Slavery of African Americans :: Literary Analysis, Fredrick Douglass

When considering the slavery of African Americans, few will deny the ostracize impact it had on the African slaves. However, in his Narrative, Fredrick Douglass makes it clear that several of the thraldom characters are undermined by slaveryregardless of being unaware of this. By examining the characters of Edward Covey and Sophia Auld, it can be seen that Douglass feels that slavery has a negative forcefulness on the white slaveholders as well as the black slaves.A particular character that is undermined by slavery is Sophia Auld. When Douglass first meets Sophia, he finds her to be a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings. (Douglass 43) He states that he saw what he had never seen beforea white face beaming with the most kind emotions. (41). Douglass emphasizes the fact that She had been a good degree preserved from the blighting and dehumanizing effects of slavery. (43) In fact she does not respond well to the crouching servility, usually so gratifying a quality in a slaveshe seemed to be distressed by it. (43) Ultimately, slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to him. (48). Douglass showcased Sophias drastic change in character by utilize hyperboles, at first describing her as heavenly and angelic, then as harsh and demonic. He notes that, she became even more violent than her husband. (48) So, it can be seen that slaveholding greatly changed the character of Sophia in a negative way. It can additionally be seen that Douglass finds this to be an important fact to make note of by his go for of dramatic and somewhat exaggerated language.Unlike Sophia, Edward Covey is consistently portray in a negative way throughout his sections of the Narrative. Covey in conclusion does himself a disservice by putting significant effort into holding his slaves in line. The first account Douglass gives of Coveys behaviorwhen he sends Douglass very early in the morning of one of the coldest daytimes in the month of January, to the woods, to get a loa d of wood (66) with a group of unbroken cows (66)displays Coveys intent to devise unworkable tasks which a slave cannot possibly complete giving Covey the remedy to beat his slave. Covey had to have known that leading untamed oxen through the woods on a bitterly cold day would be an immensely difficult task for any average soulfulness to complete. He undermines himself in the sense that he spends unnecessary time using his intelligence to devise these plans instead of putting it to more constructive use.