Self-Worth In Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

Growing up, everybody is in search of their own identity, hoping to find their true self-worth. As a slave, you don’t have the option to expand yourself, particularly when it came to comprehending literacy. In the reading, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass, it shows us exactly what can come from a slave wanting to broaden his/her horizon in life. Mr. Douglass definitely had his shares of up’s and down’s, especially when it came to him gaining his own self-worth. Regardless of the mistreatment both mentally and physically, through the use of the master’s tools: fear and abuse, Douglass guides us on how he overcame the hindrance of dehumanization, he and the other slaves faced. Douglass felt in order for him to find his self-worth, he needed to educate himself, breaking away from dehumanizing tools being enforced. Fear is a tactic used by slave owners and overseers in an attempted to keep things in order among the slaves. The tricky thing about fear is, that it can be both delivered and received at …show more content…
As a free man, he could do as he pleased to a certain extent. Taking it a step above and educating his self, shows his determination and will to reverse the process of dehumanization. Douglass taking the chance of furthering his education, and growing from a dehumanized slave, shows his maturity level, from a boy to a man. Douglass has stood up to the system of slavery and fought back for his own identity. Showing how the slave system was implemented to keep vulnerable and easily persuaded that they mean little to nothing in life. Although the system is setup to keep slaves in a position to be controlled, Douglass displays the understanding that is needed to overcome these hardships. As he became more proficient in reading and writing, as well as showing the affliction that comes along with