How Did Frederick Douglass Escape

Frederick Douglass was a slave from Maryland who, through luck and intelligence, was able to escape slavery at only 20 years old. In his autobiography, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” he describes how it felt being in slavery throughout his childhood and adolescent years, as well as the horrid conditions he faced from masters and overseers. Douglass also discusses how he began to truly think about his condition, and how a variety of factors came together to inspire his escape, such as his learning how to read and write. After his escape, however, Douglass’s hope quickly fades as he is faced with the reality of his situation, which is that he is all alone in a place where he could easily be turned back in, and have his escape …show more content…
Douglass also expresses his loneliness through emphasizing how he has no one but himself; he explains how he is “ in the midst of thousands,” and yet a stranger, cannot tell other Africans of his “sad conditions,” and starving. The repetition of ‘in the midst of’ illustrates all he could have but cannot due to his circumstances of arriving. His conditions are clearly seen to readers as a breeding ground for loneliness, since he sees thousands of people, but has absolutely no one to talk to, nor anything to eat or any place to go home to. The repetition also creates a feeling of something being unattainable: he can see everything, and yet they are just out of reach. For Douglass to be able to see what exactly he wants, but not be able to get it for an indefinite amount of time must make him feel very alone, and remind him of his time in slavery, when freedom once seemed so far off. In contrast, the use of repetition for the phrase “in the midst of” also shows the readers a possibility of relief if he is able to talk closely with just one of the thousands. Of all Douglass’s “brethren” he is “in the midst of,” he solely wants to tell them of his situation and how he feels. This shows his potential for relief and excitement to readers as it would relieve his loneliness and allow him to release the pressure from everything else that he does not have, like food, money, and a …show more content…
Even when his emotions are not explicitly states, Douglass is able to effectively communicate exactly how he feels, and leaves little room for misinterpretation. In his autobiography, Douglass reveals how he was eventually found and given food, shelter, people to talk to, and even gets married, before moving out to a more permanent