The Spirit of Freedom Against Dehumanization in Frederick Douglass’ the Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Abstract

American romanticism is a literary movement in the 19th century that upholds individualism, and freedom from all forms of confinement of convention, oppression or tyranny. This study focuses on abolitionism or the anti-slavery movement found in Frederick Douglass's autobiographical novel entitled The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. This study explores American romantic literature's characteristics in the book by capturing the dehumanization experienced by black American slaves and their spirit of resistance to the white oppression. The method used is the inductive method and descriptive method. The results showed that black people could gain confidence in striving for equality and freedom from white oppression by learning to read and write.

White superiority in Flannery O’connor’s The Barber and The Artificial Nigger

“…It further investigates how the social construct of race affects black individuals and other people of color, delving into the historical and persistent injustices experienced by these communities. Another example is Cahyawati's (2020) article, the study delves into the characteristics of American romantic literature as depicted in The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, by examining the dehumanizing experiences endured by black American slaves and their resilient spirit of resistance against white oppression. The mistreatment endured by enslaved black individuals encompasses the dehumanization of children and women, deprivation of essential necessities, physical violence, denial of education, exploitation in labor, absence of freedom of expression, and the perception of slaves as mere possessions.…”