryland, the Northernmost of southern states. Evidentally, the farther south you were the worse it was, so if this happened in Maryland, I don't like to think about Lo...more
Who better to tell the story of a slave than a slave? Who better to tell the story of Frederick Douglass than Frederick Douglass? Fluent and powerful, this book offers insight into the conatus (!) that makes the slave declare his freedom at any cost.
I have often been utterly astonished, since I came to the north, to find persons who could speak of the singing, among slaves, as evidence of their contentment and happiness. It is impossible to conceive of a greater mistake. Slaves sing ...more
I have often been utterly astonished, since I came to the north, to find persons who could speak of the singing, among slaves, as evidence of their contentment and happiness. It is impossible to conceive of a greater mistake. Slaves sing ...more
It is a credit to Frederick Douglass's keen perception that a book written over one hundred and seventy years ago about the evils of slavery can be pertinent today. We cannot afford to overlook Douglass's observations of how gaining power works on his masters. Even though the dynamics of master and slave are gone today, many people still exercise authority over others, parents over children, employers over employees, clergy over their congregations, and politicians over their constituencies. ...more
Jenny
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
any humans, but especially literate racists, if there are any.
I read this book for the first time in 1998 in a classroom setting. Having remembered that I liked it then, I re-read it during my early pregnancy, back when I had a lot of time and could keep both eyes in one spot for an extended period of time. I don't know if it was the hormones, or just the fact that I wasn't feeling the pressure of being the only white girl in the African American Literature class, but it was even better than I had previously remembered it.
Quick quote from a c...more
Quick quote from a c...more
Tyler
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
History and Biography fans
Shelves:
non-fiction
The book best suits history buffs and fans of biographies. The writing itself, while clearly that of an educated man with a point of view to put forth, also brings into the narrative the issues of alcohol and women's rights. Bringing up these issues tends to distract from the main theme, the evils of slavery. Also, the style is too emotionally forceful, where a little bit of subtlety would have illustrated the point better. The mention of earning one's own way would strike modern readers as ...more
One of the functions of literature is to educate its reader or broaden their minds. Even fiction can have this effect, by opening one's mind to fantasy or alternate realities. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass serves to do both: educate and broaden.
The story allows the reader to grasp the realities of slavery which, especially for today's reader, feel very remote. By providing a first hand account of his experiences, the reader is right there alongside him, understanding the emo...more
The story allows the reader to grasp the realities of slavery which, especially for today's reader, feel very remote. By providing a first hand account of his experiences, the reader is right there alongside him, understanding the emo...more
From the back cover: "Published in 1845, this autobiography powerfully details the life of the internationally famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass from his birth into slavery in [about:] 1818 to his escape to the North in 1838--how he endured the daily physical and spiritual brutalities of his owners and drivers, how he learned to read and write, and how we grew into a man who could only live free or die."
To say this is a moving book would be an understatement. Douglass'...more
To say this is a moving book would be an understatement. Douglass'...more
What's great about this short little wonder is that it functions very well outside of its historical context. It's an important document, no doubt, about human cruelty. We can teach the book as a lessons-learned about abolitionism, or even prop Frederick Douglass up as a compassionate, brave, can-do man who escaped and changed the world. But what's also fascinating is his love-hate relationship with his own knowledge. He understands that ignorance promulgates acceptance among slaves; he understa...more
This is surprisingly short -- I think the other, later versions (My Bondage and My Freedom and The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass) are longer. It ends just a bit after his successful escape in 1838, at the age of about 20. So basically, no excuse not to read it!
Douglass is one of my heroes. He was an amazing leader, extremely intelligent, resourceful, and compassionate. I think he really understood people.
One of my favorite passages is about Mrs. Auld, one of his owners...more
Douglass is one of my heroes. He was an amazing leader, extremely intelligent, resourceful, and compassionate. I think he really understood people.
