THE LIFE AND TIMES OF FREDRICK DOUGLAS

The life and time of Fredrick Douglas

Introduction

Frederick Douglass' Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, one of the finest nineteenth years slave narratives, is the autobiography of the most well-known African American of his time. The narrative chronicles Douglass' early life, ending soon after his get away from slavery when he was roughly twenty. It focuses on formative familiarity that stand out in his life for their demonstration of the cruelty of slavery and of his proficiency to tolerate and transcend such conditions with his humanity intact. (Chander 2002)

Douglass' work follows the formula of many slave narratives of his day. He structures his story in a linear fashion, beginning with what little information he knew about his origins and progressing episodically through to his escape north. His recurring theme is the brutal nature of slavery, with an emphasis on the persevering humanity of the slaves despite unspeakable trials and the inhumanity of slave owners.

Other themes common to Douglass' and other slave narratives are the hypocrisy of white Christianity, the linkage of literacy to the desire for and attainment of freedom, and the assurance that with liberty the former slave achieved not only a new sense of self-worth but also an economic self-sufficiency. Douglass' work is characteristic of the nineteenth century in that it is melodramatic and at times didactic. (William 2005)

Hypothesis statement

The Douglas did not live a successful life and did not find anything worthy in his entire way.

Main Plot and significant features of novel

Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Written by Himself documents the author's life in the 1800's, a years that includes Douglass's birth in its second ten years and his ascension to governmental appointments during the 1870's and 1880's. Douglass's third autobiography is split up into three sections. Part 1, in the same kind as Douglass's previous autobiographies, focuses on the first twenty years of Douglass's life as a slave in Maryland. (Gass 2006)

Life and Times of Frederick Douglass is an autobiographical Buildings roman that is more than Douglass's coming-of-age story; it is also an eloquent narrative of Douglass's choosing to live his life as a free man instead of living his life as a slave owner's chattel.

Reason to study

Despite its conventional traits, however, Douglass' work transcends formulaic writing. The author's astute analyses of the psychology of slavery, his eloquent assertions of self, and his striking ...