Through the use of structure Douglas is able to conceive that idea that slave owners are not only bad people but have no feelings toward blacks. They will do whatever they please even if that action is morally wrong and undeserving. Douglas begins by telling about his grandmother being a victim of these awful slave owners. He begins by explaining how his grandmother was a loyal slave from young to old and “she had been the source of all [her masters] wealth” (395). By beginning with the positive aspects of his grandmother Douglas makes one grow a liking for her. One can envision one of their old elderly relatives in the scenario. Then he quickly turns the tables by stating “She was nevertheless [was] left a slave… without being gratified
Being a former slave, Fredrick Douglas was able to move people with his moving words and persuade them to support the abolitionist cause, not only in the US but also in Europe. Given the the fact that he experienced slavery firsthand, his statements brought to light the horrific characteristics of slavery. By writing “Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas” which he had written himself, he illustrated the evils of slavery, all aspects of it leaving no stone unturned. The efforts of this book alone humanized the enslaved and gave people a reason to fight as well as having an impact on public opinion on slavery which inspired many to join the movement. He worked to persuade people to apply intense pressure on those in positions of governmental authority to eliminate slavery.
The corrupt and irresponsible power that the slave owners use and endure over their slaves is detrimental and has a massive effect on the slave owners’ own moral health. The theme helps the image of slavery as seen by Douglass’ explaining it as beyond natural for the victims involved. Douglass also describes a behavioral pattern that slaveholders have as it portrays the hurting effect of slavery. He points to how many slave-owning men have been tempted to pursue adultery and rape, becoming fathers of the born children with their female slaves. Such action and deceit threatens the unity of the slave owner’s family.
This excerpt appeared in the Appendix of his autobiography and labeled the trends that he detailed in previous sections with examples from his own masters. As a freed slave, Douglas remarked on his experience in order to further the anti-slavery movement and did so by stripping down the religious defenses that were appealed to as justification for the slaveholding religion. In highlighting the hypocrisy, he was able to influence a larger audience with logic and first-hand accounts of pain and sorrow, bruising many peoples’ conceptions of the United States. His work reached the United Kingdom and was translated into other languages. The distinctions that were outlined were not made to exaggerate aspects of the institution but to share a conclusion based on explicit evidence, and it made audiences uncomfortable.
Slaves across the eastern half of America were killed for flaws in their human nature, and that reveals a yearn for justice in all readers. To add to the unruly action, Douglass writes about his loyal grandmother who raised her owner, only to be abandoned by him. “...finding she was of but little value, her frame already racked with the pains of old age, and complete helplessness fast stealing over her once active limbs, they took her to the woods, built her a little hut, put up a little mud-chimney, and then made her welcome to the privilege of supporting herself there is perfect loneliness; thus virtually turning her out to die. ”(51) Douglass’s use of anecdotes in the book gather the
This passage appears in Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Douglass narrates his disgust with slavery and more specifically how his grandmother was wrongfully treated and the overall ingratitude slave-owners had toward her. Douglas explains how although his Grandmother cared so much for everyone else all through her life yet she got nothing but torture in return. In the end she is left alone with just loneliness of what then were distant memories of her family which had been ruined through the malicious acts of
Douglass is a African American that was a slave and did a Narrative about his time being a slave and in his Narrative he “threw light” at the American slave system. African American slave Frederick Douglass lived through a time of racism and how slavery was a natural thing to do but was a very awful thing. And slavery is when families who had colored skin were separated and sold of to a person that can do anything to them, the slave is pretty much like the slaveholder’s property. And in this essay I will talk about how Douglass’s position differs from those who supported slavery and also I will be talking about How Douglass used his Narrative to share his position. How Douglass “throws light” on the American Slave system is by showing
he uses bold words and biting criticism to call attention to the gross injustices and hypocrisy of slavery in the United States. In the opening remarks of his speech, Douglas provides heart-wrenching descriptions to pull his audience into the lives of their fellow
The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass shows the imbalance of power between slaves and their masters. In his book, Douglass proves that slavery is a destructive force not only to the slaves, but also for the slaveholders. “Poison of the irresponsible power” that masters have upon their slaves that are dehumanizing and shameless, have changed the masters themselves and their morality(Douglass 39). This amount of power and control in contact with one man breaks the kindest heart and the purest thoughts turning the person evil and corrupt. Douglass uses flashbacks that illustrate the emotions that declare the negative effects of slavery.
