FD, ch. 7-9

Ch. 7 - Choose the best summary for what happens in the Baltimore household over seven years to Frederick and the Auld family.

• Frederick learns to read and write, despite Hugh Auld's prohibition. Sophia becomes even more hostile than her husband.

• Frederick attends school with Tommy Auld. Hugh and Sophia welcome him with open arms as if he's a part of their family.

• Frederick repeatedly runs away from the Aulds. Each time he is brought back and punished severely.

• Frederick daydreams about escaping North to freedom. To his surprise, however, Hugh Auld frees him in his will.

CH. 7 - What was the significance of The Columbian Orator?

• The Columbian Order included anti-slavery texts, helping Douglass to develop the language to articulate his feelings and hopes.

• Prior to reading these texts, Douglass had never considered the possibility of freedom.

• The Columbian Orator was a manual for plantation owners, providing guidelines on effective slave management and control.

• The Columbian Orator was a religious texts, emphasizing obedience to authority and discouraging any thoughts of resistance or freedom.

Ch. 7 - Why does Douglass confess to feeling "cursed" by his reading and thinking?

• Douglass writes that he experienced a crisis of knowledge about why slavery was wrong, and felt despair because he did not know how to improve his life.

• Douglass felt "cursed" because he believed that reading and thinking were futile endeavors, contributing nothing to his understanding of the world.

• Douglass confessed to feeling "cursed" due to the belief that his increased knowledge only intensified his acceptance of slavery as a necessary institution.

• Douglass regretted his reading and thinking because he concluded that slavery was a just and natural order, and he struggled with the conflicting views presented in the texts he encountered.

Ch. 8 - Why is Douglass sent back to the Lloyd plantation after his enslaver dies?

• The laws governing chattel slavery made the slave and their labor the physical property of their enslaver for life; they were a legal part of a person's estate.

• Douglass is sent back to the Lloyd plantation because he requested to return, feeling a sense of loyalty and duty to the deceased enslaver's family.

• The community elders decide to return Douglass to the Lloyd plantation as a form of punishment for attempting to escape.

• Douglass is sent back to the Lloyd plantation as part of a customary practice that ensured enslaved individuals remained with the family of their original enslaver, irrespective of legal obligations.

Ch. 8 - Why is Douglass outraged by his grandmother's fate?

• After a lifetime of devoted service, she is turned out, doomed to near-certain poverty, squalor, and death.

• Douglass is outraged because his grandmother chose to leave her enslaver's household, rejecting a life of comfort and security in favor of an uncertain future.

• Douglass is upset because his grandmother is rewarded for her lifelong service with a comfortable retirement and the freedom to live independently.

• Douglass is angered by his grandmother's fate because she is unfairly promoted to a position of authority within the enslaver's household, causing jealousy and resentment among other enslaved individuals.

Ch. 8 - Who is the slave's poet, Whittier?

• a Massachusetts Quaker involved in the abolition movement

• an influential Southern plantation enslaver who advocated for the expansion of slavery

• a famous poet from the 19th century, but he actively supported and promoted the institution of slavery

• a fictional character created by Douglass to symbolize the challenges faced by enslaved individuals during their pursuit of freedom

Ch. 8 - What is Douglass's reaction to being sent to St. Michaels?

• Douglass expresses sorrow, but admits that he left the Aulds without much regret.

• Douglass is overjoyed and grateful for the opportunity to go to St. Michaels, seeing it as a chance for a better life and improved treatment.

• Douglass is indifferent to the move, feeling that the change in location has no significant impact on his life or circumstances.

• Douglass is furious and resentful about being sent to St. Michaels, believing that it worsens his living conditions and treatment.

Ch. 9 - Douglass meets his new enslaver in St. Michaels. Describe Thomas Auld and Douglass at this point.

• Thomas Auld is mean and inconsistent. He is well-off, but lets those he enslaved go hungry. Douglass is resourceful in order to survive. Both resent each other.

• Thomas Auld is portrayed as a struggling enslaver, barely able to provide for himself, let alone those he enslaves. Douglass sympathizes with Auld's challenges and strives to support him.

• Thomas Auld is a strict but fair enslaver, ensuring that everyone under his ownership is well-fed and treated with respect. Douglass and Auld share a harmonious relationship during this period.

• Thomas Auld is a consistent and fair-minded enslaver who ensures that everyone under his ownership is treated equally. Douglass feels a strong sense of loyalty and contentment in this environment.

Ch. 9 - Contrast the religious rituals and values of the household with the aspirations of Christianity.

• Thomas Auld's religious conversion does not improve his cruelty; it just lends words of piety to his mistreatment. Most clergy and neighbors do not intervene on the enslaved's behalf, and "pious" church leaders, like Covey, are respected for their religious devotion and harshness towards the enslaved.

• Thomas Auld's religious conversion leads to a significant improvement in his treatment of the enslaved, as he becomes a devout Christian who actively seeks to follow Christ's teachings of compassion and kindness.

• Despite the aspirations of Christianity for compassion and justice, the enslaved find little solace in religious rituals, as the clergy and neighbors only superficially support abolition.

• "Pious" church leaders like Covey are portrayed as benevolent and compassionate individuals who use their religious devotion to advocate for the well-being and freedom of the enslaved.