In the final chapters of his narrative Douglass says, “I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason”. Support, refute, or qualify this statement using evidence from the book.

The Narrative of the Life written by Frederick Douglass depicts the experiences of enslaved Black people, revealing how the oppression was perpetuated. Douglas concluded that one of the tools of enslavement was denying access to knowledge. At first, it may seem like there may be no sufficient resources or willingness to teach them because it was unnecessary to do the hard labor.

However, it trapped the enslaved people in terms of the possibility of acquiring real jobs to be fully independent members of society. It also prevented them from recognizing their condition and abuse and becoming “unmanageable”, as Hugh puts it.

This entrapment was shown in the book in the example of Douglas realizing the evils of enslavement after learning how to read and write. Working to educate fellow enslaved people and through his own experiences, he concludes, “…to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one”.

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Academic.Tips. (2023) 'In the final chapters of his narrative Douglass says, “I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason”. Support, refute, or qualify this statement using evidence from the book'. 29 May.

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Academic.Tips. (2023, May 29). In the final chapters of his narrative Douglass says, “I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason”. Support, refute, or qualify this statement using evidence from the book. https://academic.tips/question/in-the-final-chapters-of-his-narrative-douglass-says-i-have-found-that-to-make-a-contented-slave-it-is-necessary-to-make-a-thoughtless-one-it-is-necessary-to-darken-his-moral-and-mental-v/

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Academic.Tips. 2023. "In the final chapters of his narrative Douglass says, “I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason”. Support, refute, or qualify this statement using evidence from the book." May 29, 2023. https://academic.tips/question/in-the-final-chapters-of-his-narrative-douglass-says-i-have-found-that-to-make-a-contented-slave-it-is-necessary-to-make-a-thoughtless-one-it-is-necessary-to-darken-his-moral-and-mental-v/.

1. Academic.Tips. "In the final chapters of his narrative Douglass says, “I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason”. Support, refute, or qualify this statement using evidence from the book." May 29, 2023. https://academic.tips/question/in-the-final-chapters-of-his-narrative-douglass-says-i-have-found-that-to-make-a-contented-slave-it-is-necessary-to-make-a-thoughtless-one-it-is-necessary-to-darken-his-moral-and-mental-v/.


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Academic.Tips. "In the final chapters of his narrative Douglass says, “I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason”. Support, refute, or qualify this statement using evidence from the book." May 29, 2023. https://academic.tips/question/in-the-final-chapters-of-his-narrative-douglass-says-i-have-found-that-to-make-a-contented-slave-it-is-necessary-to-make-a-thoughtless-one-it-is-necessary-to-darken-his-moral-and-mental-v/.

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"In the final chapters of his narrative Douglass says, “I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason”. Support, refute, or qualify this statement using evidence from the book." Academic.Tips, 29 May 2023, academic.tips/question/in-the-final-chapters-of-his-narrative-douglass-says-i-have-found-that-to-make-a-contented-slave-it-is-necessary-to-make-a-thoughtless-one-it-is-necessary-to-darken-his-moral-and-mental-v/.

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