American Lit

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass

slave who escaped to freedom and wrote about his experience, abolitionist

Captain Anthony

Douglass's first master, not very rich, worked for Colonel Lloyd as a clerk and superintendent, inhumane

Colonel Lloyd

super rich, lots of farms, up to 1000 slaves, doesn't own Douglass, Anthony works for him

Captain Thomas Auld

son in law of Captain Anthony, Douglass is sent to him, doesn't vouch for Douglass but lets him stay overnight

Hugh Auld

Forbids his wife to teach Douglass to read, not nice

Sophia Auld

not used to having a slave, very kind, but the power overtakes her and she become a mean slaveholder

Edward Covey

known as a slave breaker, very harsh, but lacks control and leaves Douglass alone after a fight

Betsy Bailey

Douglass's grandmother, served Captain Anthony very faithfully her whole life, took care of him until his death, left to die in the woods when she is weak and old

Aunt Hester

Douglass's aunt, severely whipped for being out with another slave when Captain Anthony wanted her

Harriet Bailey

Douglass's mother, walks 12 miles at night and back to see her son, only happens a few times before her death, never spoke much

William Freeland

Douglass's best owner, had some respect for humanity, not rich, owned to slaves, Henry and John

Anna Murray

Douglass's wife from Baltimore, married after Douglass's escape

Nathan Johnson

abolitionist that helped Douglass get started in a free life, a working man

Mr. Gore

heartless cruel overseer, using good qualities for evil purposes, anything is offense, he is always right

Mr. Severe

cruel overseer, very profane, took pleasure in whipping

What were arguments slaveholders used to justify slavery?

they treated the slaves like animals, dehumanized them, used the story of Ham's descendants being cursed to slavery, "slaves obey your masters"

How does Douglass refute the justifications of slavery throughout his novel?

gives examples of slaves being humans, their desire to be free, the fact that they are being dehumanized and the slaveholders know it proves they know they are human

How does Douglass appeal to Ethos in his novel?

he starts the novel by stating his background and everything he knows about himself to show his credibility

How does Douglass appeal to Pathos in his novel?

vividly describes the brutal treatment slaves received, describing emotion of people to bring emotion to the reader

How does Douglass appeal to Logos in his novel?

logically, if your father is white, you aren't a direct descendent of Ham and shouldn't be under slavery, harsh beatings and dehumanization is illogical

What was Douglass's experience as a plantation slave?

beat for little things, not enough food or clothes, used a corn sack to keep warm but his toes stuck out and cracked, dehumanization

What was Douglass's experience as a Baltimore slave?

clothes, food, small education, less whipping, still treated badly but not as much

How are the descriptions on the murders of slaves used for Douglass's rhetorical purposes?

shows the inhumane treatment of slaves, humans, and how they are killed for simple mistakes

How does Douglass demonstrate that slavery is bad for the slaveholder as well as the slave?

Sophia Auld was a very kind person until the effect of power over another human being came into her life, she used to work now demanded it, began angry constantly with Douglass

How is education instrumental in Douglass's life as a slave?

the ability to read and write gave him a desire to be more free than ever, he read about slavery and the horrors of it, and was able to teach other slaves about freedom

How are Douglass's grandmother and master compared?

their treatment, Betsy took care of Anthony until he died, was very helpful to the farm, when she was dying, they sent her to the woods in a small house to die alone

What is the effect of the comparison of Douglass's master and grandmother?

even though they are both human, and he grandmother was a better caretaker than the master, she received worse treatment - showing how slaves were treated no matter what they did

What is the effect of religion on the slaveholder?

not better, worse, Bible verses were used against slaves

What slaveholder became religious and what was the effect?

Captain Auld became a Christian, he now used Bible verses out of context to prove slaves must be fully obedient no matter what

What is the key turning point in Douglass's life?

when he fights with Mr. Covey

Why is Douglass's turning point so important for him?

rekindled embers of freedom, revived within him a sense of manhood, inspired him with a determination to be free

How does Henry Louis Gates frame the discussion around African American slave revolts?

gave examples of slave treatment, tells how whites view slaves

Which revolt was most interesting to you and why?

(my answer) Gabriel's Conspiracy because of how brave he was to share his plan with so many people, willing to risk being caught before even leaving so he could free more people than himself

How do the population statistics in the second link inform the way we think about African American slave rebellions?

slave rebellions might only be successful if everyone was involved and there was months of planning. Every year, the white population outnumbered the slave population, and since the majority usually will win by force, the slaves would have had a better chance of success if they had white abolitionists on their side during the revolt

Why did slave rebellions fail?

they were executed by a minority who had nowhere to run and didn't have the upper hand at any point in time

Why might many slaves have been hesitant to rebel?

Slaves might be hesitant to rebel because of the high chance of failure. If the rebellion failed, the slaves would most likely be executed. Some slaves would have rather lived as a slave than die without changing slavery for future generations

Define Blight

a thing that spoils or damages something

Give a sentence using the word blight

The wildfire smoke is a blight on air quality

Define sundry

of various kinds, several

Give a sentence using the word sundry

There was a sundry of spices in the soup

define ineffable

too great or extreme be expressed in words

Give a sentence using the word ineffable

The sunset over the mountains was ineffable

define depravity

moral corruption, wickedness

Give a sentence using the word depravity

The people were of great depravity

define vindication

the action of clearing someone of blame or suspicion

The lawyer proved he deserved vindication

Give a sentence using the word vindication

define presumptuous

failing to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate

Give a sentence using the word presumptuous

His behavior at the dinner was presumptuous

define conceit

excessive pride in oneself

Give a sentence using the word conceit

Winning first place made her full of conceit

define recompense

make amends to someone for loss or harm suffered, reward

Give a sentence using the word recompense

She was given recompense for her generous donation of time

define dolorous

feeling or expressing great sorrow or destress

Give a sentence using the word dolorous

He was dolorous after reading the letter

define exhort

strongly encourage or urge someone to do something

Give a sentence using the word exhort

I exhort you to keep going

define profligate

a licentious, dissolute person, recklessly extravagant or wasteful

Give a sentence using the word profligate

Her c cousin was a profligate

define ascertain

find something out for certain, make sure of

Give a sentence using the word ascertain

Let me ascertain the claims are valid

define loath

reluctant, unwilling

Give a sentence using the word loath

I loath to finish my homework

define omnipotent

having unlimited power, able to do anything

Give a sentence using the word omnipotent

He was omnipotent over his company

define obdurate

stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion

Give a sentence using the word obdurate

She was obdurate about the accused being innocent

define writhe

respond with great emotional of physical discomfort to

Give a sentence using the word writhe

She writhed at his performance

define pernicious

having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way

Give a sentence using the word pernicious

His continuous speeches had a pernicious influence on the crowd

define deference

humble submission and respect

Give a sentence using the word deference

She addressed him with deference

Describe modern slavery

many types, people are tricked into slavery with unpayable debts, very secretive

How is slavery today similar to slavery according to Douglass?

inhumane conditions, treated like animals, no easy way out

How is slavery today different from slavery according to Douglass?

more than forced labor, more secretive, illegal in many countries