Singing Anguish

Thus far in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, we see that slavery is a gruesome, pernicious, and abhorrent practice in American history. Remember that Frederick Douglass attempted to describe slavery in detail for his readers and those who listened to his speeches so that any myth of its need or could be demolished. Also, Douglass tried to move people to ACT--to do something to help abolish slavery.

Today, we discussed the scene where Douglass writes about the slave songs, "Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains," (p. 8). This was written to directly combat the view of Northerners that the slave songs were somehow joyful or exuberant. They were cries of pain and anguish.

We then read in pairs today, Chapters 3 and 4, and kept a character list. Here is a snapshot of our board with the setup of our character list:

For tonight, be sure to finish reading up through Chapter 4 (through page 15) in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and continue making your character list. 

Our word of the day today was OBDURATE, which means stubborn or unrelenting in one's desire to do wrong. 

Peace!

Mr. R