Frederick Douglass
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
SUMMARY
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery sometime in 1817 or 1818. Like many slaves, he is unsure of his exact date of birth. ... Lloyd owns hundreds of slaves, who call his large, central plantation the “Great House Farm.” Life on any of Lloyd's plantations, like that on many Southern plantations, is brutal. Remembering Frederick Douglass' escape from slavery. Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery on September 3, 1838, aided by a disguise and job skills he had learned while forced to work in Baltimore's shipyards. Douglass posed as a sailor when he grabbed a train in Baltimore that was headed to Philadelphia. Frederick Douglass does not know his true age or date of birth because he is a slave. He also states that none of the slaves he has ever met could not tell of their birthday either. ... Frederick Douglass' relationship with his mother is not good, seeing that they are both working on separate plantations. As a slave, Douglass did not know his parents well. His father was most likely his master, and his mother was on a neighboring planation and died when he was still a young boy. ... He was separated from his mother as an infant, as was the custom with slaves. She would come and visit him, but he barely knew her. Frederick Douglass is mainly famous as an abolitionist. After he escaped from slavery, he became one of the leading abolitionist speakers and writers in the United States. He was definitely the most important African American male abolitionist. He pushed for black freedom in many ways. Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who became a prominent activist, author and public speaker. He became a leader in the abolitionist movement, which sought to end the practice of slavery, before and during the Civil War. Captain Anthony - Douglass's first master and probably his father. Anthony is the clerk for Colonel Lloyd, managing Lloyd's surrounding plantations and the overseers of those plantations. Anthony is a cruel man who takes pleasure in whipping his slaves, especially Douglass's Aunt Hester. Douglass used a simple, straightforward narrative style with a focus on the details of his life as a slave. Douglass was the important leader in the Abolitionism movement. Abolitionism was a movement to end slavery. It gained prominence in US during the Civil War. Frederick Douglass was the most prominent African American abolitionist and an important leader in the movement. Douglass devoted his life to abolish slavery but his work did not end when in 1861 President Lincoln ended the institution of slavery. Douglass fought for civil rights and to empower African Americans to develop their own skills and to take responsibility for their actions. Douglass is essentially willing to die for his freedom. He believes that man was created to be free and utterly detests his condition as a slave. Freedom is the ultimate gift in Douglass's opinion, and he suffers through extraordinary obstacles to gain his independence. Frederick Douglass has been called the father of the civil rights movement. He rose through determination, brilliance, and eloquence to shape the American nation. He was an abolitionist, human rights and women's rights activist, orator, author, journalist, publisher, and social reformer.
Comprehension: I
1. Who was Frederick Douglass?
Ans: - He was a slave boy.
2. What was the earlier name of Frederick Douglass?
Ans: - Frederick Augustine Washington Bailey.
3. When was he born?
Ans: - In 1817or 1818.
4. Why was he sent to Baltimore?
Ans: - To be a house servant/child servant.
5. Who taught him to read and write?
Ans: - His master's wife.
6. When did he escape from slavery?
Ans: - In 1938.
7. Where did he go after escaping from slavery?
Ans: - He went to New York City
8. Where was he born?
Ans: - Born in Tuckahoe.
9. Where is Tuckahoe?
Ans: - Tuckahoe is near Hillsborough, about 12 miles from Easton, in Talbot County, Maryland.
10. Why did he write "narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass."?
Ans: - Because he was such an impressive orator that numerous persons doubted if he had ever been a slave.
11. Name the autobiographical works of Frederick Douglass
Ans: - "My Bondage and my Freedom" and "Life and Times of Frederick Douglass".
12. Why didn't Frederick Douglass know his correct age?
Ans: - Because he has no authentic record.
13. What would the master look at the enquiries about the slave's birthday?
Ans: - The master considered the enquiries about the slave was improper & impertinent & evidence of a restless spirit.
14. Who was Frederick Douglass’s mother?
Ans: - Harriet Bailey.
15. What was whispered about his father?
Ans: - It was whispered that his own master was his father.
16. When was he separated from his mother?
Ans: - When he was just an infant.
17. Why were the children separated from their mothers at an earlier age?
Ans: - To hinder the development of the child's affection of the mother for the child.
18. Who takes care of the separated children?
Ans: - An old woman who is too old for field labor.
19. What was the penalty to the field hand for not being in the field at Sunrise?
Ans: - A whipping.
20. How old was Douglass when he lost his mother?
Ans: - He was about seven year’s old.
21. Name the person who was believed to be both Douglass' father & master'?
Ans: - Captain Anthony.
22. Who are mulatto Children?
Ans: - A child with one white parent & the other black parent.
23. How did Douglass receive the tidings of his mother's death?
Ans: - As the death of a stranger.
24. Who was Anna Murray?
Ans: - Douglass's wife.
25. Why did Mr. Anthony acquire the name Captain Anthony?
Ans: - Because by sailing a craft on the Chesapeake Bay.
26. How many farms did him own?
Ans: - He owned two or three farms.
27. Who was Mr. Plummer?
Ans: - He was an overseer, a miserable drunkard, a profane swearer, & a savage monster.
Comprehension: II
1. What kind of hardships did the slaves suffer at the hands of the slave holder and his mistress?
Ans: - The slaves suffer a lot of hardships at the hands of the slave holder and his mistress. They were a constant offence to their mistress. She was forever disposed to find fault with them. They could never do anything to please her; she took pleasure in seeing them whipped. Especially, when she suspected her husband of showing greater concern towards his mulatto children than the other black slaves. To please the mistress. The master was forced to sell such slaves to human flesh-mongers. The only alternative to this cruel deed was to whip them himself or see one white son tie up his brother & ply the gory lash to his naked back.
2. What was Mr. Plummer? Give instances to show his ruthlessness.
Ans: - Mr. Plummer was an overseer. He was a miserable drunkard. A profane Swearer and a savage monster. He looked after Captain Anthony's farms. He always went armed with a cow skin and a heavy cudgel. He would cut and slash the women's heads so horribly that even masters would be enraged at his cruelty. He used to tie up to a joist and whip them upon to their naked backs till they were literally covered with blood. No words, No tears, No Give prayers, from his gory victim, seemed to move his iron heart from its bloody purpose. The louder they screamed the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest. He could stop whipping only when he was tired.
Comprehension: III
1. How does the passage comment on the dreadful experience of slavery?
Ans: - The passage reveals the emotional & physical torture slaves have to undergo at the hands of their masters. Right from the time of their birth, they were not allowed to have any sense of their identity, except the realization that they were inferior to the white children. Their birth dates or names of parents were not revealed. The children were separated from their mothers in infancy itself in order to avoid any bond forming between the mothers and the children. The mother would be sent to a distant farm and child was placed under the care of very old slave woman. The children were made to do all kinds of tasks in the house and on the fields without any rest. They were not allowed to ask for any favours. Impertinence or mistakes of any kind resulted in their being whipped till blood flowed on their backs. They were deliberately kept ignorant. The mistress would find fault in their work and take pleasure in punishing them. To please the mistress, the master was forced to sell his own children to human flesh mongers. Unless he would do that, he must not only whip them himself, but see one white son tie up his brother and play the gory lash to his naked back. Douglass points out how the masters manipulate the circumstances to suit their Convenience. Blacks are not born subhuman, but are dehumanized to such heartless practices of the slave Owners.
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