Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question.

I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves ignorant.

Why does Douglass compare slaves to horses in this excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave?

to show how poorly kept records were in those days
to show how naive he was at that age
to show how hard slaves had to work
to show how dehumanizing slavery was

Answer 1

Answer: to show how dehumanizing slavery was

Step-by-step explanation:

In comparing the lack of knowledge forced upon enslaved people to horses who also lack knowledge, Douglass was trying to show that slavery was so dehumanizing because humans were treated in the same way that animals were treated in this particular regard.

Slave owners felt that the more ignorant an enslaved person was, the easier they would be to control and this was a very accurate view. Once they saw the success of keeping the enslaved ignorant, they pursued it as a strategy ever so diligently.