In Chapter 9 of Narrative of the Life, Douglass describes his escape from slavery. He describes it in very vague terms, not giving any specifics, to avoid implicating anyone who helped him escape, and to avoiding causing “greater vigilance on the part of the slaveholders” (1216). His attitude greatly contrasts with that of his “western friends [who] have conducted what they call the underground railroad” (1216). Douglass describes these friends as publicly announcing their efforts to rescue slaves, and thus aiding slaveowners in their efforts to prevent slaves from running away. I felt the contrast between these two interesting, because it shows a divide in the abolition movement between the former enslaved and those who were always free. Douglass has first hand experience with slavery, and therefore he has an understanding of the mechanisms of slavery that white abolitionists do not, which causes a different opinion about what methods are the most effective in fighting slavery. I also think this passage really underscored the cruelty and the power of the slaveowners. Even though Douglass is now escaped from slavery, he is still afraid to tell the entirety of his story, and restricted in a way that the white abolitionists are not.