ESSAY CEMETERY

Themes ·        Slavery as corrupting the slave-owner “The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage” ·        Literacy makes slaves rebel “if you teach that nigger (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy.” ·        Epiphany “I now understood what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty--to wit, the white man's power to enslave the black man. It was a grand achievement, and I prized it highly. From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom.” ·        Whipp...

Chapter 6 Douglass is transferred from the country to Baltimore to a new mistress Mrs. Auld, who is benevolent as he has never known a white person to be. She is upset when he approaches her with servile self-debasement, and instead desired slaves to be at ease in her presence. However this soon changes, because owning slaves corrupts people. Mrs. Auld begins teaching him to read and write but when Mr Auld finds out he puts a stop to it because it is illegal and unsafe because it renders slaves unhappy and unmanageable. This is a revelation to Frederick, as he understands that the power to enslave lies in keeping the slaves uninformed. This opposition of Mr. Auld's causes Frederick to resolve to learn to read. Frederick observes that a city slave is has more privileges than a country slave. There is a sense of shame in the city that checks cruel behaviors, as cruel treatment it is badly looked-upon. One exception is his neighbor Mrs. Hamilton who whips her two slaves f...