One of my favorite passages is about Mrs. Auld, one of his owners...more
This was a painful, powerful read. I read recently that most slaves were treated well, that just as it does not benefit the owner of a horse to beat his horse because he then gets less work from the horse and it is no longer as valuable, slave owners had economic incentive to take good care of their high-priced slaves. What I read claimed that much of what we read about slavery is the worst case scenarios written by abolitionists to encourage the end of slavery. Frederick Douglass, admittedly an...more
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was an insightful book. I like reading books where people have been through struggles and yet persevered. Douglass was a slave who had all the odds against him but yet knew what he wanted and went after it. He learned how to read in a time when that was suppose to be unthinkable for Blacks. He literally defeated all the odds which was very remarkable. I feel as though there aren't as many remarkable stories like his in this age because things are a...more
Kalah W
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
EVERYONE
Recommended to Kalah by:
TEACHER
I was somewhat skeptical yet interested in reading " Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass", Skeptical because I felt as though it would be somewhat out of my interest zone because it was a narrative. Though it was a Narrative it had to do with history, and I am fond of reading and learning about history. The Narrative of Fredrick was was a difficult book to comprehend in many different ways, it was so much text and some of what Fredrick Douglass would discuss seemed a bit more c...more
I did not really enjoy this book but it taught me a lot and it also helped me respect black people a little bit more. It also helped me appreciate what I have and the life I live now. I didn’t like the book because of the topic that it was written on, the way it was written was very detailed, which was great, but it was too real for me. The fact that I could visualize what was going on and imagine what the slaves were going through made me hate the book. While reading the book, it made me have...more
This Autobiography was view changing. Honestly, I could not stand having to read another book about slavery. However, when I begin to read this book my interest was captured. I was not used to someone who had been a former slave writing such a intellectual story. His autobiography was a riveting tale that exposed the reader to his world. Having to learn to read on his own because those around him wanted him ignorant to education was something that would have gotten him into a lot of trouble. I h...more
I believe that this book did not completely grab my attention as a reader because the words that were used were very confusing. The book showed how slavery was and how it had different affects on different people. It showed the true meaning of how important education is because with out an education, Frederick Douglass would have just been a slave that wanted to get an education but he knew that would have never happened. Frederick Douglass taking it upon himself to teach himself how to read sh...more
I honestly didn't like the Narrative life of Frederick Douglass; it is not a book one enjoys due to the extreme discrimination towards African Americans. But what I did like was that it gave me a whole new perspective of slavery and how life where for them and what they did to get freedom. Before reading this book, i knew that African Americans where to most people in slavery who suffered, the fact that Frederick Douglass was able to free himself from it was amazing and was able to help others w...more
Not a review, but an essay.
The More We Learn, the Less We Understand
The Paradox of Education in ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass’
“Only the educated are free,” said the Greek philosopher Epictetus in the first century AD. The educated are able to leave their shackles behind and free themselves from of a life of slavery by being able to use their minds to explore and challenge the world in which they live. To Frederick Douglass, a former slave, educa...more
The More We Learn, the Less We Understand
The Paradox of Education in ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass’
“Only the educated are free,” said the Greek philosopher Epictetus in the first century AD. The educated are able to leave their shackles behind and free themselves from of a life of slavery by being able to use their minds to explore and challenge the world in which they live. To Frederick Douglass, a former slave, educa...more
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The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass is simple what it states. It is the story of Fredrick Douglass's life by himself.
It starts out in his younger years but he doesnt state the year of his birth because he isnt sure of the year he was born. But he guesses he is twelve. He finds out how old he is later in the book when he learns how to read and write. when Fredrick was twelve years old he is sold to a family in Baltimore. where she serves house like a little house boy ...more
It starts out in his younger years but he doesnt state the year of his birth because he isnt sure of the year he was born. But he guesses he is twelve. He finds out how old he is later in the book when he learns how to read and write. when Fredrick was twelve years old he is sold to a family in Baltimore. where she serves house like a little house boy ...more
Quite simply, this is one of the most important works ever written by an American author. I read this narrative of Douglass’ life in the eighth grade (outside of the classroom) and was shocked at the true horrors of slavery. Sure, I’d seen “Roots” before and I’d learned in school about how terrible it was, but I never fully wrapped my mind around it until I read Douglass’ account. Really, it’s all in the details -- the kind of stuff they deem “inappropriate” for school even though it’s a much mo...more
Dandelion Dalek
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Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Dandelion by:
Class booklist, and thusly, the professor
A disclaimer: This book was read for class.
