Context Clues
Their yearly clothing consisted of two coarse linen shirts, one pair of linen trousers, like the shirts, one jacket, one pair of trousers for winter, made of coarse negro cloth, one pair of stockings, and one pair of shoes...
coarse—rough, not soft
Where do slaves sleep?
On the ground
What do the slaves do as they walk to the Great House Farm?
They sing songs.
SENTENCE
The children unable to work in the field had neither shoes, stockings, jackets, nor trousers, given to them; their clothing consisted of two coarse linen shirts per year.
PARAPHRASE
Children who were not old enough to work in the fields did not get shoes, socks, jacket, or pants. They got only two shirts per year.
Here, too, the slaves of all the other farms received their monthly allowance of food, and their yearly clothing. The men and women slaves received, as their monthly allowance of food, eight pounds of pork, or its equivalent in fish, and one bushel of corn meal.
allowance—a set amount provided to someone, often of food
bushel—a measure of about 8 gallons
What doe this phrase mean?
Woe betides them.
someone will be in trouble
What is the expression of feeling Douglass is speaking of in this sentence?
The mere recurrence to those songs, even now, afflicts me; and while I am writing these lines, an expression of feeling has already found its way down my cheek.
Tears.
SENTENCE
The mere recurrence to those songs, even now, afflicts me; and while I am writing these lines, an expression of feeling has already found its way down my cheek.
PARAPHRASE
Even thinking of these songs makes me sad. While I am writing, a tear has rolled down my cheek.
Mr. Severe, the overseer, used to stand by the door of the quarter, armed with a large hickory stick and heavy cowskin, ready to whip any one who was so unfortunate as not to hear, or, from any other cause, was prevented from being ready to start for the field at the sound of the horn.
quarter—the place where slaves lived
Cowskin—a whip made of leather
Paraphrase the sentence
“His presence made it both the field of blood and of blasphemy.”
Mr. Severe made the plantation violent and ungodly.
What is the one common bed?
The cold, damp floor.
SENTENCE
Their yearly clothing consisted of two coarse linen shirts, one pair of linen trousers, like the shirts, one jacket, one pair of trousers for winter, made of coarse negro cloth, one pair of stockings, and one pair of shoes; the whole of which could not have cost more than seven dollars.
PARAPHASE
Every year, a slave was given two rough linen shirts, one pair of pants, one jacket, one pair of winter pants, one pair of socks, and one pair of shoes. All of these together cost less than seven dollars.
This [Great House Farm] was the great business place. It was the seat of government for the whole twenty farms.…
Place where rules and laws are made, usually referring to a capital city
What happened to slaves who did not get to the field on time?
They would be whipped by Mr. Severe.
What happens to the hours that they could be asleep?
The slaves are washing, mending, and cooking. Most of their sleeping hours are consumed in preparing for the next day of work.
SENTENCE
The singing of a man cast away upon a desolate island might be as appropriately considered as evidence of contentment and happiness, as the singing of a slave; the song of the one and of the other are prompted by the same emotion.
PARAPHRASE
It is inappropriate to think that a man who is stranded on a desert island and is singing is happy. It is just as inappropriate to think that a slave who is singing is happy. They are both singing to express the same emotion.
There were no beds given the slaves, unless one coarse blanket be considered such, and none but the men and women had these. This, however, is not considered a very great privation. They find less difficulty from the want of beds, than from the want of time to sleep...
privation—a lack of something necessary for survival
want— lack
If someone listens to the songs and is not moved by them, what does Douglass suggest that person is missing?
A heart
Why does Douglass describe the clothing that slaves were given in such detail?
To show slavery is terrible for slaves.
SENTENCE
They find less difficulty from the want of beds, than from the want of time to sleep; for when their day’s work in the field is done, the most of them having their washing, mending, and cooking to do, and having few or none of the ordinary facilities for doing either of these, very many of their sleeping hours are consumed in preparing for the field the coming day.
PARAPHRASE
The biggest difficulty for slaves is not that they don’t have beds, but that they don’t have time to sleep. When they are done working in the field, they have to do the regular household chores like washing and mending, but they don’t have good equipment to do them. As a result, they have to spend a lot of the night getting their chores done to be ready to work in the field again the next day.