Frederick Douglass

This narrative was so much more powerful than I had ever expected it to be. Having been alerted (by our class discussion) to the reasons behind Douglass' rational and collected narrative voice, I was able to bring my own emotional responses to his words to the forefront as I read. I was more affected by his story that way, and I also found it more scandalous. When he was plotting his first escape, and wrote the fake permission slips, I was gripping the book with fear and anticipation of what would happen. Oddly, his real escape story was much less...dramatic. I understand his reasons for not explaining the path he took to New York, but it felt weird that one moment he's in Maryland, and by the next sentence he has made it safely to New York...as though that was as easy as walking down the block.

I also noticed that Douglass addresses what we had mentioned in class about dehumanization - especially when he talks about how felt giving his hard-earned wages to Mr. Hugh.