Disregarding the style in which Douglass' "Narrative" is written, and I'm assuming is very similar to how he would deliver speech at anti-slavery meetings, the content is horrifying. I can't even begin to imagine, with any amount of truth beyond a few choice kernels, how this narrative would have been received in Mr. Douglass' own time. Sure, there is plenty of text, documentary, and more laid down about the reactions to pieces suc...more
Disregarding the style in which Douglass' "Narrative" is written, and I'm assuming is very similar to how he would deliver speech at anti-slavery meetings, the content is horrifying. I can't even begin to imagine, with any amount of truth beyond a few choice kernels, how this narrative would have been received in Mr. Douglass' own time. Sure, there is plenty of text, documentary, and more laid down about the reactions to pieces suc...more
Graphically, unsentimental remembrance of his life as a slave. Literacy drove his quest for freedom.
Favorite quotes:
“I did not, when a slave, understand the deep meaning of those ..songs. They told a tale of woe which was then altogether beyond my feeble comprehension; they were tones loud, long, and deep; they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish. Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for del...more
Favorite quotes:
“I did not, when a slave, understand the deep meaning of those ..songs. They told a tale of woe which was then altogether beyond my feeble comprehension; they were tones loud, long, and deep; they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish. Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for del...more
This is a tremendously important book, and I am surprised (but I suppose I should not be) that I have not read it before. It is a fairly straightforward narrative of life as a slave; Douglass was permanently separated from his mother soon after birth, his father being either her owner or one of his white household, in Maryland in about 1818; he endured the casual brutality - both the physical violence and the constant psychological degradation of enslavement - for about twenty-five years before ...more
Read for my book club-we all are reading a different biography. When I went to my local library, I saw this and became interested. Living in South Carolina, I am so interested in how the South went from slavery to segregation to desegregation.
This narrative from a former slave who became a statesman is powerful stuff. Instead of focusing on the brutality of slave owners, the main criticism was of a man being treated as property. Because of a set of lucky circumstances combined with...more
This narrative from a former slave who became a statesman is powerful stuff. Instead of focusing on the brutality of slave owners, the main criticism was of a man being treated as property. Because of a set of lucky circumstances combined with...more
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Eliza Brittni
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
History lovers
Recommended to Eliza Brittni by:
Mr. Carson
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machinery of oppression | 1 | 3 | Mar 16, 2010 03:25pm | |
| Douglass' abolitionism sexist? | 1 | 6 | Mar 09, 2010 03:37pm | |
| Slavery in America | 1 | 14 | Jan 27, 2008 05:32am |
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“I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of the land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels. Never was there a clearer case of 'stealing the livery of the court of heaven to serve the devil in.' I am filled with unutterable loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show, together with the horrible inconsistencies, which every where surround me. We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members. The man who wields the blood-clotted cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus. . . . The slave auctioneer’s bell and the church-going bell chime in with each other, and the bitter cries of the heart-broken slave are drowned in the religious shouts of his pious master. Revivals of religion and revivals in the slave-trade go hand in hand together. The slave prison and the church stand near each other. The clanking of fetters and the rattling of chains in the prison, and the pious psalm and solemn prayer in the church, may be heard at the same time. The dealers in the bodies and souls of men erect their stand in the presence of the pulpit, and they mutually help each other. The dealer gives his blood-stained gold to support the pulpit, and the pulpit, in return, covers his infernal business with the garb of Christianity. Here we have religion and robbery the allies of each other—devils dressed in angels’ robes, and hell presenting the semblance of paradise.”
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“I may be deemed superstitious, and even egotistical, in regarding this event as a special interposition of divine Providence in my favor. But I should be false to the earlierst sentiments of my soul, if I suppressed the opinion. I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and incur my own abhorrence. From my earliest recollection, I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that slavery would not always be able to hold me within its foul embrace; and in the darkest hours of my career in slavery, this living word of faith and spirit of hope departed not from me, but remained like ministering angels to cheer me through the gloom. This good spirit was from God, and to him I offer thanksgiving and praise.”
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