Frederick Douglass Motif of Animals - 1045 Words

Michaela Barney Mr. Ried AP English 21 October 2011 Douglass: Motif of Animals In today’s society, almost all people are seen the same way, people have faults about them and have different traits, but all are considered human, men and woman are able to hold the same positions and jobs, and people of all races are able to live together in society. Frederick Douglass was born, and raised, a slave in the 1800s; life was very different, African Americans and white Americans were not seen as equals. As a young boy, Douglass was sent to Baltimore where he learned to read and write. By learning to read and write, Douglass knew the difference between slavery and freedom was literacy. After this crucial time in his life,†¦show more content†¦Douglass characterizes slave owners as fierce and wild animals such as tigers and snakes; he characterizes slaves as simple farm animals such as horses, cattle, and pigs (49). By comparing slaves and slave owners to these different types of animals, he contrasts their traits. Slave owners were seen as powerful , and beastly; while slaves were seen as powerless and very weak. Douglass not only describes slaves as animals, but he describes slave treatment as if they were animals to further describe the horrendous lives of slaves. Slaves were fed food in troughs (36). By choosing the word â€Å"trough†, Douglass emphasizes the poor treatment of slaves; slaves were not good enough to be fed from bowls or plates, they were no better than animals. Douglass also compares women on the plantations to breeding animals. Women were expected to reproduce in order to increase their masters’ wealth, not to create a family. Women and children were separated before the child was a year old so they would not form familial bonds with one another. When Douglass’ own mother died, he compared it to a stranger dying because he had no connection with her (18). Slaves were not only thought of animals, but also fostered as animals. Douglass describes Mr. Covey as a â€Å"nigger-breaker†, Douglass was broken in â€Å"body, soul, and spiri t† byShow MoreRelatedNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay1132 Words   |  5 PagesMAJOR WORKS REVIEW GENERAL 1. Title – Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass 2. Author – Frederick Douglass 3. Date of Original Publication – 1845 4. Novel Type – Autobiography STRUCTURE 1. Point of View – First Person Point of View 2. Relationship to meaning: This point of view allows us to see how it was for Frederick Douglass from his own perspective. 3. Plot Structure a. Exposition – The story begins by Frederick Douglass being born in TalbotCounty, Maryland sometime around 1817 or 1818Read MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesand peace so consciously pursued through the establishment of international organizations and diplomatic exchanges. Despite these endeavors, the levels of domestic and international violence within human populations and the ravages visited upon animals and the natural world by humans vastly exceeded that of any previous era in history. In a century where human communities globally and individuals locally had the potential to be much more intensely connected by new communications technologies