First Douglass writes about his relatives who were still being held by his old master. He begs Thomas Auld to tell him how they are doing and set them free. However, this is not enough so he asks his master how he would "look upon me, were I, some dark night, in company with a band of hardened villains, to enter the precincts of your elegant dwelling, and seize the person of your own lovely daughter, Amanda, and carry her … make her … compel her … place her … disregard her … feed her … and so on" (105). This is an important rebuttal which asks not only his master, but oppressors in general to imagine the reverse, where they are the ones being treated like that. It allows them to think about what it would be like were they in the same position as Frederick Douglass and his fellows.
Douglass’s descriptions of the slave trade were extremely vivid, from the details of how American’s viewed slaves, to the sounds of whips cracking and how a woman was encumbered by the weight of the child she carried and the chains that she wore. These details would bring readers to know what it was like to be in a slaves shoes at that time. His speech is driven by first had accounts of the degradations of slavery and would not be credible if it wasn’t for this fact. I believe that Douglass’s tone throughout the speech was hopeful, he enforced the cause of the Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society with the hopes of making the United States more complete when slavery ended.
In this narrative, Douglass describes a personal endeavor where he attempts to not only find a place for himself, but for every black man in America. In this narrative, Douglas is the actor, and the action is his attempt at reasoning his way to a common heritage with the American people. The time and place are de-emphasized in this narrative as brief generalities of being sometime in the past and occurring at a non-descript location. This is an intentional move by Douglass because it allows the emphasis to be placed on the manner and cause of the narrative which are two areas that carry greater rhetorical weight. The manner of his speech is one of an earnest and humble thinker who has been cast out from society through no fault of his own.
Dehumanization of both slaves and slave owners must occur for slavery to exist. Slavery harms everyone involved, including the slaveholders who superficially seem to profit from the arrangement. Douglass’s narrative acknowledges the damage inflicted on both sides of the institution of slavery, emphasizing that a human being’s personality and disposition form per the laws and socially acceptable practices exhibited within the society. Douglass has an excellent example how he seen with his own eyes how his mistress became demonized when she became an owner of a slave. Douglass became Mrs. Auld's first salve owner and at the begging when they first met “she [was] of the kindest heart and finest feelings” (38).
Douglass uses deep characterization to show the change in behavior of slaveholders who have uncontrolled power. A good example of this is Sophia Auld. Before slavery took effect, she was a kind and caring woman who comprehended moral righteousness. She had never owned a slave before Douglass. Owning Douglass soon changed her into an evil slave owner when she realized the power, “the white man’s power to enslave the black man” that she had (Douglass 41).
Douglass points to the vast unwillingness from the group of whites that refuses to fully perceive and accept African-Americans as deserving and equal citizens of the nation. Based on his personal experiences as a slave, Douglass is abundantly aware that the battle to abolish slavery is not an easy task. For the first twenty years of his life, he witnessed firsthand the abject cruelty of that institution in our country. Tactfully, Douglass seizes this opportunity to publicly highlight the unmerited and coarse differences in the treatment between the whites as opposed to the blacks living in the United States during this time period. He makes a “powerful testaments to the hypocrisy, bigotry and inhumanity of slavery” (Bunch 1).
In the book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass reveals his life as a slave and the valuable lessons he learned from his experience. Douglass wants the truth about slavery to be revealed and wants to eliminate the lies that portray slavery as beneficial. Douglass exposes the reality of slavery by criticizing the “romantic image” of slavery, showing the intellectual capabilities slaves had, and revealing the reasons why slaves were disloyal to each other. Douglass criticizes the southern, romantic image of slavery by exposing the harsh treatment and sadness that slaves endured. It was southerners who thought slavery as beneficial, because it benefited themselves and white society.