Frederick Douglass

“She had never had a slave under her control previously to myself, and prior to her marriage she had been dependent upon her own industry for a living.”

What does the underlined phrase indicate (say) about Mrs. Auld before she got married?

• She had needed to work to support herself.

• She was used to living a free and independent lifestyle.

• She had worked in multiple industries to earn a living.

• She had relied on the support of an industry that helped needy women.

My new mistress proved to be all she appeared when I first met her at the door,—a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings. She had never had a slave under her control previously to myself, and prior to her marriage she had been dependent upon her own industry for a living. She was by trade a weaver; and by constant application to her business, she had been in a good degree preserved from the blighting and dehumanizing effects of slavery. I was utterly astonished at her goodness. I scarcely knew how to behave towards her. She was entirely unlike any other white woman I had ever seen. I could not approach her as I was accustomed to approach other white ladies. My early instruction was all out of place. The crouching servility, usually so acceptable a quality in a slave, did not answer when manifested toward her. Her favor was not gained by it; she seemed to be disturbed by it. She did not deem it impudent or unmannerly for a slave to look her in the face. The meanest slave was put fully at ease in her presence, and none left without feeling better for having seen her. Her face was made of heavenly smiles, and her voice of tranquil music.

• Frederick Douglass’s new mistress was a mysterious woman whose intentions were confusing to him.

• Frederick Douglass’s new mistress was kind when he first met her, but this quickly changed.

• Frederick Douglass’s new mistress was a weaver who worked hard to support herself without the help of slaves.

• Frederick Douglass’s new mistress was kind when he first met her because she had not been a slaveholder before.

Suppose some actors are performing a play about Frederick Douglass's life and are rehearsing a scene based on Chapter 6 of his Narrative. Match the quotes from paragraph 1 to the information they would provide the actors.

• Shows EMOTION the actor playing Mrs. Auld should look like

• “Her favor was not gained by it; she seemed to be disturbed by it.”

• Shows how the actress (Mrs. Auld) should SPEAK to the actor playing Douglass

• “The crouching servility, usually so acceptable a quality in a slave, did not answer when manifested toward her.”

• Shows EMOTION the actor playing Douglass should look like

• “I was utterly astonished at her goodness.”​

• Shows how the actor playing Douglass should MOVE his body

• “Her face was made of heavenly smiles, and her voice of tranquil music.”

Read this sentence:

“The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work.”

Which choice BEST describes what role this sentence serves in the paragraph?

• The sentence uses figurative language to explain what caused Mrs. Auld to change.

• The sentence uses descriptive language to describe how Mrs. Auld would physically harm the slaves.

• The sentence uses figurative language to contrast Mrs. Auld’s appearance and behavior before and after becoming a slaveholder.

• The sentence uses literal language to explain that Mrs. Auld was secretly poisoned, which changed her behavior.

Answer explanation

Make sure you know the difference between these words:

Figurative Language

Literal

Descriptive

But, alas! this kind heart had but a short time to remain such. The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon.

Frederick Douglass uses descriptive and figurative language in paragraph 2 to communicate how he feels when Mrs. Auld changes. Which of the following statements BEST describes his tone toward her change?

• Douglass was not surprised when she changed.

• Douglass did not believe she had really changed.

• Douglass was relieved when she changed.

• Douglass was disappointed when she changed.

But, alas! this kind heart had but a short time to remain such. The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon.

Which character traits would an actor playing the role of Mrs. Auld need to be able to convey in order to show how she changes over time? Choose the TWO answers that apply

• Kindness

• Confusion

• Intelligence

• Cruelty

• Humor

Answer explanation

Mrs. Auld used to be kind before she became a slaveholder and then became cruel and cold.

8. In paragraph 3, Mr. Auld says that if you give a slave "an inch, he will take an ell.” What does he mean by this statement?

• If you give a slave some personal space, he will be much more comfortable and productive.

• If you listen to a slave’s concerns, he will respect you more.

