As one of the most outstanding works about slavery in America, My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass discloses numerous significant moral issues. Being the narrative about Douglass’ own life experience, the book demonstrates his long path to escape slavery. The chapters from eleven to twenty-one depict the complexities Douglass faced changing locations, losing friends, striving to become free American, and getting a better future as a result.

It is especially interesting that the chapters from eleven to twenty-one show Douglass’ most active and beneficial period of life. As a fifteen years old teenager, Douglass perceived his life as the endless chain of troubles. Another important issue, revealed in the chapters, was as feeling of uncertainty. This feeling was the main torture Douglass had in the period between 1833 to 1838. It occurs that precisely at the time, Douglass lost his master “in fact, and in law” (Douglass 173), Captain Anthony. Because of his death, Douglass had to move to Maryland and worked at plantation of Captain’s brother. However, precisely from that moment, Douglass started to struggle for own freedom.

Experience of harshness, faced in Edward Covey’s farm, made Douglass think about the plan to escape. In fact, as Douglass mentioned, Covey’s severity made him think of himself better and “revived a sense of my own manhood” (Douglass 246). However, Douglass realized that despite being not a slave in spirit, he remained a slave in form (Douglass 247). This fact was crucially important in his personal development and progress he gained further. Douglass understood that he could not be the slave anymore and had to enslave himself on his own.

Despite the fact that he was imprisoned after his plan for escape had been detected, Douglass stayed confident in his position. His exceptional persistence and faithfulness to the main purpose are the most valuable issues he strived to convey to the readers. In fact, the chapters make the emphasis that only heroism, personal efforts, and stubbornness can lead to freedom. Thus, freedom is perceived the highest material and moral value a person can get. Moreover, precisely freedom is worthy of limits, humiliation, and wasting of time. In order to earn some money to execute his plan to escape, Douglass experienced the harshest treatment and was even close to be killed on board of a ship in Baltimore.

One of the most important issues, which Douglass strived to convey, is the fact that freedom is not an inherent aspect of human life. Today, people rarely think of own freedom as something that needs to be achieved individually. As Douglass mentioned, equality, human rights, and individual freedom require “the humanity of Christianity, the morality of the world to remove” (Douglass 183) slavery. In fact, freedom has become the essence of life today. Humiliation, punishment, and severity, experienced by African American slaves in the XIX-th century, are hardly imagined presented today. Democracy as the main principle of American outlook cannot become the true foundation of slavery. However, the truth is that the examples of segregation and racial discrimination can be still found throughout the USA.

In conclusion, it becomes apparent that Douglass’ book My Bondage and My Freedom and the chapters from 11 to 21 remind people that the epoch of slavery was finished not too long ago. Thus, it is highly important to remember its severity not to let it happen again. Every person should realize himself as self-confident and free, since nobody has the right to humiliate or enslave. Douglass’ life, full of forced relocations, punishment, and cruelty, was factually the struggling for freedom. Only own persistence, self-education, and getting rid of ignorance made Douglass free from his severe slave masters. Douglass’ narrative can be the vivid example of personal suffering and right efforts applied for own benefits. Material prosperity and comfort cannot become more important, than an ability to decide what life to live. Thus, Douglass’ behavior and success in gaining freedom can become strong and effective motivation for everybody, who lacks confidence to shape own life in accordance with own tastes.