by Kaia Ryden on June 27, 2024  

If you want to improve yourself, look at your past mistakes. Looking at the world today, we can find many things that we need to change and improve upon. One of the biggest problems throughout history and today is racial inequality and what we need to do to level the playing field.  

I think that an important thing we must do before taking a step forward is to take a couple of steps back and see what enslaved people really had to go through. The Narrative of the Life of Fredereick Douglass uncovers the dark truth about how enslaved people had to live back then and shows their strength of resilience through horrific pain and mistreatment. 

Through his writing, Douglass created a chronological timeline that was easy to follow. I think that this was a great move on his part because we can watch how he grew up and compare our own childhoods to his. Growing up a middle-class white woman, I have never really had to face any real hardships. Being able to see what Douglass had to go through when he was my age really blew into proportion the severity of it all.  

I genuinely appreciate how direct Douglass’s writing is. He didn’t sugarcoat anything. He explained many details that I never would have thought about without prompting. I grew up shielded from the harsh realities of the world, so being introduced to the real tragedies that are a part of my country’s history is a truly eye-opening experience.  

Douglass writes, “I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till she was literally covered with blood.” (the “he” that Douglass is referring to is the slave owner that owned him for his early years.) I cannot even begin to imagine how horrifying an experience that would have been for anyone, let alone for a young child.  

Even through all that torture, Douglass still had a desire to learn and become educated. Through everything, he taught himself to read with little help from others. I think that kind of persistence in the face of adversity is incredibly admirable. His tenacity for learning ultimately helped him to escape his bondage of slavery and help others to freedom.  

As I was reading this book, I was struck with awe of how mentally, emotionally, and physically strong an enslaved person would have to be to even just survive in those environments. I never truly thought about their desire to learn and educate themselves because if I was in that position all I could have thought about was staying alive and safe. I admit to growing up in a pillowed environment, and I know that I have a long way to go before truly understanding all the hardships that minorities have had to go through. All I can say is, their strength through adversity is utterly amazing. 

Douglass had such a way with words. He was so easy to listen to but what he was saying was so hard to swallow. Douglass’ journey is a sign of courage and a fighting spirit. His work is a reminder of the ongoing struggle for racial equality, and it exposes the harsh reality of slavery. From his struggle we can learn and progress our ways and continue to build a better future for ourselves and others. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an important piece of literature that I think everyone should read at least once in their lifetime.