The Bookworm: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass. 159 pages. Penguin Books. 1845.

Another advantage I gained in my new master was, he made no pretensions to, or profession of, religion; and this, in my opinion, was truly a great advantage. I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the south is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes, — a justifier of the most appalling barbarity, — a sanctifier of the most hateful frauds, — and a dark shelter under, which the darkest, foulest, grossest, and most infernal deeds of slaveholders find the strongest protection.

After returning to the Heartland last summer, I cleaned my closet.

Applying the material asceticism I embraced in California, I “threw out” (mostly recycled) the beer bottles of my youth, tons of papers, and whatever else I did not need or have any use for. I also cleaned the shelving and rearranged the stacks of books built mostly of academic texts, a cherished paperback series I read in grade school (I will elaborate more on that in time), and random shit I do not want to keep on the shelf in my room. Among this closet collection I found Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. On the back cover was a UI bookstore label, so it must have been required reading for a class. Shamefully, I never remember reading it, so I placed it in my reading queue. It was still, I told myself, required reading.

Though one of many accounts of slavery written by escaped slaves before the Civil War, Narrative is, according to Houston A. Baker’s introduction, “peerless” in the class of the “most representative and superbly crafted of the Afro-American narratives.”

Narrative is the autobiographical account of the slavery Frederick Douglass experienced in Baltimore and Talbot County, Maryland. (Douglass was born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey probably in 1818. He had no accurate date for his birth.) He begins the book by talking about his mother, who he saw only a handful of times before her death when he was about seven. He recounts the first time he saw another slave whipped, his first master’s family, and life on the plantation. From there he details his personal history being bought and sold and hired out by his owners, the work he did and people he knew, and the places he was kept.

Yes, “kept” — much like the inanimate possessions I have in my closet. Douglass’s status as a simple commodity is omnipresent and sickening. The fact he was considered and treated as unequal to others just because of his skin color is appalling. And I say this sadly on the day the Iowa House of Representatives voted to place a ballot measure before voters to define marriage as between a man and woman only. Despite the 166 years since Narrative was written, inequality and prejudice are still prevalent in the United States, the supposed “land of the free.” The treatment Douglass received from some of his “bosses” (usually not master because he was lent to others) was inhumane to the nth degree.

Though it sounds impossible, Douglass admits to having been a lucky slave, having been well off. Not only was he spared the worst type of bondage experienced by slaves in the deep south, he had a few bosses who treated him well. I suppose I cannot argue with that. The wife of one of his bosses taught him his ABCs, a simple life lesson most southern blacks probably did not receive until the 1950s. But he was still a slave — a horrible condition no matter how well you have it, I think.

The fact he was sometimes treated well was one of a couple details that really shocked me, stuff I do not remember learning in school. Take this, for instance: slaves were given a holiday between Christmas and New Years, and apparently also a break at Easter. Though Douglass said it was done to overdose slaves with freedom — slaveholders mostly got them drunk — and convince them they were better off in bondage, I was shocked by it. Also surprising was the amount of “freedom” Douglass was given to run errands and find work for himself in Baltimore. Despite the fact he was property, he seemed to act like a freeman at times. Perhaps it is because the type of city and small plantation slavery Douglass endured was different, but some of the things he described did not fit the stereotypical understanding I have always had of slave life in the antebellum south.

Of course, that does not mean it was less horrific. Douglass recounts a number of awful events, including killings, lashings, and fights — all testaments to the barbarity that was American slavery.

Narrative is very well written, an amazing fact since Douglass had no formal schooling and mostly taught himself how to read and write while still a slave. I would even go as far as to say it was better written than the academic introduction by Baker and the preface by William Lloyd Garrison, who edited the abolitionist newspaper Liberator.

There is no doubt in my mind Narrative is required reading. Its vivid accounts of slavery need to be read by all Americans.

New words I learned: All definitions courtesy of my MacBook dictionary. Chattel: “(in general use) a personal possession.” Thoroughgoing: “involving or attending to every detail or aspect of something.” Sophistry: “the use of fallacious arguments, esp. with the intention of deceiving.” Exegesis: “critical explanation or interpretation of a text, esp. of scripture.” Amanuensis: “a literary or artistic assistant, in particular one who takes dictation or copies manuscripts.” Apostrophize: “address an exclamatory passage in a speech or poem to (someone or something).” Pernicious: “having a harmful effect, esp. in a gradual or subtle way.” Cudgel: “a short thick stick used as a weapon.” Barouche: “a four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a collapsible hood over the rear half, a seat in front for the driver, and seats facing each other for the passengers, used esp. in the 19th century.” Obdurate: “stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action.” Scurf: “flakes on the surface of the skin that form as fresh skin develops below, occurring esp. as dandruff.” Scow: “a wide-beamed sailing dinghy.” Profligate: “recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources.” Sagacious: “having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment.” Exculpate: “show or declare that (someone) is not guilty of wrongdoing.” Habiliment: “Clothing.” Votary: “a person, such as a monk or nun, who has made vows of dedication to religious service.”