Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2002. Vol. 3. Eger Journal of English Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 29)

Kathleen E. Dubs: Frederick Douglass: An Intellectual Slave Narrative

FREDERICK DOUGLASS: AN INTEITECTUAL SI .AVE NARRATIVE 27 no extraordinary demonstrations of cruelty. He whipped, but seemed to take no pleasure in it. He was called by the slaves a good overseer, (p. 261) Even when Douglass is himself the subject of cruelty, his iteration is stoic. After two close escapes from accidental death, one of which resulted in the destruction of his master's wagon, Douglass is escorted back to the woods by his master. [Covey] then went to a large gum tree, and with his axe cut three large switches, and, after trimming them up neatly with his pocket-knife, he ordered me to take off my clothes. I made him no answer but stood with my clothes on. He repeated his order. I still made him no answer, nor did I move to strip myself. Upon this he rushed at me with the fierceness of a tiger, tore off my clothes, and lashed me till he had worn out his switches, cutting me so savagely as to leave the marks visible for a long time after. The whipping was the first of a number just like it, and for similar offences, (pp. 290-291) The understatement here, and the irony of the "similar offences," focuses our attention on the incident, not the victim. It is the injustice of the beating as much as the beating itself which is important. Compare this description to that of Maty Prince, in her personal narrative/' As punishment for breaking a large earthen jar during a thunderstorm, Mary is whipped by her mistress, who ceases only from weakness of exertion. But that evening, she informs her husband of Mary's "disobedience" so that the husband not only whips Maty again, but promises to resume the beating in the morning, which he does, repeatedly, aided by occasional refreshment from his wife. And during one interval [w]hile my mistress went to bring him drink, there was a dreadful earthquake. Part of the roof fell down, and everything in the house went

—clatter, clatter, clatter. Oh I thought the end of all things near at hand; and I was so sore with the flogging, that I scarcely cared whether I lived or died. The earth was groaning and shaking; everything tumbling about; and my mistress and the slaves were shrieking r' The narrative of the life of Mary Prince is also found in Gates, cited supra.