Frederick Douglass Literary Analysis

Frederick Douglass focuses mostly on appealing emotionally to pathos through the use of imagery. He writes, “there were no beds given the slaves, unless one coarse blanket be considered such.” He again appeals to pathos when describing the eating portions. Douglass explains the eating troughs used for children and says “few left the trough satisfied.” Douglass illustrates the cruel conditions slaves faced, from the bare sleeping quarters to the harsh whippings received. This effects the reader by helping them visualize the conditions the slaves were placed in. He chose to do this to inform those who weren’t aware of what was happening inside the gated properties. Douglass next establishes credibility through the use of ethos. He begins his narrative by giving background information and stating that he has “no accurate knowledge” of his age. Douglass implies that he can be trusted because of his own personal experience.

Throughout our lives, we undergo many changes and we also see many changes in other people. Our world today has been influenced immensely by the world of the past. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick undergoes many changes in his life and the lives of the people around him especially the slaveholders that he served. Throughout the narrative, we as the reader see that slavery was a terrible thing and that it affected the slaves in horrific ways but not just the slaves were affected, the slaveholders were also affected in horrible ways.

Before I read this piece of art, I did not think that I would like it; I thought it was a tedious literary work like the ones a part of a colossal textbook at first glance. However, I changed my mind after reading it thoroughly. I am honestly amazed at how Douglass’ words link together to have such easy flow and clarity through each sentence. He is a better writer than some of the people who learned how to read and write at an even younger age than him. Last but not least, I love how he proves that education is important since reading and writing gave him the advantage to become a free man; this excerpt gives a lesson on why education is pivotal to gaining knowledge to have a sense of individuality.

Nelson Mandela said, “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.” One such man, Frederick Douglas, wrote “From What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? An Address Delivered in Rochester, New York, on 5 July 1852.” He argues that even though blacks and whites went to fight in the war to be free, that promise was not kept to the blacks. Douglass persuades a northern, white audience, to oppose slavery and favor abolition. Douglass wants to remind abolitionist and White Americans that July 4 was not a celebration for slaves and former slaves. Independence Day only made slaves remember that they were made promises for freedom that were not kept.

In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass explains, in great detail, how slave master would use a variety of methods to dehumanize slaves located on their plantation. These methods involved both severe physical and psychological trauma. Nevertheless, Douglass remains diligent and finds a way to resist the harsh reality of being a slave. Because of his immovable desire to acquire knowledge to his fighting encounter with Mr. Covey, these experiences help shape Douglass to be the archetype of what it means to go from slavery to freedom. This essay will highlight the physical and psychological tactics used on slaves. In addition, the aspect of how Douglass resists the

Slavery was the very economic foundation that built the United States of America. In establishing such nation, it was done so on the back of millions of African slaves. In this time period, it was imperative that slave owners portrayed the image of a “good” slave owner in the eyes of the public, this would include how the slave was fed along with treatment. In His autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Frederick Douglass reveals the behind the scenes horrors that slaves encountered. From this point of view, the audience can better understand the neglect that came in many forms such as, malnourishment and abuse.

Frederick Douglass’ Narrative serves as an influential text which provides detailed examples of how slavery allowed a country and a government to justify the brutal dehumanization and oppression of an entire race of people. Using personal experience, Douglass explains how the slave institution not only dehumanized himself, but also how the process affected other slaves and the slaveowners as well. Douglass relies on a strong imagery relating back to animals to show this dehumanization process, which the essay will be discussion and critically analysing the effectiveness of using imagery to present his arguments.

Frederick Douglass, the author of the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass was a self-taught slave that was able to escape the brutality of slavery in the year of 1838. Frederick Douglass’s book is separated into 3 main sections, including, a beginning, middle, and end. The purpose of the narrative is to improve the audience's understanding of Douglass’s experience of being a slave, the horrible treatment slaves received, and how Douglass was able to overcome and escape slavery. All throughout the narrative, Douglass uses many rhetorical devices, including, diction, imagery, and syntax, which helps the audience understand, one of his main chapters, chapter 5. In this chapter Douglass implies that the overall purpose is to emphasize the animalistic, inhuman treatment slaves received, how Douglass felt about leaving Colonel Lloyd’s plantation, and his luck of being able to move to Mr. and Mrs. Auld's.

July 5th, 1852 in Rochester, New York in the Corinthian Hall, a speech was to be given on America’s freedom.

