Slaves are treated much like animals. Their food is put into a trough and when called, " like so many pigs they would come and devour the mush " (72). In each of these instances, Douglass makes it clear to the reader that the slave owners nurtured their slaves in the same manner that they would an animal.
The slave owner's disciplinary actions toward their slaves are even worse than the way they are cared for. An overseer is hired by the master in order to watch over the slaves and ensure they are doing their jobs. The overseers are very cruel men who often take pleasure in whipping the slaves (55). Mr. Severe is one such overseer. From morning until night he severely beats the slaves in the field (56). Mr. Plummer is another brutal overseer. He beats the slaves so badly that even the master is offended (50). Because the slaves are beaten so often and so ruthlessly, they fear most of their masters. In the case of Colonel Lloyd, "When he spoke, a slave must stand, listen, and tremble- (61). If a slave displays any disrespect or assertiveness toward their master, they, of course, are brutally beaten.
While he does not like the fact that he is a slave, Douglass does not dislike all of his masters, however. Some of his masters treat him rather fairly, compared with other masters. Some of his owners try to help Douglass. Master Daniel is quite reasonable to Douglass. He actually protects Douglass from the older guys and is rarely whipped by Daniel (71). Mrs. Auld perhaps helps Douglass most of all. She is the person who teaches Douglass his ABC's and gives him the thirst for knowledge (78). This does not go on for very long, though. Mr. Auld disallows his wife from teaching Douglass since he believes that a slave should " know nothing but to obey his master−to do as he is told to do." (78).
Even though Douglass hopes to turn the reader against slavery, he still includes the few positive experiences he encounters.