To be shut up entirely to the past and present, is abhorrent to the human mind; it is to the soul—whose life and happiness is unceasing progress—what the prison is to the body; a blight and mildew, a hell of horrors.
Douglass reflects on the psychological torment of being denied a future, comparing it to a prison for the soul and an affront to human progress.
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More from Frederick Douglass
It had no interest in recognizing or preserving any of the ties that bind families together or to their homes.
I wished it was possible I could remain small all my life, knowing that the sooner I grew large the shorter would be my time to remain with them.
The friendless and hungry boy, in his extremest need, found himself in the strong protecting arms of his mother.