Within the text “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” written in 1845, is the autobiographical account of Fredrick Douglas’s life as a slave which also gives insight into how the 1845th African American slave was marginalized at the time. Before the abolishment of slavery in 1865, the actions responsible for marginalizing slaves in 1845 can be depicted through several accounts in Douglas’s autobiography and regarded as a general picture into how other slaves were neglected at the time through actions such as the withholding of birthdates from slaves, separation from their parents, constant beating of slaves and keeping slave’s illiterate. The marginalization and silencing of slaves is also depicted by Douglass through
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Douglass also states that he was separated from his mother during his infancy while his father was a slave owner who had sexual relations with his slave. At the time, it was common attribute for slave owners to have sexual relations with their slaves and later, separate the children from their mothers, often times being raised by siblings or Grandparents . This depiction is made by Douglass in first person point of view and is done so with monosyllabic language. This approach is intentionally used by Douglass as he wants to easily connect with the reader, depicting how this process was essential as it was dehumanizing to the slaves which rendered them property, marginalizing them from society. This theme of dehumanization was ubiquitous during the time as slave conditions were usually along the lines of continuous work, poor clothes, little food, and terrible housing; not to mention the awful treatment faced from the slave owners which could be seen in the treatment of slaves with whippings of people ranging from normal men to pregnant women which was intentionally done to silence any type of rebellion and inspire fear . This ill-treatment managed to continue undeterred by law as it was legal to murder slaves by a slave owner or overseer and Douglass makes mention of this when he reflects on the fact that slaves who had to take care of Colonel Lloyd’s horses. The horses as Douglass describes using the phrase “proper attention” as imagery to demonstrate the significance prized horses had over dehumanized slaves despite both being used a way to make
Douglass also states that he was separated from his mother during his infancy while his father was a slave owner who had sexual relations with his slave. At the time, it was common attribute for slave owners to have sexual relations with their slaves and later, separate the children from their mothers, often times being raised by siblings or Grandparents . This depiction is made by Douglass in first person point of view and is done so with monosyllabic language. This approach is intentionally used by Douglass as he wants to easily connect with the reader, depicting how this process was essential as it was dehumanizing to the slaves which rendered them property, marginalizing them from society. This theme of dehumanization was ubiquitous during the time as slave conditions were usually along the lines of continuous work, poor clothes, little food, and terrible housing; not to mention the awful treatment faced from the slave owners which could be seen in the treatment of slaves with whippings of people ranging from normal men to pregnant women which was intentionally done to silence any type of rebellion and inspire fear . This ill-treatment managed to continue undeterred by law as it was legal to murder slaves by a slave owner or overseer and Douglass makes mention of this when he reflects on the fact that slaves who had to take care of Colonel Lloyd’s horses. The horses as Douglass describes using the phrase “proper attention” as imagery to demonstrate the significance prized horses had over dehumanized slaves despite both being used a way to make