The narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Text commentary.

The slave narrative appears as a means to I. Reconstruct one's lost identity ( that is an identity that has been denied for years.) through the act of remembering.

1. I know I don’t know ! “It is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves ignorant.” Masters used ignorance as a means to control slaves. They denied them the right to know. a) The absence of knowledge. Frederick Douglass uses the repetition of the negative no to prove that everything was concealed to him and his back borthers (age, origins, parents’ identity) “No authentic records”, “No accurate knowledge” “I do not remember”

No knowledge of his origins, or his identity: “The slightest intimidation of who my father was” “She was long gone before I knew anything about it.” “The death of a stranger” "very little communication." "she left me without the slightest intimation of who my father was." White masters wanted to make sure slaves didn’t identify to their family and community’s values and interests and remained obedient and contented with their conditions.

b/ A need to know. This lack of knowledge made the slaves unhappy not to know who they were so they needed to find out : “ A want for information” “inquiries” but all attempts to know were curtailed by white masters : “taken from it” “ignorant” The reported words of the master “improper” “impertinent” “evidence of a restless spirit” show that a lack of identity guarantees obedience. The less a slave knows, the less dangerous he is (gather information to escape to the the North or find his family, to plot against the master’s interests, ect …)

c/ Remembering what they can. So faced with the impossibility to have some knowledge about himself, Frederick Douglass tells his story by using solid / valid / memories based on facts which could be checked in archives! (Names of places and people ) “ I was born in Tuckahoe” which gives to one's story an unchallengeable historical truth / authenticity. Douglass recalls the scenary / setting of his childhood : who /where / when = the only factual facts he can rely on.. First steps towards building his identity.

2. Difficult act of remembering. Writing one's story appears as a way to recover one’s voice : to get back what was lost by trying to gather information about who you are ! But.... a) memories and therefore knowledge about oneself sometimes come from unreliable sources of information. "The opinion was also whispered that my master was my father" Line 22 " The nearest estimate I can give " line 16 "He was admitted to be such by all I ever heard speak of my parentage." “but of the correctness of that opinion I know nothing.” Line23

b) Risk the information might be wrong / false "The whisper that my father was my father, may or not be true; and true or false " (Binary rythme = truth or lie ?? ) Note the use of verb + noun whisper = which suggests / overtones the rumour ! Need to be careful with those memories. Note the use of the passive form = no controm over the information ! The narrator needs to trust the little memories he has left to get nearer to the truth. Work of reconstruction. Investigation "I come to this by hearing my master say" (his age)

c) Conclusions are drawn from blank memories. This shows how hard is this work of reconstruction is ! Line 40 " I do not recollect of seeing my mother by the light of the day." " She was with me in the night."

II. Testify against and remember the harsness of the Peculiar Institution. The narrator’s voice needs to be heard = A duty of rememberance. 1. The dehumanisation of the slaves FD expresses his indignation on how slaves were treated. a) Undirectly / implicitly “slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs.” Comparison to an animal. " on foot " line 36 = no shoes / clothes "long hours " = they were overworked

b) Directly by expressing his opinions, judgement, own analyses. Use of an argumentative speech. “ It is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves ignorant.” He analyses his own experience line 31 about separations " I do not kown unless...."

His voice as a writer testifying against slavery is being heard ! By remembering and writing about it he turns into a writer ! The former slave has reinvented himself in a writer !

2. Dehumanisation of white masters a / He's outraged by the sadism and the immorality of white masters who always act to serve their own interests Passing “laws” = to indulge in lust line 55 Note the judmental adjectives he uses "wicked" "odious" "cunning" =the slave narrative is the expression of the narrator's voice, a subjective testimony (not journalistic /documentary styles ) the narrator's emotions are always involved as memories brings back INDIGNATION !

Vivid / strong language / images shows how idignated he is / feels! The autor's voice expresses itself fully. He saysout loud what was forbidden to express in one's childhood = a way to release frustration !

b) Pecular Institution as an absurd institition which takes humanity away to people. " Cruel as the deed may strike any one to be..... flesh-mongers (metaphors insists on the loss of humanity / animality of white masters) it is often the dictate of humanity for him to do so" IRONY !! Be unhuman to remain human !!!

Conclusion Through the act of remembering, Douglass is reconstructing pieces of himself. He uses his memories and past experience to make his voice heard and then turns into a powerful writer, a « knowledgeable » person who knows how to use language (images, irony, vivid words etc..) to perform a historical duty of rememberance and then contibute to his long- life aim : fighting slavery and segregation.