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A Day In the Life of a Slave
7.R.RI.03 I can analyze interactions between individuals, events or ideas in a text. 7.W.03 – Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events, using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
by Frederick Douglass, 1845
I never saw my mother, to know her as such, more than four or five times in my life; and each of these times was very short in duration and at night. She was hired by a Mr. Stewart, who lived about twelve miles from my home. She made her journeys to see me in the night, traveling the whole distance on foot, after the performance of her day’s work. She was a field hand, and awhipping is the penalty of not being in the field at sunrise, unless a slave has special permission from his or her master to the contrary—a permission which they seldom get, and one that gives to him that gives it the proud name of being a kind master. I do not recollect of ever seeing my mother by the light of day. She was with me in the night. She would lie down with me, and get me to sleep, but long before I waked she was gone. Very little communication ever took place between us. Death soon ended what little we could have while she lived, and with it herhardships and suffering. She died when I was about seven years old, on one of my master’s farms, near Lee’s Mill. I was not allowed to be present during her illness, at her death, or burial.She was gone long before I knew anything about it. Never having enjoyed, to any considerable extent, her soothing presence, her tender and watchful care. I received the tidings of her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger.
If at any one time of my life more than another, I was made to drink the bitterest dregs of slavery, that time was during the first six months of my stay with Mr. Covey. We were worked in all weathers. It was never too hot or too cold; it could never rain, blow, hail, or snow, too hard for us to work in the field. Work, work, work, was scarcely more the order of the day than of the night. The longest days were too short for him, and the shortest nights too long for him. I was somewhat unmanageable when I first went there, but a few months of this discipline tamed me. Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me. I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute! / _____ 1. Why did Frederick not see his mother very often?
  1. She was a slave.
  2. She was working 12 miles away.
  3. both a and b
  4. neither a nor b
_____ 2. How does the first paragraph influence the reader’s understanding of slavery?
  1. It shows slavery separated families.
  2. It shows slavery was a common practice.
  3. neither a nor b
  4. both a and b
_____ 3. How does the second paragraph influence the reader’s understanding of slavery?
  1. It shows Mr. Covey was a good owner.
  2. It shows how physically demanding slave work was.
  3. It showed the benefits of working hard.
  4. none of the above
4. Why did Frederick’s mother only see him at night? Provide text evidence to support your answer. (3 points)
5. How was Douglass treated by Mr. Covey? Cite text evidence to support your answer. (3 points)
Write a piece of historical fiction based upon the factual information provided in the text. Put yourself in Frederick Douglass’s shoes and describe a day in his life. Be sure to include dialogue and sensory details of the events that take place. Remember with dialogue to start a new paragraph each time the speaker switches. You should have a minimum of three paragraphs. (30 points)
Exceeds = 5 / Meets = 4 / Approaches = 3 / Falls Below = 1
Knowledge
______x 3 = / Your use of quotations, retelling of events, and description clearly depicts Frederick’s life and slavery in general. / Your use of quotations, retelling of events, and description depicts Frederick’s life and slavery. More detail would have made it feel more life-like. / Your use of quotations, retelling of events, and description somewhat depicts Frederick’s life but details were lacking to enhance believability. / You failed to address the necessary requirements of using quotations, retelling events, and/or using description.
Applications
______x 2 = / You had more than three clearly defined paragraphs. Excellent use of perspective throughout. / You had three paragraphs. Correct perspective was used, but not consistent throughout. / You had two paragraphs. AND/OR Your perspective changed. / You had only one paragraph. AND/OR consistent perspective was entirely lacking.
Mechanics
______x 1 = / Very few mechanical errors (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, paragraphing). / Few mechanical errors (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, paragraphing). They do not interfere with readability. / Mechanical errors (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, paragraphing). Readability is affected at times. / Mechanical errors (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, paragraphing) disrupt and take away from the content of the paper.