Argumentative Essay: Fredrick Douglass

My topic for this argumentative essay was to create a reasoned argument that demonstrates why slavery is a dehumanizing experience for both the slave and the slave master. My central argument is that i agree that it is dehumanizing to the slaves and the slaveholders. Also, that it is wrong that people thought that it was just a way of life when it really isn't, it is what we would call abuse not a way of life. I can prove that slavery is dehumanizing to slaves becuase they got traded, treated like property, didn't have good living conditions, didn't ever get enough to eat, and they were not provided with the clothes neccessary. I can prove that it is dehumanizing to the slave holder becuase they didn't care if the slaves were in pain, didn't care if they were hungry, didn't care if they did not have enough to eat, and they didn't care if they got seperated from their family. It was like the slaveholders didn't really have a heart they didn't feel any sympathy towards slaves.

Last but not Least chapter 11 (: (:

Response:::


Chapter 11 to me seemed like it was a quick summary of his life after he escaped. I liked how he put stuff in about the underground railroad. I thought it was kinda weird how he didn't really like to get a reward and that his master thought if he gave Douglass a reward that it would make him work harder. There was a really long paragraph that I didn't really understand so...It was really sweet when he said that it would be hard for him to escape since it would mean leaving his friends behind and he loved and cared about them. (: It was also really cool how he said there wasn't a word that could describe how it felt to be a free man. It made me realize that we take that for granit some times because we didn't have to fight or work for our freedom the way that they did and we didn't have to suffer like them. I also liked how Mr. Ruggles got Fredrick a certificate "officializing" his marriage. I did think it was weird however how he had so many different names.

Comments::: 
- I really liked that he became a free man! (:
- i liked that Mr. Ruggles was so nice to him (: that made me happy!!

Questions:::
- Why did he have so many names??
-Why was it hard from his to describe how he felt as a free man???

Comment and Question chapter 10

Question.

Why were they so worried about their safety onb the holidays?

Why did Douglass enjoy teaching?
Comment.
I like how he was going to run away.

I liked that they got the holidays as a "free"person.

Rest of Chapter 10(:

Chapter ten to me was a little confusing to me. I don't really understand how everything ties back together. It to me seemed like it was a little all over the place. I ddi enjoy how he did decide to run away though. It showed that he was now willing to take a stand and show that he no longer wanted to put up with being  a slave anymore, that he wanted to be free.

Questions and Comments 8-40(:

Chapter 8:
Question- Why did Fredrick Douglass want to runaway?
Comment- I liked how he got attached to the Baltimore boys!

Chapter 9:
Question- What is a "nigger-beater"?
Comment- I thought that this chapter was pointless, it mainly talked about his master.

Chapter 10:
Question- Why did they get Sunday off of work?
Comment- I thought it was weird when i read that you can't get a new master until the "contract" is up.

chapters 8 9 and part of 10

Chapter 8:
One thing that i really did not enjoy about chapter 8 was how it said what they were compared too.
I don't think it is right that they were valued at the same price as animals. Slaves were not animals they were people whether the slave owners wanted to believe so or not. I thought it was cool how Fredrick Douglass was excited to return back to Baltimore even thought it seemed like he didn't even know his master anymore, like they were two completely different people. I kinda got lost when it started talking about how the grandmother started giving things to people. Well, at least that's what i think that she was doing I'm still not quite sure. It was kinda sad when it was talking about how the grandmother was to die a lone. I really like how he got attached to the Baltimore boys(: it made me happy when it showed that he had real feelings. O lastly, i thought it was good that he wanted to run away. If i were him i would want to run away too.

Chapter 9:
I thought it was really sad when he was being treated in a way that he was not use to, he didn't expect to be  treated that way. It was weird to me how his new master was mean, but was not capable of taking the power or authority over things. One thing that i did like was that his master was a religious man. its kind of interesting how he will find religious reasons for every one of his actions. it was really sad that he has to deal with a person that he considered to be the worst master that he had ever had.  Nobody should have to feel like they are stuck with somebody that is so horrible and cruel to them that they are unhappy and miserable most of the time.

Chapter 10:
Well... chapter 10 was a hard chapter for me to understand. I almost cried when it said that he got beat for a week after he arrived and then had many beatings like it after the first for similar offenses. Also, reading that he was whipped frequently and got enough to eat, but not near enough time to eat it all was just stupid. it was cool how his master was a hard-working man... it shows that he still has some good character. It kinda rough i think on the slaves how they had to work no matter what the conditions outside were like. It was good that he got to spend Sunday as a free man and do as he pleased. I thought that the master was being a total jerk when he was kicking him and making him get up and get back to work even though he was really sick and could barley stand. The last two pages where it was just one reallyyyyy long paragraphs i got completely lost.

