Never having enjoyed, to any considerable extent, her soothing presence, her tender and watchful care, I received the tidings of her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger.
Douglass recounts his emotional detachment upon learning of his mother's death, a consequence of the forced separation and lack of maternal care under slavery.
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It had no interest in recognizing or preserving any of the ties that bind families together or to their homes.
The friendless and hungry boy, in his extremest need, found himself in the strong protecting arms of his mother.
The anti-slavery platform had performed its work, and my voice was no longer needed.