Racial Ideologies in Frederick Douglass and Linda Brents...

Racial Ideologies in Frederick Douglass and Linda Brents Narratives 4) Slavery was justified by racial ideology. Consider three texts, including one that was written by a former slave. How do the authors either replicate or refute racial ideologies common in the nineteenth century? I am going to focus on the narratives of Frederick Douglass and Linda Brent as examples of a refusal of racial ideologies and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin as an example of replicating (although attempting to refute) racial ideologies of the day. Douglass’s Narrative and Brent’s Incidents follow them from ignorance to knowledge; knowledge and freedom gained through their own doing. I think that Stowe is in a way both trying to write an†¦show more content†¦. . as the authors attempts to enter . . . into Society: by (re-)writing him or herself, and thus placing that self into the tradition of American autobiography, s/he provides proof of American identity (91). This can be seen in Douglass’s constant quest for knowledge. In the beginning, he focuses on his total ignorance so that throughout the narrative, it is easy for the reader to understand the progress he has been making. The best example of the mind requiring liberation before the body is Douglass’s fight with Covey. This man mentally abuses his slaves by making them fear his constant watch. The fear is a direct result of the threat of punishment if they do not adhere to his strict rules: they will be beat. In beating his slaves, Covey turns them into just another body; he never sees their mind. Douglass wants to be move than just another body. He needs to free his mind in order to free his body. In order to gain his freedom, Douglass must use his body and physically fight Covey. Through this fight, he frees his mind of the fear of ever being whipped again. Douglass claims that he â€Å"was never again what might be called fairly whipped, though I remained a slave four years afterwards† (43). Through this episode, Douglass proves that first the mind must be liberated, and the body will eventually (maybe not immediately) follow. The relationship between the body and