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Lucas Pomerleau
Mrs. Bouch
Honors English 11
March 16, 2018
The Dehumanizing Suffering of Slaves

Slavery is one of the most horrible, dehumanizing things humanity has ever created. It is

described by the many victims of it wrath as “hell on earth”. One of these victims, Frederick

Douglass, writes his account of witnessing these acts of malice first hand in his narrative,

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. A main theme Douglass

conveys through his story is the suffering of slave is dehumanizing to the slaves and

slaveholders. He portrays the theme using literary elements such as tone, characters, and

storytelling.

Douglass conveys his theme in the story by using tone. Douglass mentions the songs

slaves used to sing when on the plantation. The songs’ lyrics would talk about their misery as

they are forced to work all throughout the day as they suffer through countless beatings and

whippings. Douglass includes a parody of a hymn that highlights the oppression of the slaves on

that plantation. He uses lyrics saying, “They’ll bleat and baa, dona like goats, Gorge down black

sheep, and strain at motes, Array their back in fine black coats, Then seize their negroes by their

throats, and choke, for heavenly union” (Douglass.126). This stanza from the hymn talks about

the slaves being treated like animals, enduring countless beatings. His tone in this parody is filled

with sadness and despair. Douglass also includes his firsthand-account of the acts of malice

against the slaves. He recalls an event in which Mr. Plummer whipped his Aunt Hester brutally

saying, “The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there

he whipped longest” (Douglass.23). This quote describes Mr. Plummer as having no mercy and
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being so desensitized that assaulting a defenseless, innocent woman has little to no psychological

strain on him. Frederick Douglass also mentions that this initiation into slavery, “was the blood-

stained gate, the entrance to the hell… through which I was about to pass” (Douglass. 23).

Douglass describes slavery as hell on earth and that he was about to be apart of it. His tone in

this quote is extremely fearful.

Douglass portrays his theme in the story by using characters. Douglass himself is an

example of the dehumanizing experience the slave went through. Frederick describes the

constant whipping and beatings he has gone through during his time as a slave. He mentions

facts like his own birthday being withheld from him. “I have no accurate knowledge of my age,

never having seen any authentic record containing it” (Douglass.19). This quote explains that

their birthdates were not even written down. They did this because they did not want the slave to

have any knowledge because knowledge is power. Overseers and masters withheld basic human

rights from the slaves, stripping them of their dignity and humanity. The overseers would also be

desensitized to their acts of violence towards the slaves. One example is Mr. Gore and his

murder of Demby. After Gore murdered Demby for not leaving the creek, he was not punished

or even charged for his acts against humanity. “Mr. Gore then, without consulation or

deliberation with any one, not even giving Demby an additional call, raised his musket to his

face, taking deadly aim at his standing victim, and in an instant poor Demby was no more”

(Douglass.39). This quote explains how Gore murdered Demby without hesitation.

Douglass emanates his theme in the book by using story telling. He uses not only his own

experiences to create his theme, but uses experiences and events that have occurred in other

slaves’ lives. Douglass mentions two slaves in particular, young Barney and old Barney. They

were in charge of tending to the horses. If they made any minor mistake, even if it was out of
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their control, they would be punished with severe and cruel whippings. “Colonel Lloyd more

particular than in the management of his horses. The slightest inattention to these was

unpardonable, and was visited upon those, under whose care they were placed, with the severest

punishment; no excuse could shield them” (Douglass.33.). This quote explains that Colonel

Lloyd was very protective of his horses. It also highlights that there was no way old and young

Barney could talk their way out of their mistakes. They must endure the whippings and continue

with their jobs on the plantation. By including this occurrence, Douglass highlights that slaves

were treated lesser than the animals on the plantation. This dehumanizes the slaves to less than

people and closer to property owned by the slaveholders.

Slavery has had an enormous impact on the formation of the United States. Its horrid

nature has caused massive backlash for the families that group up after it was abolished and had

no money or home. A titanic racial divide would soon come about to haunt the nation for years

to come. Douglass acts as an activist in his narrative, highlighting the dehumanizing experiences

the slaves went through during the chaotic time period. By his use of literary elements such as

tone, characters, and storytelling, his theme has made itself very apparent. The dehumanizing

suffering of slaves has not only affected the slaves and slaveholders, but for generations to come.