The Interaction between Douglass and Mrs. Auld

Essential Question: What idea about slavery is developed through Frederick's interaction with his mistress? How does he use rhetorical devices to convey that idea?

Mrs. Auld teaching Douglass how to read

Based on Frederick's interaction with his mistress, Mrs. Auld, it can be concluded that slavery does not always bring out the worst in people. In My Bondage and My Freedom, Douglass discusses how at first, Mrs. Auld was very kind, caring, and compassionate towards Douglass; she even began to teach him how to read. However, when slavery was put more and more into effect, Douglass was considered a slave, and Mrs. Auld completely changed. According to the text, Mrs. Auld no longer showed him kindness and love; she treated him like a slave, even worse than her husband, and no longer allowed him to read and write. If she ever saw him in a corner reading a book, she would quickly snatch it from him, like he was a traitor or dangerous spy (Douglass, 523). Despite Mrs. Auld's lack of compassion, Douglass did not speak badly of her. Douglass did not allow Mrs. Auld's slavery-based actions affect how he would always remember her. This develops the idea that not all slaves would come to hate their masters. In Douglass's case, his mistress sparked his interest in reading and education, and he would always remember her as that, even though "slavery made [them] enemies (Douglass, 526)." To convey this idea, Frederick uses rhetorical devices. For instance, Douglass uses parallelism to discuss the nice things Mrs. Auld uses to do; he said, "there was no sorrow nor suffering for which she had not a tear, and there was no innocent joy for which she did not [have] a smile. She had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner... (Douglass, 523)." Frederick also uses repetition of the word "censure", when he says, "I will not censure her harshly; she cannot censure me... (Douglass, 527), to make it known that he would not talk about her too badly, and Mrs. Auld could not talk about him too badly either. Ultimately, Frederick Douglass never grew to hate Mrs. Auld. He could have talked about her very unfavorably, considering how she treated him, but he did not let that get the best of him and lash out about her. Douglass chose to talk about her kindness when he first met her, and did not scrutinize her much, showing that slavery does not always bring out the worst in people. Mrs. Auld was the beginning of Douglass's education, and he continued to obtain knowledge, no matter the cost. He eventually used his power of knowledge to help prosper the abolitionist cause.

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If you do not know much about who Frederick Douglass is, watch this short video that introduces one of the greatest abolitionist of the 19th century.