Defining What it Means to be a "Man"

    Throughout his narrative, Frederick Douglass discusses his development from a child into a man, and within that, his quest for humanity. Slaves were seen as property and often dehumanized to not be seen as anything more than that, often viewed as the same level as animals. For Douglass, manhood was seen as being someone who thought independently and critically, or the ability to see a situation for what it really was. This was evident during his upbringing as he was viewed by white society as a person who was able to do this, rather that he was thought of as being incapable of independent thought and needed to be told what to do. He defied this assumption by learning how to read and write, which came at the cost of him now realizing the inhumanity of his situation and a powerful desire for freedom.  

    As Douglass grew up, he began to realize how much he was being held back by his place in society and how he was no different than the white children around him, just that he was forced into a situation which did not allow him the freedoms and rights they had. He had the same ability to learn to read, write, think, and feel as them, but was not given those privileges because of the color of his skin and his status upon birth. He was forced into slavery and kept from his full potential, causing him anger, and feelings such as how “the more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers” (Douglass 66). Through teaching himself how to read and write, Douglass became more susceptible to the cruel reality of his enslavement, one which he knew was not deserved for himself or anyone else. In his evolution into manhood, Douglass became increasingly aware of how slavery was an evil construct, one which trapped and ruined people. It broke people and forced them to become a shell of themselves, often without hope of a better life. Douglass felt that he was able to partially escape this total despair and become a true man, one who understood the inhumanity of the condition of slavery and had the critical thinking skills to see a potential for hope of freedom for himself and other slaves, though he was not sure of the journey to get there.