Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself.

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Study Questions
Directions: Read the questions below and answer the questions in complete sentences citing
quotes and specific examples whenever possible.
1. The Preface includes texts by William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips. What is their
purpose?
2. How would you identify the genres of these two Preface texts? What difference does genre
make in texts that have a similar purpose? Which one is more effective, in your view?
3. How does the distinction between human and animal appear in each of the two Preface
documents?
4. The first chapter concerns Douglass birth, childhood, and relations. How are women
represented in this chapter?
5. What are the consequences of slave-holding men having sex with enslaved women who then
bear their children? Why is this feature of slavery significant to Douglass and for the
autobiography?
6. A want of information concerning my own [date of birth] was a source of unhappiness to me
even during childhood. What impression of Douglass do you gain from this observation?
7. Chapter II gives a description of life on Colonel Lloyds plantation and of slavery as it there
existed. What features of this description stand out for you?
8. Douglass comments about slave songs in this chapter. How does Douglass interpret them for
a white reader, and what significance does he give them in his own development?
8. In Chapter III, how does irony inform Douglasss account of the horses?
9. In this chapter, in what way does Douglass argue that slaves are like other people?
10. Chapter IV features three murders. What is Douglasss point in narrating these crimes? Or
are they, in fact, crimes?
11. In Chapter V, Douglass is sent to Baltimore. To what force does Douglass attribute this
event? What is his emotional state as he meets the Aulds?
12. Chapter VI presents the first stage of Douglasss development of literacy. What is
significant about the interruption of his education in reading?
13. Chapter VII narrates Douglasss acquisition of The Columbian Orator, his reading of
newspapers, and his learning to write. How do human relationships enter into these stages of
literacy training?
14. In Chapter VIII, Douglass is sent back to the country to be counted as property in the

settlement of a will. What strikes you in the style of Douglasss description of Master Thomas?
Why would pious readers those attached to the church find this chapter challenging?
15. Chapter X is the longest in the book. In it, Douglass is sent to work in the field with the
slave-breaker, Covey. He was, he reports, broken in body, soul, and spirit. How does the
boundary between human and animal enter into the account at this point? What is striking about
the apostrophe to the sailing vessels directly following this passage? [Apostrophe is a breaking
off, or a turning away, to direct speech toward an inanimate object.]
16. What is the glorious resurrection in this chapter? What are the implications for
Douglasss character and for the path from slavery to freedom? How do you judge his
relationships with other slaves seeking freedom?
17.
X?

How are work, thinking, the impulse toward freedom interconnected at the end of Chapter

18. Chapter XI announces, rather than narrates, his escape. Why is it important to Douglass
that modes of escape from slavery remain secret?
19. How does Douglass work with the issue of experience and identification at the end? What
do you think of his account of his feelings upon reaching freedom? Explain.
20. Only a brief two paragraphs are devoted to Douglass encounter with abolitionists and his
new career as a public speaker for the cause of abolition. What is your impression of this
passage? Explain.
21. Why do you think Douglass adds the Appendix? Give evidence to support your opinion.