1. Douglass established ethos with a white-northern audience by establishing his ability to narrate his story and goal to abolish slavery in a calm manner. His words are clear and direct. Frederick is able to convey his sufferings and all the slaves without coming across as angry and full of hatred. By doing so, he was able to get the attention of white-northerners to listen to his cause. The descriptions of violence he shared were enough to make white men and women to understand the sufferings of a slave. If Douglass focused on graphic descriptions of violence, it might have overshadowed his goal to have slaves be free. Douglass narrated when Mr. Covey, “lashed me till he had worn out his switches, cutting me so savagely as to leave the marks visible for a long time after” (Douglass 36). But yet, in spite of Mr. Covey’s savagery, Douglass’s genuine kindness remains intact as stated, “Mr. Covey was a poor man; he was just commencing in life; he was only able to buy one slave” (Douglass 37). The use of ethos in this quote shows the spirit of a community of slave owners without slandering them completely nor praising them. Thus, Frederick Douglass was able to establish a white-northern audience.

In this selection from the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave”, Frederick Douglass vividly describes his feelings about being a newly liberated fugitive slave. In doing this, he describes the different emotions he felt. Saying that out of the joy also came distrust. He was happy that he was not a slave anymore but could not trust a soul, for the white man would immediately take him back to the horrible life of a slave and the black man might stab him in the back and rat him out for money, and therefore was in absolute confusion about what to do, where to go, or where to stay. On arriving to this new environment he had mixed feelings of happiness and loneliness; he is able to convey these feelings through syntax such as repetition, figurative language such as similes and metaphors, and with diction and tone that both give the reader negative feelings about the state of Douglass’s situation.

From being born into slavery, to growing up vulnerable, and to the emotions he suffered through it all, he uses his personal experiences to allow his audience to get an understanding of the reality of slavery. Being the result of an illegitimate offspring between a white owner and slave woman, Douglass grew up alone. At infancy he was stripped from his mother and never got the opportunity to have a relationship with her before she died (Douglass 1172). Additionally, he didn’t know of his father either, only that he was a white man. The only possible way a slave was able to trace the father, the white owner, was

Frederick Douglass’ autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, allows readers view the life of a slave through Douglass’ eyes. Born into slavery, Douglass endures multiple hardships, which he shares with his readers. Douglass describes several scenarios in which slave masters deceive their slaves. Prior to learning how to read, Douglass is unaware of the severity of his conditions. However, he uses his platform as an educated slave to inform others of the truth. By exposing his readers to the harsh realities of slavery, Frederick Douglass is able to pull at his readers’ heartstrings and make a compelling argument against slavery.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress” - Frederick Douglass. In today’s world, we see injustice everywhere. Civil rights, human rights, it’s no secret that it has been around for centuries and how we are still fighting it today. However, we have improved compared to so long ago. We may still face trials and tribulations today, but we learn from that and find out how to move forward from it. Frederick Douglass, once a slave, knows all too well about fighting against oppression. When giving that quote, he shows that even back then there had to be some struggle to later resolve the present hardships. One story from his biography, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave”, shows many instances of his fight for freedom and rights. Douglass is sent to a man named covey, who is known for breaking the spirit of slaves. Throughout the story, we are shown the many different tactics that Covey uses to reduce Douglass to nothing more than an empty man with no power left in him. By using the cultural lens on this piece, the reader can see that even after enduring the countless ways Covey uses to marginalize Douglass, he still overcomes this oppression and regains the strength that was taken away from him.

By reading the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, one is able to further their knowledge of certain aspects of slavery that aren’t always talked about. In this work, one is able to learn more about what Frederick Douglass has to face as a slave, and even what he faces once he escapes. There should be absolutely no doubt in anyone’s mind that Frederick Douglass—and every slave—faces many hardships throughout their lives. Even so, Douglass remains optimistic that what he faces will lead to a better outcome: “Without a struggle, there can be no progress.” This quote applies to many of the hardships he’s faced, as he is often able to take a bad situation and make something good out of it. While he is enslaved, his masters keep information from him in hopes of keeping him content with what he is forced to face and act in a way that causes him to develop trust issues. Even after Douglass escapes, his struggle continues, as he soon realizes that he doesn’t have basic human necessities once entering the Free State, such as food or shelter, and has to harbor the memories of the horrors he and others around him have been through while enslaved.