These chapters go through the early life of Douglas from when he was a kid to the time he moved off the farm to the city. Douglas life on the farm was not an easy one, well maybe for him it was seeing as how he was just a boy, but the master and the overseer are described in these chapters. I was astonished by the brutality that the overseer was using and even more astonished that the master allowed such brutality. the master and overseer ruled over the slaves with fear, and when fear didn't work it meant big trouble. I specifically remember the story about how a slaves head was blown off, just because he refused to be whipped and when the overseer had to explain his actions there was no qualm what so ever. It saddened me to think that the life of a slave was worth so little to people that slaves could be killed without any repercussions, except for maybe paying for the lost property. When douglas became a little older he was sold to a family in the city, this marks the end to his farm work for a while. I thought it was interesting to note how within the slave population there were rankings, for instance a city slave had it much easier, in some cases, than the slaves on the farm. The city slaves were better clothed, better fed and better treated. It’s almost as though in the city a slave became a status symbol, like my slave is dressed better than yours and my slave is fatter and better fed than yours. It’s the first time I ever thought that having a slave could be a status symbol. It is in this time of his life that Douglas also learns to read and write, which I believe is the turning point in his life. He now knows how to read and write, and his on his way to becoming an educated man. I believe that an education is key for a slave to realize that he is under serious oppression, and that is why it was illegal to teach a slave and educate them.
