Kayla's Blog Post 4: Chapter 11-Appendix

Douglass has finally acquired his freedom. In the final chapter and then more so in the Appendix, he makes a very interesting and poignant point to the narrative; which, interestingly enough, protects his freedom when it once denied him his freedom. I am speaking of ignorance. As outlined in chapter one of the narrative, ignorance is a main factor to the "creation" of a slave. If a slave is ignorant of freedom, then they will be compliant and not strive to obtain freedom. This is one way in which slaveholders suppressed their slaves. However, through Douglass himself, we see that when an individual collects an education, realizes the many natural freedoms endowed to all human beings, then to remain a slave is nearly impossible. In the narrative, Douglass never lets the reader know details concerning his escape. The purpose of this is rather obvious: if slaveholders knew how slaves escaped, then they would ensure that it would never happened. So, of course, Douglass cannot share that information with the general public. However, his reasoning goes beyond the obvious. Douglass also wishes to keep the slaveholders in the dark because then it is the slaveholder who is the ignorant one. If the slaveholder doesn't know how to control their slaves, then they quite simply can't. It's also interesting to notice that the narrative itself is almost payback. It is vindictive in the sense that it is a narrative explaining how he overcame the master's power and even escaped right beneath their nose. And he won't even explain how. It would be frustrating to any slaveholder. So, ignorance, the ignorance of the slaveholder, now protects Douglass; whereas before, ignorance was the tool with which the slaveholder oppressed Douglass.