Fredrick Douglass was born into slavery in 1818, he spent his youth being sold from plantation to city, then all over again. At a point during his youth, he realized that slavery was wrong, and eventually once becoming aware of the north, he planned to one day escape captivity and be free. His determination was strong, so strong that he would one day escape captivity and establish a legacy of work in the North, that made him one of the core members in the fight to abolish slavery in the middle of the 1800’s. He is know historically for his publications and speeches in the fight for abolition, being a convincing and proactive voice which comes from first hand experiences in what life is like for slaves and slave owners. The purpose of publishing the text, Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave, was to put into context the details of Douglass’ life, which include his feelings and tribulations, during his journey as a slave and escape to freedom. His conviction to reveal this story, was not hindered or halted by the fact that he would be exposing himself to the public, which often for an escaped slave would be a dangerous situation. The book was first published in 1845 when Douglass was twenty-seven, at this time slavery was legal, and the book that he had just published was incriminating evidence full of names, dates, and times, which make it very easy for someone to find him and return him to captivity by law.…
In both pieces of writing, the revolutionizing settings heighten the theme. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the slave owners of historical America impose harsh treatment…
Within just a few pages, Douglass established his powerful argument, while more than one- fourth of the novel contains examples of gruesome events such as slaves being beaten, battered, and even killed. Through these horrific events, readers are made to cringe, envisioning what it was like to go through the hardships of slavery. By using an extensive amount of appeal, the reader becomes emotional to the horrors of slavery, and the reprimandings that slaves received. On page 22, Douglass recalls a former slave who was his wife’s cousin, who was beaten so brutally that she was actually killed. For someone to be sold into slavery, against their will, and then killed simply because she fell asleep due to previous nights lack of sleep, is absolutely unimaginable, and is seen as evil to any reader, regardless of age. This story is an example of Douglass establishment of pathos, and how he appeals to the reader’s emotions in his argument against slavery. Douglass appeals to pathos again on page 59 when he recalls a beating he was given by his new master, Mr. Covey. Douglass uses vivid details referring to the blood that would drip down his back, and the whip, which would cause ridges on his flesh. By using these vivid examples, the reader feels as if the actions are being performed on them, and that their raw flesh is being whipped. Douglass logically…
In Sharon McElwee’s literary analysis of Frederic Douglass literary piece, “The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, by Frederick Douglass,” Sharon breaks down the different key elements in Douglass’ story that make it so outstanding. Frederick Douglass is famous for his speech given during a time where slavery was still considered acceptable and was used by most wealthy white. Slavery was not viewed as cruel, but a valuable business that could earn them money. Although Douglass was not alone, his speech stands out among the others who were fighting for their freedom.…
We begin with talks of slavery. Although slavery was definitely not our finest time, it had a large impact on Americans and the period of realism. Frederick Douglass was born on a plantation in Maryland; he was sold as a slave at the young age of eight. At the time, most slaves had a very low quality of education, if any at all, because they were barely even seen as human. Initially, Fredrick Douglass was lucky, for he had been blessed with a kind mistress. This woman, known as Mrs. Auld, began to teach Douglass how to read and write. Eventually, Mrs. Auld was reprimanded by her husband for her actions and ceased her teaching. But, unbeknownst to the Auld’s, she had already set the foundation of a great love of knowledge in the brain of the young man.…
Slavery, the dark beast that consumes, devours, and pillages the souls of those who are forced to within its bounds and those who think they are the powerful controllers of this filth they call business. This act is the pinnacle of human ignorance, they use it as the building blocks for their “trade,” and treat these people no more than replaceable property that can be bought, sold, and beaten on a whim. The narrative of Frederick Douglass is a tale about a boy who is coming of age in a world that does not accept him for who he is and it is also told as a horror that depicts what we can only imagine as the tragedies placed on these people in these institutions of slavery. It is understood as a chronicle of his life telling us his story from childhood to manhood and all that is in between, whilst all this is going on he vividly mixes pathological appeals to make us feel for him and all his brethren that share his burden. His narrative is a map from slavery to freedom where he, in the beginning, was a slave of both body and mind. But as the story progresses we see his transformation to becoming a free man both of the law and of the mind. He focuses on emotion and the building up of his character to show us what he over time has become. This primarily serves to make the reader want to follow his cause all the more because of his elegant and intelligent style of mixing appeals. Through his effective use of anecdotes and vivid imagery he shows us his different epiphanies over time, and creates appeals to his character by showing us how he as a person has matured, and his reader’s emotion giving us the ability to feel for his situation in a more real sense. This helps argue that the institution of slavery is a parasitic bug that infects the slave holder with a false sense of power and weakens the slave in both body and spirit.…
