African American Voices

A. The story talks of a slave, who has been broken by one of his masters, who models the bad experiences that slaves go through. Frederick Douglass describes working in a field to he is basically a brute, no longer caring for what happens to him, continuing to work despite his body strength giving out, and ready to die as soon as god wills it. One day, losing strength and needing to take a break, he falls beneath the fence to find some shade, and is approached by a very unhappy "negro-breaker". Claiming he needs help, the negro breaker couldn't care less and kicks him to tell him to get back to work; Frederick tries to get up and is unable too, which leads to another kick for not following orders due despite being incapable of doing so. The overseer then gives a blow to the back of Frederick's head leaving a bloody wound that trickled down his head. He was still asked to get up but made no effort to this time, being broken once again and ready for the worst. After his overseer left him to his fate, Douglass thought talking to his master about this beating to see if he can get protection, or a new overseer. He managed to get off the field and walk the seven miles to get to his masters house, though it "was truly a severe undertaking" having to gow through the forest through brush and thorns while having little strength left over from being beaten and sick. By the end of the five hour journey he arrived at his master's house and "presented an appearance enough to affect any but a heart of iron," being covered head to toe in blood, thorns and twigs. His master explains that Frederick had probably deserved the beating for not cooperating with his master, and claims the overseer to be a good man and he could not even think of removing douglass from his power to a new home or anything of the sort. He goes back to only be scared to hear the "negro-breaker" ready to chase him down in the corn fields for a whipping, making Frederick run off again. Running into a fellow slave who was on his way to his wife it being saturday night and having sunday off, invites Frederick to come eat and be housed for a night. The slave tells him of a way to avoid getting whipped which lies in the carrying of a root found in the woods. He returns to his masters field to find that the negro-breaker, although not happy with him, just tells him to get to work, which he does. While doing work though Frederick is joined by the whip holding negro breaker who tries to tye Frederick down, which Frederick reacts in putting the man in a choke hold. This quarrel carried on for hours, Frederick knowing his possible fate could be to be beaten or maybe even killed. In the end though, the slave owner never sent him to the whipping post, wanting to keep his repuation as a "first rate over-seer and negro breaker", he didn't want to admit that a slave had caused him that much trouble that he had to fight with him.

B.Frederick Douglass is trying to express the social issue of racism and slavery. He describes master's who show no mercy despite the appearance of a man who is practically using his last breath to tell you his problems. The harsh conditions a slave had to go through could almost break any man, and this story was probably written to make people feel the pain and sorrow they could experience from not only the aspects from this story but harsher aspects and the continuous cycle of having to do it everyday untill you have no choice but to let life go.