The first example of dehumanization through the lack of his knowledge and literacy is shown in the very first part of the narrative. Douglass tells us about his personal life and how he was taken away from his mother and never able to meet his father. Douglass or any other black slave was not allowed to maintain a family unit or even know their date of birth. On the other hand a white person during the time of slavery was considered more humane which is what allowed them to have knowledge and power. Inhumanity is depicted through the climax of the story, which sets Douglass toward his freedom; this was the ability to read. When Douglass went to live with Mr. and Mrs. Auld, Mrs. Auld was kind to teach him the A, B, C. After he learned this, she began helping him to spell out words of three or four letters. Mr. Auld had soon found out and had forbidden Mrs. Auld from teaching him to read any longer. He says, “If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell. A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master-to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master”(pg15). During the time of slavery knowledge was power, being just as powerful as a white man. With motivation, Douglass seeks for his liberty through “friends of little white boys …show more content…
It is apparent that Douglass’s physical form resulted in dehumanization while in the case of Gregor, dehumanization results in his physical form of being a great abolitionist and leader of all time. While Gregors family is now free from Gregor, Douglass gains his freedom through his hard work and