Super Douglass

       

       Towards the middle of Frederick Douglass’ narrative, I find myself with a perfect example of how even the most intelligent and wise people are in some way influenced by someone (or society as a whole) negatively. In the blink of an eye, “a man is transformed into a brute.” (71)

       In Douglass’ case, the person who greatly influenced him in a negative way was Mr. Covey. With just two paragraphs or even a few sentences, anyone can understand what type of person Mr. Covey was: “Mr. Covey was a poor man; he was just commencing in life; he was only able to buy one slave: and, as shocking as is the fact, he bought her, as he said, for a breeder.” It makes me very sad to know that there are still people similar to Mr. Covey. In comparison to those times of African American slavery, today there are other types of slavery such as white slave traffic. Mr. Coveys still exist and this petrifies me. I will not be able to sleep today.

       Every time I am reading Douglass’ memoir, I find myself suffering for him, kind of like you do on the movies for the hero or the good guy. Douglass is becoming my hero and therefore, a role model. I hate villain Mr. Covey because he “succeeded in breaking Douglass, crushed is natural elasticity, languished his intellect, made his disposition to read leave, and killed the cheerful spark in Douglass’ eye.” (71) When is Douglass going to stop being a brute? Well, heroes always have a happy ending right? I need to know what will happen to my hero. As for the villain, I bet karma will come to hunt him.