Frederick Douglass was born into slavery sometime in 1817 or 1818. Like many slaves, he is unsure of his exact date of birth. Douglass is separated from his mother, Harriet Bailey, soon after he is born. His father is most likely their white master, Captain Anthony. Captain Anthony is the clerk of a rich man …
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Plot Overview Read More »
Summary: Preface by William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison, founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society, describes his first encounter with Frederick Douglass at an antislavery convention in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 1841. This encounter led to a long partnership between Douglass and the Anti-Slavery Society. At the convention, Douglass spoke to the audience about his life …
Summary: Chapter III Douglass continues detailing Colonel Lloyd’s home plantation where he grew up. Lloyd has a large cultivated garden that people from all over Maryland come to see. Some slaves can not resist eating fruit out of it. To prevent them, Lloyd puts tar on the fence surrounding the garden and whips any slave …
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Chapters III–IV Read More »
Summary: Chapter V Douglass does not work in the fields as a child because children are not strong enough. He has some free time outside his regular tasks. Douglass often accompanies the Colonel’s grandson, Daniel, as a servant on hunting expeditions. Daniel eventually becomes attached to Douglass, which is to Douglass’s advantage. Douglass still suffers, …
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Chapters V–VI Read More »
Summary: Chapter I I received the tidings of [my mother’s] death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger. (See Important Quotations Explained) Douglass was born in Talbot County, Maryland, though he does not know the year, as most slaves are not allowed to know their ages. …
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Chapters I–II Read More »
Summary: Chapter VII Douglass lives in Hugh Auld’s household for about seven years. During this time, he is able to learn how to read and write, though Mrs. Auld is hardened and no longer tutors him. Slavery hurts Mrs. Auld as much as it hurts Douglass himself. The mentality of slavery strips her of her …
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Chapters VII–VIII Read More »
Summary: Chapter IX Douglass arrives to live at Thomas Auld’s in March 1832. Life under Auld is particularly difficult because Auld does not give the slaves enough food. Douglass works in the kitchen alongside his sister, Eliza; his aunt, Priscilla; and another woman, Henny. They have to beg or steal food from neighbors to survive, …
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Chapters IX–X Read More »
From Douglass’s fight with Covey through end of Chapter X Summary In coming to a fixed determination to run away, we did more than Patrick Henry, when he resolved upon liberty or death. (See Important Quotations Explained) The fight with Covey causes Douglass to regain his spirit and defiance, as well as his resolve to …
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Chapter X (continued) Read More »
Summary: Chapter XI Douglass explains that the final chapter of his Narrative portrays the part of his life during which he escaped from slavery. He explains, however, that the chapter does not describe the exact means of his escape, as he does not want to give slaveholders any information that would help them prevent other …
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Chapter XI & Appendix Read More »
id=”Frederick Douglass”> Frederick Douglass – The author and narrator of the Narrative. Douglass, a rhetorically skilled and spirited man, is a powerful orator for the abolitionist movement. One of his reasons for writing the Narrative is to offer proof to critics who felt that such an articulate and intelligent man could not have once been a …
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Character List Read More »