Examples Of Imagery In Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

783 Words4 Pages

Amina Ameen
Ms. Lunny
English 5C
19 Sept. 2017
Creative Title African Americans suffered a lot at the hands of Caucasians, during the agonizing days of slavery. Frederick Augustus a slave, also known as Frederick Douglass, suffered a lot during the 1842 time period. He narrated all the events in his book, Narrative Of the Life Of Frederick Douglass An American Slave Written By Himself. In his book he provides the minutest details of his day to day life as a slave. The reader gets completely engrossed and begins to visualize all those severe and intense incidents that the slaves experienced. The irreversible scars that were inflicted by the slaveowners are represented with strong and bold rhetorical strategies such as imagery and metaphors. Imagery provides the reader a complete scenario, as how the pain and agony was inflicted on the poor souls …show more content…

The cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; the voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord” (Douglass 32). This specific metaphor was used to objectify the cold blooded attitude of the slaveowners towards the slaves. These expressions proves that slaveowners had hatred and malice towards the slaves and also to instill fear among the African Americans. The aggressive behavior conveyed a clear message to the slaves that there is no space for disobedience and they would have to face dire consequences if they disobeyed. “At times, he spoke to his slaves with the firmness of Napoleon and the fury of a demon; at other times, he might well be mistaken for an inquirer who had lost his way… He might have passed for a lion, but for his ears.” (page 45). The author portrays the stubbornness and the stern personality aspect of the slaveowners. They were adamant and would stick to their orders like a warrior, who would show least flexibility with their