Toni Morrison vs Frederick Douglass
Kwani Lunis
False Control
A 5th grade student is sitting down to read their American history textbook. As they read they learn about this legal form of slave labor, and think to themselves “it was bad, but not that bad”. There are always two sides to every story, but sometimes one side may shed more light than the other. Frederick Douglass’ 1845 self-titled narrative is one of those other sides. From a mostly objective perspective, he is able to tell the story of the blood, tears, and labor that was put into building this great nation, the United States. More than a century later, Toni Morrison, the great African American novelist, publishes Beloved. Her novel supplements the story of Frederick Douglass by adding an emotional and almost maternal insight to the horrors of slavery. While Douglass gave the perspective of a young boy growing over time, he somehow is able to make the story of his own life objective to readers on both sides of the slavery argument. Morrison on the other hand brings her own fictional character to life in a slightly different world of slavery, bringing the opposite maternal, feminine side to the story. With their great differences, these two works are able to go hand in hand, while leading one on a journey to truth.
The mention of slavery usually brings to mind the idea of the abuse and injury that came along with it. While the obvious physical ownership of another human being is a great factor, one must not forget the psychological control that seized the minds of these slaves. With time the physical wounds can eventually heal, but the psychological trauma can have a long term effect on both the individual and those around them. In Frederick Douglass’ narrative the first time we see him show any form of emotion is when he sees his beautiful, aunt Hester getting a beating from the master. He describes the experience as the “the entrance to the hell of slavery… a most terrible spectacle” (Douglass 28). A young boy associating this brutal
False Control
A 5th grade student is sitting down to read their American history textbook. As they read they learn about this legal form of slave labor, and think to themselves “it was bad, but not that bad”. There are always two sides to every story, but sometimes one side may shed more light than the other. Frederick Douglass’ 1845 self-titled narrative is one of those other sides. From a mostly objective perspective, he is able to tell the story of the blood, tears, and labor that was put into building this great nation, the United States. More than a century later, Toni Morrison, the great African American novelist, publishes Beloved. Her novel supplements the story of Frederick Douglass by adding an emotional and almost maternal insight to the horrors of slavery. While Douglass gave the perspective of a young boy growing over time, he somehow is able to make the story of his own life objective to readers on both sides of the slavery argument. Morrison on the other hand brings her own fictional character to life in a slightly different world of slavery, bringing the opposite maternal, feminine side to the story. With their great differences, these two works are able to go hand in hand, while leading one on a journey to truth.
The mention of slavery usually brings to mind the idea of the abuse and injury that came along with it. While the obvious physical ownership of another human being is a great factor, one must not forget the psychological control that seized the minds of these slaves. With time the physical wounds can eventually heal, but the psychological trauma can have a long term effect on both the individual and those around them. In Frederick Douglass’ narrative the first time we see him show any form of emotion is when he sees his beautiful, aunt Hester getting a beating from the master. He describes the experience as the “the entrance to the hell of slavery… a most terrible spectacle” (Douglass 28). A young boy associating this brutal
Cited: Douglass Frederick, Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave. London: 1845. Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: 1987.