Slavery and The Corruption of Southern Belles in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas :: essays research papers

But alas This is kind heart precisely had but a short time remain such. The fatal toxicant of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That jaunty eye, under the influences of slavery, soon became red with rage, that voice, made all in all of sweet accord, falsifyd to atomic number 53 of harsh and horrid discord, and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon. (Douglas 19) This is how Frederick Douglas describes the change in his former mistress, Sophia Auld, as slavery corrupted her whole charge of life. From this excerpt we can ingest that great deal can change profoundly for the negative. The question is what could possess one to change so radically when presumptuousness power over another human being.Prior to the mistress change, Frederick Douglas, rootage of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas (1995) describes her as a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings. (19) This brings us to one of Douglas motifs of how slavery can carry a fatal poisonous substance that if one possess can change their outsight to life. This poison affects some people more then others. For example, if one compares all of Douglas slave owners, it is easy to see that those born into a slave holding family are less presumable to become as cruel as those marrying into that way of life. Auld did not convert to an evil lifestyle overnight, in fact, she was the key to Frederick Douglas education.Auld was a religious woman and often read from the bible aloud, when little Douglas asked her to ascertain him to read she did not object. After some time Douglas had learned the rudiment and a few short words but soon all that would end when Mr. Auld discovered the unlawful lessons taking place in his house. Furious, Mr. Auld forbade his wife to teach Douglas anymore on account of believe that learning would make him Douglas discontented, unmanageable, and unhappy. (20) From then on instead of seeing Dougla s as a person Sophia Auld saw him as a magical spell of property,Was it Mrs. Auld that changed herself or was it the pressure from her husband to learn the slaveholding techniques? Its possible that she was afraid of her husband to the point where she was scared to disobey him, except it was not her fault that she was not aware of the laws against the teaching of slaves.