Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

In the years before the Civil War, how might the labor of enslaved people have been different depending on geographical location? What kind of labor do you think enslaved people did in Maryland, in particular?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may come to this autobiographical narrative with narrow notions of pre-war life set in the South, as images of plantations and labor in the cotton fields tend to be prevalent in film and books. Readers may not have considered life in other parts of the antebellum South and might be surprised to learn more about the Chesapeake area, with its maritime culture, oyster fishing, and urban trade. It also might be beneficial to guide student discussion regarding how enslaved labor was exploited to build its economy on all levels (not just in agriculture), as this narrative shows.

• This resource from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History explains the foundations for American slavery and provides thorough information to build context.
• This reference site from the National Museum of African American History & Culture’s Searchable Museum offers a comparative study of slavery in the Chesapeake and several other regions.

Short Activity

Read “Frederick Douglass” by 20th-century poet Robert Hayden. In small groups, annotate the poem for words and phrases used to describe Douglass. How does Hayden express the strong emotions the speaker feels for Douglass? What traits does Douglass possess, according to the poem? How might this poem help to prepare readers for the autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass?

Teaching Suggestion: After students share and compare their annotations and responses, they might explore the poem’s form and meaning as time allows. This poem is an irregular sonnet; the first seven lines look forward to a future where freedom, the “terrible thing,” springs organically in the natural world. The second section, beginning at the volta (or turn) with the word “beaten,” looks backward at Douglass’s life and the legacy of his suffering. In the final two lines (traditionally a rhyming couplet, but unrhymed here), the poet celebrates those who will live in the freedom fostered by his life.

• This resource page on sonnets explains the form’s history and types and includes examples.
• This article discusses the poet Robert Hayden’s biography and influence.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

In a brief journal entry, describe a recent story of adversity you encountered in the news. What challenge did the person or group face? How were they able to persevere? You may instead write about a situation of adversity in a novel or film with a modern setting.

Teaching Suggestion: Due to the sensitive nature of the prompt, a private journal response may be most appropriate. This open-ended question may benefit from a supplied definition and/or examples of adversity. In guided discussion or an extended prompt, students might address how, generally, adversity in their time compares to adversity in history in terms of society’s response, impact on the individual, or other factors.

Differentiation Suggestion: For a more structured approach, students might choose from a supplied list of modern fictional characters or present-day public figures who overcame situations of adversity.