Key characters
Frederick Douglas
The author of the book. Was born into slavery and eventually escaped.
Freedom and Education
Learning to read brings pain and power
Seperation
He learned that he is separated from his mother and is enslaved
Imagery
“I felt like one who had escaped a den of hungry lions.”
Dignity of the human person
Everyone is made equal and in Gods image
Sophia Auld
Kind woman that later turned cruel.Symbolized moral corruption
Faith and Provedience
Realization
Realized his injustice because of slavery
Symbolism
Literacy = freedom; marriage = rebirth and restoration.
The Call to Family and Community
Marriage and family restore what slavery did to tear parents apart
Hugh Auld
Douglas's master in Baltimore
Human Dignity
Every person deserves their respect. Slavery violates this
Reading
Learned to read from Mrs. Auld and poor boys
Irony
Slaveholders using Christianity to justify sin.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Douglas defended the oppressed
Mr Gore
Overseer's who kills Demby
Moral corruption of slavery
Sin destroys the oppressed and the oppressor
Fighting
Fought against Covey
Tone
Fear → courage → gratitude → faith.
Fortitude
To stand for the truth even through adversity
Anna Murray
A free black woman that married Douglas
Courage and Fortitude
Douglas faces fear and injustice with strength and faith
Shipyard
Got attacked at the ship yard and faced legal injustice
Metaphor
douglass calls slavery a" dark night of bondage" comparing it to darkness to show hopelessness
Providence
God works through hard things so he can do good