Essay Directions
After reading the essay, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave, please respond to all five of the following questions and be sure to keep your answers in essay format flowing like a normal essay, which means numbering is not necessary. You can answer the questions in any order just be sure to include your analysis in each answer to receive credit. The questions for your essay are as follows.
As a house slave Douglass and his aunt were treated very differently. Describe the gendered difference in the master-slave relationship Frederick Douglass’ aunt had with the master as an attractive female house slave, and that of Frederick Douglass and his mistress when he moved to the city. What are the similarities and what are the major differences and what does that tell us about the unique trauma enslaved women had to endure?
What are two things about this narrative that shocked you emotionally and why?
Why does Frederick Douglass withhold the names of the slave masters and the white people that abused him despite writing this narrative as a free man and what does that say about the emotional power of fear is it perhaps reminiscent of post-traumatic stress syndrome?
