in this excerpt from the narrative of the life of frederick douglass, an american slave, the author states, "i felt assured...." to what attempt is he referring and why would its failure lead to a horrible fate?
Frederick is referring to his second attempt at escaping slavery. At this time, he is living in Baltimore and planning his escape. In context, he is referring to failure, and the knowledge that if he failed, he would likely never see freedom.
Besides the pain of separation, the dread and apprehension of a failure exceeded what I had experienced at my first attempt. The appalling defeat I then sustained returned to torment me. I felt assured that, if I failed in this attempt, my case would be a hopeless one—it would seal
my fate as a slave forever.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
