In the ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, Frederick Douglass was a slave that was determined to become free from slavery. And eventually he did accomplish that goal, while ultimately becoming an abolitionist archivist and set off to abolish slavery at the end. Douglass wanted nothing more to be free, but something else was equally important was: literacy. As a slave this fundamental tool was against the rules, unlawful and unsafe.
Douglass was so determined to become literate that he learned in so many unorthodox ways that it made him a better thinker, reader, and writer. As a child Douglass got his hands on The Columbian Orator, which instilled an influx of ideas in his mind. Although with the spark the Columbian Orator arisen, Douglass wasn’t able to do much with it because he was unable to create a coherent answer or response to the questions and ideas he had. With the arrival of these thoughts also brought along heartache. He was a prisoner to his own mind, when he learned to read he got a rude awakening by being aware of his situation as a slave.
Douglas’s work represents historical truth and understanding. His autobiography serves as a first-hand account of the horrific events slaves were subjected too. His words should be taken seriously as a historical accurate account of the lives slaves had. To question his honesty in the experiences, emotions, and events seems to be arbitrary. Fredrick Douglas bared his soul in his writings and the re-living of the traumatic experiences he went through.
Frederick Douglass disproved two misconceptions slaveholders and Northerners had. Frederick Douglass was a slave that escaped and became an abolitionist. His purpose was to disprove two misconceptions that Northerners had. The two positions that he's justifying are slavery corrupts slaveholders and slavery disrupts the natural order in society. Slavery disrupted the natural order of society.
Frederick Douglass is an ex-slave and an abolitionist. He wrote a narrative on himself on how slavery was like during his time. This is intent to be an autobiography. It is about how and when Douglass was in the slave life, he used to be born a slave to the time of his break out to gain the right and the only place is the North or Britain. But it's additionally a piece with a robust political message.
Frederick Douglass believed if everyone is equal, everyone should know how to read and write. During this time people believed slavery was a way of life. They believed blacks were animals and were not capable of being a part of society. Douglass explores the difference between the fact
In the book, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, we learn what it was like to be a slave in his time. We learn of the brutality and the horrible life imposed on the slaves by the slaveowners. Altogether, the book is very good at teaching us about the brutality, but who did he write this for, and why did he write it? Also, what did Douglass want the reader to take away after reading the book, and in what specific way did he recreate his time as a slave to convey his message? Overall, Douglass’s book has deeper meaning that what it was like to be a slave, and his choice of words, sentence structure, and imagery is very specific is a key example of this.
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).
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
Finally, Douglass ends with addressing concessions and providing well reasoned rebuttals that progressively support his central claim that the conscience of the country should be roused to protect the rights of slaves as men. Facing inquiries like the abolitionists should “argue more and denounce less,” Douglass analyzes why his claim is not arguable layer upon layer. First, salves are men who are entitled to liberty and should not be seen or treated as brutes. Furthermore, slaves do the same jobs, live in the same way and believe the same religion as all other American citizens do. Finally, slavery is inhuman and therefore should not be divine.
Douglass' story is a detailed and personal account of the horrors of slavery, while also highlighting the perseverance and determination of those who fought for freedom. The themes 6explored in this story are still relevant today, as individuals and communities struggle for equality and justice. Douglass's message that education is the key to freedom and empowerment is as relevant today as it has ever been, emphasizing the transformative power of knowledge on individuals and societies. Douglass's narrative serves as a reminder that the struggle for freedom and equality is ongoing and that education and knowledge are powerful tools in the fight against
Douglass states: “The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. I could regard them in no other light than a band of successful robbers, who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and stolen us from our homes, and in a strange land reduced us to slavery” (Douglass 51). Reading and writing opened Frederick Douglass’s eyes to the cause of the abolitionist. He became knowledgeable about a topic that white slave owners tried to keep hidden from their slaves. Literacy would eventually impact his life in more ways than what he could see while he was a young slave under Master Hugh’s
Because of this, he successfully creates a contrast between what the slave owners think of and treat the slaves and how they are. Douglass says that slave’s minds were “starved by their cruel masters”(Douglass, 48) and that “they had been shut up in mental darkness” (Douglass, 48) and through education, something that they were deprived of, Frederick Douglass is able to open their minds and allow them to flourish into the complex people that they are. By showing a willingness to learn to read and write, the slaves prove that they were much more than what was forced upon them by their masters.
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography about an American slave named Frederick Douglass. He is different than many slaves in this time period. At the young age of 7 he is sent away from the plantation he has lived on his whole life up to this point in history, and is sent to Baltimore to begin to work, it is there that the young Douglass he learned how to read and write with the help of the master’s wife Sophia Auld, which her husband will eventually find out, to his displeasure. This leads to Mrs. Auld being unable to teach Douglass anymore, but he begins to educate himself, something that nobody expected would occur. As he begins to age some more, he attempts to fight for his freedom even to the point of talking back to his master Mr. Auld.
“With them, justice, liberty and humanity were “final”; not slavery and oppression.” This relates to the hardships and the fact that the people don’t recognize how terrible it is. And that these meanings of these “free” words mean something else to him and other slaves. He shows that the changes are hard but once they are made everything will be peaceful. Rhetorical features and strategies are Douglass’ forte’ in engaging with the audience.