• If you show a slave that you are afraid of him, he will take advantage of you.

• If you give a slave a small amount of power or freedom, he will demand a lot more.

Answer explanation

"If you give an inch, he'll take a mile"

This is a turn of phrase about taking advantage of someone.

I had resided but a short time in Baltimore before I observed a marked difference, in the treatment of slaves, from that which I had witnessed in the country. A city slave is almost a freeman, compared with a slave on the plantation. He is much better fed and clothed, and enjoys privileges altogether unknown to the slave on the plantation. There is a vestige of decency, a sense of shame, that does much to curb and check those outbreaks of atrocious cruelty so commonly enacted upon the plantation. He is a desperate slaveholder, who will shock the humanity of his non-slaveholding neighbors with the cries of his lacerated slave. Few are willing to incur the odium attaching to the reputation of being a cruel master; and above all things, they would not be known as not giving a slave enough to eat. Every city slaveholder is anxious to have it known of him, that he feeds his slaves well; and it is due to them to say, that most of them do give their slaves enough to eat. There are, however, some painful exceptions to this rule. Directly opposite to us, on Philpot Street, lived Mr. Thomas Hamilton. He owned two slaves. Their names were Henrietta and Mary. Henrietta was about twenty-two years of age, Mary was about fourteen; and of all the mangled and emaciated creatures I ever looked upon, these two were the most so. His heart must be harder than stone, that could look upon these unmoved. The head, neck, and shoulders of Mary were literally cut to pieces. I have frequently felt her head, and found it nearly covered with festering sores, caused by the lash of her cruel mistress. I do not know that her master ever whipped her, but I have been an eye-witness to the cruelty of Mrs. Hamilton. I used to be in Mr. Hamilton's house nearly every day. Mrs. Hamilton used to sit in a large chair in the middle of the room, with a heavy cowskin always by her side, and scarce an hour passed during the day but was marked by the blood of one of these slaves. The girls seldom passed her without her saying, "Move faster, you black gip!" at the same time giving them a blow with the cowskin over the head or shoulders, often drawing the blood. She would then say, "Take that, you black gip!" continuing, "If you don't move faster, I'll move you!" Added to the cruel lashings to which these slaves were subjected, they were kept nearly half-starved. They seldom knew what it was to eat a full meal. I have seen Mary contending with the pigs for the offal thrown into the street. So much was Mary kicked and cut to pieces, that she was oftener called "pecked" than by her name.

Select the TWO approaches Douglass uses in paragraph 4 to explain the difference between slavery in the city and slavery in the country.

• Douglass describes in detail how his life changed when he moved from the country to the city.

• Douglass explains how city slaves are usually fed and clothed better than country slaves.

• Douglass uses anecdotes about Henrietta and Mary to show what life was typically like for slaves living in the city.

• Douglass explains how slaveholders in the city are more worried about what their neighbors think than slaveholders in the country are.

. How does Frederick Douglass BEST distinguish what Mrs. Auld was like when he first met her from what she was like later on?

• By using dialogue to show how the way she spoke to him changed

• By grouping the events in her life into positive and negative experiences

• By describing her appearance and voice when he first met her and again after she had changed

• By directly comparing her behavior to her husband’s behavior

The list below represents an ordered summary of paragraph 3.

1. Mrs. Auld began to teach Frederick Douglass how to read.

2. When Mr. Auld found out what was happening, he ordered his wife to stop educating Frederick Douglass.

3. Mr. Auld explained the reasons why he thought slaves shouldn’t know how to read.

4. Overhearing this conversation helped Frederick Douglass realize that ______.

5. After this, Frederick Douglass vowed to learn to read at any cost.

Which detail BEST fits on the blank line in order to complete the summary of the text?

• His masters did not care about his personal well-being.

• Mrs. Auld would never have the courage to stand up to her husband.

• White people’s power to maintain slavery came from keeping slaves illiterate.

• Slavery is a terrible practice that harms the humanity of both the slavers and the enslaved.