Frederick Douglass’s “Escape from Slavery” is one man’s account of why he chose to risk his life for his freedom. Douglass does not reveal how he escapes for fear it would endanger those who assisted his escape in addition to preventing future escapes from other slaves. In view of, the dangers of revealing the how Douglass only reveals to his readers the why’s of his desire to escape and his journey to becoming a free man.…
•Contemplate: to look at or view with continued attention; observe or study thoughtfully: to contemplate the stars.…
In the Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, Douglass uses rhetorical devices to convey his meaning that slavery is the worst possible experience for humanity in a contemptuous tone. Douglass states, “the wretchedness of slavery, and the blessedness of freedom, were perpetually before me.” This use of antithesis in parallel structure is used to convey his meaning by contrasting the two ideas of slavery and freedom, showing how extremely awful or beautiful each is and to show the differences between them. The use of the word “wretchedness” creates a contemptuous tone in this quote. He then goes on to state that upon arriving in New York he felt “like one who had escaped a den of hungry lions.” This simile is used to show the extent of his fear when in the south, showing how slavery is the worst experience for humankind. This comparison is made using a scornful tone, shown by the dehumanizing of the South through slavery. Next, Douglass explains that during his stay in the North “[he] was afraid to speak to any one for fear of speaking to any one for fear of speaking to the wrong one, and thereby falling into the hands of money-loving kidnappers, whose business it was to lie in wait for the panting fugitive, as the ferocious beats of the forest lie in wait for their prey.” Douglass writes this long sentence for the rhetorical effect of imitating the style of a person ranting, or speaking uncontrollably due to fear to show the horror of slavery. This is written in a bitter or scornful tone through his descriptions of the fugitive kidnappers. Douglass also includes that “[he] saw in every white man an enemy and in every colored man cause for distrust.” This almost equal parallelism is used to compare the common fear Douglass had for both races. The negative outlook on both races shows Douglass’s disdainful tone. Douglass further explains his outlook when he states his motto at the time was “Trust no man!” This…
In Douglass’ speech, his tone mainly appeals to emotions. He engages the listeners emotionally by stating his opinion over the topic of slavery. Douglass states, “My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is AMERICAN SLAVERY. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave’s point of view,” (52-54). This quote from his speech goes to show that he is standing up as a person who has actually experienced times of slavery. There is a great deal of credibility in Douglass’ writing because he refers to actual encounters that the African-American’s had dealt with in the way they were being treated. “I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us,” (19-22). Douglass is implying that he, along with the rest of the former slaves, do not feel that they are included in the celebration of the Fourth of July. He and the former slaves feel this way because even though they are said to have freedom, the people in the country…
In Chapter 10, Douglass is living with Mr. Covey and claims that he is “called” by god for his abolitionist work. Douglass uses figurative language such as a simile to demonstrate that Douglass would rather die escaping than stay in the bond of slavery and die unfree. This simile is demonstrated in the following passage: “I had as well be killed running as die standing.” Douglass constantly uses the pronoun “I” to signify his defiance to his liberation. The phrases “killed running” and “die standing” emphasize that Douglass is determined to risk his life to be free. He claims ultimate authority for his religious and political experience which he eventually professes that the Bible rejects slavery. This excerpt is important because it shows…
In the memoir Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by Frederick Douglass, accounts for the hardships Douglass endured being born into enslavement, but by utilizing knowledge of language as a means of freeing his mind from the cage of slavery, ultimately leads to his freedom in, 1838. As a prelude to his altercation with Mr. Covey, Douglass proclaims, “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.” Douglass indicates that the implication of dehumanizing factors, like deprivation of learning, have transformed men into ignorant slaves, but through rehumanizing components such as learning to read and write will transfigure the illiterate slave back into a man. The memoir conveys how slaves were…
In The Narrative Of The Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass uses metaphors, imagery, and appeals to pathos to effectively show how the institution of slavery is a devastating force that both corrupts the slaveholder and dehumanizes the…
This narrative begins with the childhood of Frederick Douglass and ends with his adventures as an abolitionist. He gives insight into his personal recollections of his first awareness of what it meant to be a slave, from his own experiences and his experience as a witness to the brutality of one human being upon another human being. He allows readers through his words to have a front row seat to the world of slavery and the main objective of slavery supporters to dehumanize and oppress another race and culture. The goal of his prose is to raise awareness of the cruelty of man upon the backs of blacks, which subsequently he hoped would end…
The Dehumanization of the Enslave: Frederick Douglass The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself…