July 15, Frederick Douglass

In Frederick Douglass’ “”Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, a parallels are seen between it and “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” that are not shared with “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Douglass and Jacobs tell their true personally experienced stories of being a slave. Stowe on the other hand tells a fictional story, hers being appropriately in the third person since she was white and very removed from the situation. Douglass, like Jacobs, sheds light on taboo subject of white slave owners having often forced relations with their slaves.

“The master is frequently compelled to sell this class of his slaves, out of deference to the feelings of his white wife; and, cruel as the deed may strike any one to be, for a man to sell his own children to human flesh-mongers.” He also says, “a very different-looking class of people are springing up at the south, and are now held in slavery, from those originally brought to this country from Africa.” This statement is saying that these relations, resulting in mixed race children, are all too common. This may not be noted as a society norm, but for black slaves it is well know as one. Jacobs recounts her regretful relations with a white man that result in her having two kids that are still treated as slaves.

Other norms Douglass reveals include lack of true identity. He writes, “By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday.” This is an example of how little they were acknowledged as real people.