Question

Read the excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

Answer 1

Answer:

The parts of the above excerpts which show that slaves had no legal rights and were often betrayed by their masters are:

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass (excerpt)  

"She had served my old master faithfully from youth to old age. She was nevertheless a slave—a slave for life—a slave in the hands of strangers; and in their hands, she saw her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren, divided like so many sheep, without being gratified with the small privilege of a single word as to their or her own destiny."

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs (excerpt)

"no promise or writing given to a slave is legally binding; for, according to Southern laws, a slave, being property, can hold no property."

"While my grandmother was thus helping to support me from her hard earnings, the three hundred dollars she had lent her mistress were never repaid."

Fredrick Douglass wrote his own account of life in which he mentioned about the ills of slavery and about the hardships which the slaves had to undergo. He had tried to expose the cruelty of slavery which doesn't spare anyone born in a black family. He points out the idea that a slave is a form of property owned by the master and he possesses full control over him.

Harriet Jacobs wrote in her book the struggles which a slave women undergo to attain freedom. She talks about the sexual harassment and abuse they endured during their lifetime.

Answer 2

Answer:

The answer to the question: Douglass´s purpose in this excerpt is to:___, would be: Provide an example of the torment ensalved persons endure.

Explanation:

This excerpt comes from Frederick Douglass´s "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave" that was written in 1845, as his own memoires. It must be remembered that Douglass was a slave and when he was able to achieve his freedom, he dedicated himself to become an orator and a fighter for abolition.

One of the main reasons for the above option being the answer comes from a specific portion on the excerpt where Douglass clearly states what he wants his readers to understand from what he is narrating here. That portion says: "If any one thing in my experience, more than another, served to deepen my conviction of the infernal character of slavery, and to fill me with unutterable loathing for slaveholders,..." This portion shows us how terrible that condition was and he further reinforces that notion by telling us about a specific case of slave suffering in the person of his own beloved grandmother.