A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass_ An American Slave 外国文学导读指南系列丛书.pdfVIP

A T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E T O T H E S I G N E T C L A S S I C E D I T I O N O F FREDERICK DOUGLASS’S A NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS AN AMERICAN SLAVE By ARTHEA J.S. REED, Ph.D. S E R I E S E D I T O R S : W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of Frederick Douglass’s A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave 2 I N T R O D U C T I O N Frederick Douglass’s slave narrative is readily accessible to high school students. It is short (slightly more than 120 pages), easy to read and understand, and filled with warmth and wisdom. In addition it presents a vivid picture of a horrifying period of American history that far too few students understand. Students may read about the institution of slavery in history textbooks, some of which attempt to show the cruel inhumanity of many slave owners, but no textbook allows students to see and feel the fear, pain, and hate. Douglass’s narrative of his life as a slave lets readers feel the fear he has as a small child separated from his mother, allows us to experience with him the pain inflicted by undeserved whippings and weakness caused by too little food and too much physical exertion, and helps us understand not only the hate of the slave for the master but the sickness of hate that allowed human beings to keep other human beings as chattel. Frederick Douglass not only provides students with an understanding of the horrors of slavery but also helps students understand how they can overcome adversity. Although a slave, Douglass’s mind was never enslaved. He who