Characters
This man is Douglass' cruel master who hires him out to Edward Covey in Chapter 10.
Who is Thomas Auld?
After moving to Baltimore, Douglass learns this crucial skill, which becomes a key part of his eventual plan for freedom.
What is reading?
This object, given to Douglass by Sandy Jenkins, is believed to have magical powers to protect Douglass from harm.
What is the root?
Douglass explores how this institution not only oppresses the enslaved but also corrupts the morality of the enslavers.
What is slavery?
This city, where Douglass lives with the Auld family, offers him a glimpse of life outside the plantation.
What is Baltimore?
Known as the "slave breaker," this man attempts to crush Douglass' spirit but instead fuels his resolve to resist.
Who is Edward Covey?
Douglass is sent to this man’s farm for a year, where he experiences some of the harshest physical and psychological abuse.
What is Edward Covey’s farm?
Douglass views this skill as a symbol of freedom, as it opens his mind and enables him to challenge the institution of slavery.
What is literacy (or reading and writing)?
This theme is symbolized by Douglass' growing literacy and his ability to understand and critique the world around him.
What is education as a path to freedom?
Douglass learns to write by copying letters from this source, often found in Hugh Auld’s house.
What are shipyard timber markings?
This woman initially treats Douglass kindly but becomes a symbol of how slavery corrupts even the kind-hearted.
Who is Sophia Auld?
This fight between Douglass and his oppressor marks a turning point in Douglass' sense of self-respect and resistance
What is the fight with Edward Covey?
This physical structure, mentioned frequently throughout Douglass' narrative, symbolizes the oppressive and dehumanizing system of slavery.
What is the plantation?
Douglass’ fight with Edward Covey highlights this theme, emphasizing the importance of reclaiming one’s dignity and humanity.
What is resistance and self-empowerment?
This enslaved man befriends Douglass and provides him with the root he claims has protective powers.
Who is Sandy Jenkins?
Douglass works under this man in Baltimore, who represents the urban slaveholder and whose family indirectly influences Douglass' literacy.
Who is Hugh Auld?
While planning to escape, Douglass and a group of fellow enslaved men are betrayed and arrested before they can carry out this plan.
What is stealing a canoe to escape via water?
The bloodshed Douglass witnesses during his time with Edward Covey serves as a powerful symbol of this aspect of slavery.
What is violence and dehumanization?
Douglass repeatedly discusses how Christianity is distorted by slaveholders to justify this immoral practice.
What is the hypocrisy of religion?
Douglass criticizes this type of Christianity, practiced by slaveholders, as a justification for cruelty and oppression.
What is slaveholding Christianity/ of the land
This fellow slave plans to escape William Freeland’s farm with Douglass and several other slaves, but he backs out of the plan
Who is Sandy Jenkins?
Douglass' time working in Baltimore’s shipyards highlights the tension between free and enslaved Black workers and culminates in this violent incident.
What is Douglass being attacked by white workers at the shipyard?
Douglass sees ships sailing on the Chesapeake Bay as a symbol of what?
What is freedom?
The Chesapeake Bay and the ships Douglass observes on its waters embody this recurring theme, which drives his longing to escape slavery.
What is the yearning for freedom?
Douglass is inspired by a movement gaining traction during his lifetime, which sought to end slavery in the United States.
What is abolitionism?