Vocabulary in Frederick Douglass's narrative

Plummer represents the institution of slavery because he was a "savage monster" (Douglass 45). He was always drunk and he was never without his cow skin and heavy cudgel. Douglass writes that at times, it seems as if he took pleasure in beating a slave. Plummer was so mean that Mr. Anthony was shocked at his behavior.

The spirituals allowed the slaves to express themselves and their desire for a better future. They may have sounded like gibberish but they were symbols of hope. When the slaves had nothing to look forward to, they could at least sing and feel as if they had one another for that moment.

Tarring the fence to keep slaves from the garden is unjust and greedy because tar might get on the body in another way. It was greedy because one or two pieces of fruit would never be missed by the owner but he could not stand the thought of someone stealing from him. The pain he inflicted on the slave smudged with tar was so much greater than the offense of taking a piece of fruit. This was a total power trip for the master.

Mr. Gore was the most dreaded because he beat the slaves on a regular basis. He is the one that taught Douglass how to behave as a slave. Gore did not think twice about killing a slave should he or she not do as he commanded. He was dreaded because he take a life away in a moment and not have to answer to anyone about his actions. The slaves had to be on their best behavior all the time.

When Douglass realizes he could have a better life in Baltimore, we see his courage. He was young but realized he had nothing to keep at the plantation. He says there was no "severe trial" (60) in leaving because his home is "charmless" (60). He did not feel as though he was leaving anything behind and he felt whatever he was leaving behind was nothing compared to what he might have somewhere else. It takes courage to go from a familiar situation into an unknown one but Douglass was brave enough to try.

At the Auld's, Douglass learns that a slave owner has far too much control over a slave's life. The incident of him learning to read forces him to realize that his owner owned every aspect of his life, including what he learned and this is not fair by any standards. Auld should not have the right to decide how much Douglass could learn or know and it was even worse because wanted to slaves to remain uneducated for his own good.

Douglass begins to regret his own existence because reading allows him to understand the horror of slavery and its seemingly "everlasting condition" (68). Douglass realizes that knowledge, while it is powerful, it is also painful. Douglass knew and understood too much. If he did not know how bad things were, he would not feel so hopeless. However, he was beginning to understand the ways of the world and the injustice of slavery.

Douglass is anxious because he knows what it is like to be treated kindly and the others knew "nothing of the kind" (72). Experiencing kind masters was a blessing but it also spoiled Douglass in that he knew that slave owners could be nice and not beat their slaves. He had no idea of what the next master might be like and it could literally go either way for him.

Auld was a slave owner without the ability to hold slaves because he did not have the respect of the slaves. He had no resources and he could not manage them out of "force, fear, or fraud" (77). He did not quiet know what to do what slaves to wait on him and the slaves recognized this.

Douglass puts more faith in the man than he does the man's religion. This is seen with Mr. Hopkins, who is a reverend but a mean slave owner. Douglass read the Bible and knew how God's people were supposed to behave and this is what he taught the others. Somehow, Douglass learned to judge a man solely by his actions and nothing else. Somehow, Douglass did not become bitter at God because of his situation. This was something he could teach others that would benefit them in their lives.