rn out by the first book but still excellent ideas. Because of his persistence in writing a similar autobiography, Douglass’s impact from My Bondage and My Freedom remains, at best, one upon a loyal audience willing to hear his “weary” ideas again. The greatest element contained in Frederick Douglass’s autobiographies remains his timeless theme about man’s need for freedom. Douglass’s portrayal of oppression applies regardless of slavery’s disappearance from American society. This endures as the most important criterion for consideration of his work for the canon, because many people in America still feel repressed, if not oppressed. The desire for freedom consumes all the slaves in Narrative of the Life and My Bondage and My Freedom. The inspiring thought that all people deserve, and can attain freedom remains timeless. Puritans established our country because they needed to escape from religious oppression in Europe. As a country based on freedom from persecution, this theme runs to the very foundation of who we are as Americans. Our Constitution contains clauses which state our rights to various freedoms. Douglass’s use of this theme demonstrates his savvy connection to the American dream. Oppressed people everywhere read his autobiographies and delved into the mind of a man constantly looking towards his freedom. Douglass often discusses how wretched he becomes at the thought of “being a slave for life” (Autobiographies, 234). Readers recognize the overall theme of man’s desire for freedom even when Douglass barely reached his grandmother’s knee. When he heard the slaves sing of a better place, his heart realized that freedom remained the thing most dear to a slave. “I am going away to the Great House Farm! O, yea! O, yea! O!” (23), echoed the yearning for freedom in a place far away from oppression and suffering. This hope for freedom typifies the p...
