Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
By Frederick Douglass
Study Guide Questions
Chapter 1
1. Why is Douglass not sure when he was born? Where was he born?
2. What is Douglass’s last name at birth?
3. Why would slaveholders want to keep a slave ignorant of such a simple thing as the date of his birth?
4. Who were Douglass’s mother and father?
5. Why does Douglass make the point that a slaveholder who has fathered a child is likely to be tougher on that child?
6. Why does Douglass rarely see his mother?
7. Is Douglass’s relationship with his mother typical of other slave children? Explain.
8. How old is Douglass when his mother dies? How does he respond to her death? Why?
9. What is the role of the overseer on a plantation?
10. What is the relationship of the slaveholder to the overseer to the slave on the plantation?
11. What do we learn about Plummer, the overseer?
12. Who is Douglass’s first master?
13. Why does Douglass tell the story of Lloyd’s Ned?
Chapter 2
1. What work does Captain Anthony do for Colonel Lloyd?
2. What was the average slave’s allowance for food and clothing?
3. Why were so many naked children visible on the plantation?
4. What were the living conditions of the slaves like?
5. Why was Mr. Severe rightly named?
6. What was Colonel Lloyd’s home plantation called?
7. What does Douglass say about the nature of slave songs? What did they teach him?
Chapter 4
1. What maxim (saying) was laid down by the slaveholders? How do you feel about this?
2. Describe Mr. Gore.
3. What happened to Demby? Why?
4. What other atrocities enacted upon the slaves does Douglass describe? How do you feel about them? Why?
Chapter 6
1. Describe Sophia Auld. What transformation did she undergo? Why?
2. What do you think of Mr. Auld’s words? (very important)
3. What valuable lesson does Mr. Auld teach Douglass?
4. Why was it illegal to teach a slave to read?
5. How is the treatment of slaves different in the city from that in the country?
Chapter 7
1. How long did Douglass live with Master Hugh’s family?
2. How did being a slave holder affect Sophia Auld?
3. Why are slavery and education incompatible with one another?
4. How did Douglass learn to read ?
5. How old was Douglass when he encountered “The Columbian Orator”? What effect did it have on him? What kinds of ideas was he exposed to?
6. Why does Douglass state that at times learning to read had become a curse rather than a blessing?
7. How did Douglass learn about abolition? Trace the process.
8. How did Douglass learn to write?
Chapter 10
1. For how long does Douglass live with Mr. Covey?
2. Why does Covey whip Douglass?
3. Why are the slaves so fearful of Mr. Covey? Why does their work go on in his absence? What nickname do they have for Mr. Covey?
4. Why is it “never safe to stop a single minute”?
5. What does Douglass mean when he states, “Mr. Covey’s forte consisted in his power to deceive”?
6. Why does Mr. Covey buy a slave to use as a breeder?
7. Why does Covey hire a married man from Mr. Samuel Harrison? What irony does Douglass find in this?
8. Why are the ships important? What are they a metaphor for? What is apostrophe? How do they inspire Douglass?
9. How does Covey succeed in breaking Douglass?
10. How does Douglass succeed in again becoming a man?
11. Why does Douglass go to Master Thomas Auld?
12. Why does he return to Covey? Who convinces him to do so? What does Sandy Jenkins suggest that Douglass do?
13. Why is Douglass’s battle with Covey “the turning point in [his] career as a slave”?
14. How are the holidays used to “disgust the slave with freedom”?
15. Where does Douglass go after leaving Covey on Jan. 1, 1834?
16. Who is Douglass’s new master and how does he treat him?
17. Why does Douglass include the two anecdotes about the religious slave holders Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Weeden? What point is he trying to make?
18. Why and where does Douglass begin Sabbath school? Why is it essential that the slaves tell no one about it?
19. What would the slave holders like the slaves to do on the sabbath? Why is this ironic?
20. Why does Douglass decide to include the slaves in his Sabbath school in his plans to obtain his freedom? Why is this dangerous?
21. Douglass makes the point that many slaves would “rather bear those ills we had, than fly to others, that we knew not of”. How does this help explain why so few slaves escaped?
22. How do the slaves plan to run away?
23. What is the purpose of the “protections” written by Douglass?
24. What happens to their plan? How do the “protections” nearly cause their deaths?
25. What happens to each of the slaves who attempted to run away?
26. When Douglass returns to Baltimore, what does he do?
27. Douglass again decides to fight when he is attacked. What happens to him? What does Master Hugh attempt to do for Douglass?
28. What must Douglass do with the wages he earns each week as a caulker? Why?
29. What did Douglass experience when his condition improved? Why?
Chapter 11
1. What does Douglass concern himself with in this chapter?
2. Why does Douglass choose not to reveal all of the details?
3. Why does Douglass call the underground railroad the upperground railroad?
4. What thoughts does Douglass have regarding his wages? How does he fell about his master when he receives them? Why?
5. How does Douglass hire his time? Why does his master agree to the arrangement?
6. What makes Master Hugh angry? What happens as a consequence?
7. What is Douglass’s object in working steadily? How does he plan to deceive his master?
8. What is Douglass’s theory regarding why so many remain slaves instead of attempting to escape?
9. When did Douglass escape? Where did he go?
10. Why was Douglass afraid to speak to anyone?
11. Who are the only people who could understand Douglass’s experience? Why?
12. Who did Douglass marry? When?
13. Where did they move? Why?
14. How many names did Douglass have? What were they?
15. What impression does Douglass receive of New Bedford?
16. What happened between the colored man and the fugitive slave? Why? What was the consequence?
17. Why wasn’t Douglass able to get a job as a calker?
18. What paper inspired Douglass? How?
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