Questions and Comments (: (: (: (:

Chapter 5 Questions :)

• Why was it important for him to be clean for his move to Baltimore?
• What was he moved to Baltimore in the first place?

Chapter 5 Comments :)

• I liked how he spent a lot of time with his master and how close they got from it!!
• It was good to see him happy in Baltimore when meeting his new mistress. (:

Chapter 6 Questions :)

• Why were city slaved treated better than the slaves on the plantations?
• Why did the mistress' heart become cold stoned?

Chapter 6 Comments :)

• I thought it was rude how her husband got mad at her for teaching Fredrick how to read and learn his ABC.
• I thought it was horrible how he said that he girls were in the worst condition that he has seen.

Chapter 7 Questions :)

• Would the white boys boys get in trouble for helping him learn?
• How was it possible that nobody saw him learning to read and write?

Chapter 7 Comments :)

• I really liked how in the end he did eventually know how to read and write!!!
• I like how he was thinking about how the boys were telling him to escape and be freeeeeeee!

Chapters 5, 6 and 7

Chapter 5

I really like how in chapter 5 it talkes about how he was close to his master. I think it is good that since he "worked" for him that they were close to each other. I don't think that it is ok that he was not treated well b his old master. I think that the way that his old master treated him was uncalled for and not cool. What really bothered me was that they did not get fed properly. Either you were the strongest so u held the best place or you ate the fastes so you got the most, the food was not evenly shared. I really liked that he was happy to be going to Baltimore. I also really like how he sas that he is thankful to god and that he likes his new mistress.

Chapter 6

Durring chapter 6 I didn't know whether is were strange or normal for his new mistress to start off nice, but then turn into one that irresponsibly uses their power. I didn't really like how the city slaves were treated better then the other slaves. I feel like all the slaves should be treated equally and fairly. It shouldn't really matter where or who you work for they should all get the same things. No one slave should get more then the other, the should all get they same amount of things.

Chapter 7

It made me really happy when I read that he was being help to learn to read and write and even though she was told not to help she still did for a while until she understood why she could not help him. I like how he did what ever he could to lear how to read. As he tried to learn to read he was also putting the white kinds in danger of getting into trouble by having them help him read. It made me wonder though were the men really wanting to have him escape and then catch him and turn him in or if they were just saying what they thought. 

Salvery

My reaction to all of this is that it is wrong. What they did to the slaves was cruel and way uncalled for. I didn't really get that when the slaves got whipped that they were whipped on their feet. I thought that maybe it was in their back, but not their feet. Yes, I would probably jump of the ship. Why? I would jump off the ship because I would then have a little hope of being able to survive and not have to go through all the beatings that they were going through on the ships. I think that you have a liess likey chance to live if you were to stay on the ship. This way if you jump off the ship you know that if you die it wasn't because you were beaten to death. If I were on board with a baby I would try my hardest to protect the baby as much as I was able to. I would rather put my life in danger and have the baby safe then protect myself and put the baby in danger.

Chapters 2, 3, and 4

 Chapters 2,3,and 4 were kind of harsh in a way. I really started to feel sorry for the slaves. It seemed like everything they could of either ended badly or they still got whipped because their master wanted to do it for their own pleasure. Slaves were really taken advantage of and nobody appreciated their hard work. This really got me thinking because today if somebody were to be treated like this they would not put up with it nor would the people seeing it. I think that some of the punishments well most of the punishments were a little to sever and cruel for the things they were getting punished for. It does not see right to me that people got treated this way back then and it wasn't a big deal. It was common for African Americans to be treated like property back then before everyone had freedom and everyone was treated equally. 

Page 1-12

I think that the purpose of the first two paragraphs was to give the reader a little bit of background information. With out the two letters in the introduction I don't think that the readers would have as good of an understand of what it is they are reading and will be reading about. What I think about chapter one is that slaves had a hard life. Slaves didn't know their exact age all that they were aware of was what was close to what they thought was their age. To me I think that it is weird to not  know when your birth date is and to know how old you are, but I guess that was just the culture then. What I also think is weird is that a mother and child got weened when the child was at such a young age and grew up not knowing who their mother and father were. On page 11 the second paragraph it talks bout how slaves could not leave unless they were granted permission to do so by there masters. it only happened occasionally that a master would allow his slave to leave. The master then would be known as a kinda master which may or may not have been a good thing to be called.  In Fredrick Douglass's case it was a said that his father was also his master which he never really new was true or not. I don't think that I could even imagine not knowing who my birth father was. Slaves suffered a lot more then most people did at the time , they had greater hardships which to me is unfair and abusive to one another. They try to put of that slavery is right and yes some might believe so but I do not. What I don't like is how on page 12 the third paragraph he talks about how the overseer took pleasure in whipping slaves and that the louder they yelled the harder he whipped.