A Different Mirror

A Different Mirror

by

Ronald Takaki

Frederick Douglass Character Analysis

Frederick Douglass was an orator, writer, and abolitionist. Born into slavery, Douglass was of mixed racial heritage and suspected that he was possibly the son of his enslaver, a man named Thomas Auld. After escaping from slavery, Douglass committed himself to ending the institution. Although he came to believe this would only be successfully achieved through violence, he also dedicated himself to using his particular rhetorical skills in order to convince people of the necessity of abolition.
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Frederick Douglass Character Timeline in A Different Mirror

The timeline below shows where the character Frederick Douglass appears in A Different Mirror. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 2, Chapter 5: “No More Peck o’Corn”
Whiteness and the Other Theme Icon
Labor, Profit, and the Building of the Nation Theme Icon
Segregation vs. Assimilation Theme Icon
Frederick Douglass was one of the many children born to an enslaved mother and a white father.... (full context)
Unity vs. Division Theme Icon
Whiteness and the Other Theme Icon
Labor, Profit, and the Building of the Nation Theme Icon
Segregation vs. Assimilation Theme Icon
Citizenship, Identity, and the American Dream Theme Icon
As intended, Douglass was psychologically crushed by this work. However, he developed a new fearlessness, and escaped the... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 6: Fleeing “the Tyrant’s Heel”
Unity vs. Division Theme Icon
Whiteness and the Other Theme Icon
Labor, Profit, and the Building of the Nation Theme Icon
Segregation vs. Assimilation Theme Icon
Citizenship, Identity, and the American Dream Theme Icon
...millions of Irish people ended up escaping to the US in the nineteenth century. Frederick Douglass commented on how the arrival of new Irish immigrants made life difficult for black workers... (full context)