Douglass Hits Home

The setting in which Douglass' experience and battle against slavery took place is one that hits home-literally. I was born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland. Baltimore, the historic city of Frederick, and many landmarks dedicated in our narrators name are a straight shot down the highway. As if Douglass's graphic imagery didn't set in the harsh realities of slavery already, the realization that the events he describes were ones that took place in a state that has so positively influenced myself- its pretty surreal to think about. These cities that I've been to hundreds and times and driven through hundreds more are established in his name, because of the atrocities he stood so strongly against. To read this narrative almost two hundred years later and see how society in my hometown used to be, but also what details remained intact through time is eye-opening and unsettling.

We discussed in class what makes this text "literary" and to me it was Douglass' ability to connect with his readers. Although reading that there was a brutal "treatment of slaves in Maryland" makes me question my amount of state pride, there were many passages describing his setting that I found powerful and uplifting. Douglass depicts Baltimore as a new beginning, a chance to start change. For him "going to live at Baltimore laid the foundation, and opened the gateway, to all my subsequent prosperity"  (1195) . I found this passage interesting or two reasons. It made clear to me what opportunities new land meant to slaves in search of freedom. We can just pack up and move across the country if we please. For Douglass moving just a few hours across state was a move big enough to shape the rest of his life. It also showed the change in attitudes about Baltimore in particular with time. Baltimore now is full of crime, poverty, run- down buildings, and is one of the most dangerous cities in the country.

Also, he lays out, briefly, the scene of Annapolis as a small town but with much energy and spirit (1195), characteristics that still pride it today. It was interesting for me to be able to make a connection with Douglass. To see a part of the world today the same as he did hundreds of years ago helped me see him as (not sure if this is the right word I'm looking for) but as somewhat of a companion, rather than just another author. It instilled a sense of trust and want to support him in his fight for abolition. For those not from the area the setting may not bring about as much emotion, but his descriptions of looking out into the unexplored waters, or land, and thinking of what may become of him, hoping he can make a significant impact, is certainly an experience we have all at once had when contemplating out own hardships. The connections I found in Douglass' narrative helped elucidate just how effective and impactful expressing our words and opinions can be and makes me wonder what the town I grew up in and the society I lived in would have been like without his writings.