in which the master unintentionally gives the slave a false view of freedom. He has already presented the idea in his first biography that slavery corrupts those involved. Douglass’s verbiage becomes apparent when reading the same section in his second autobiography. He selects several more instances with which to convince the reader, as if his audience has lost faith in his powers of persuasion. His insistence that “my master was my father” (Autobiographies, 15) loses power in the second autobiography. However short the first account, the second aspires to great lengths. The true origin of his father becomes shrouded, and he uses this mystery to again explain the corruption of slaveowners who keep the identity of slaves from them. Both accounts reveal the loss of identity which dehumanizes the slave as well as the owner. However, the essential ideas he presents still remain the same in My Bondage and My Freedom, although smoothed over by slightly different situations. The presentation of the same subject matter, and its lack of creativity and originality downgrade the standing of this book. My Bondage and My Freedom forfeits a place in the canon of American literature because of its lack of new ideas, especially because Douglass presents no new thoughts upon one of his own previous ideas. Douglass’s unique thoughts about the institution of slavery explain why Narrative of the Life sold 30,000 copies in five years, and created a massive impact on American society. The popularity of the book directly expresses the widespread acceptance of its ideas. The author exposed slavery’s inherent ability to corrupt those associated with it. He blamed the institution, not its founders. This new approach gained favor among the public, and “…he was the one that people most wanted to have a look at and to hear” (McFeely, 118). As an upstart in the field of abolitionists, his new ideas impacted the platfo...
