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How Did Frederick Douglass Escape From Slavery

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Frederick Douglass’s “Escape from Slavery” is an 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 him in addition, to preventing future escapes from other slaves. In other words, helping a slave escape was punishable in the same manner as a murderer. 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. The author attempts to satisfy our curiosity with his story of “Escape from Slavery”. Our author becomes restless in 1838, no longer inclined to turn over his full wages to his master. Often master Thomas would allow Douglass to keep a few pennies of his pay, which angered Douglass even more since this affirmed that his master knew that Douglass was entitled to all of It (Douglas, 1855). Douglass believed his chance for freedom would be successful if he could “hire his time” and save some of the wages (Douglass, 1855). In the 1800’s the term hiring my time refers to a slave hiring his own time for compensation outside of the time …show more content…

On the other hand, he is still in fear for he is a fugitive slave and still at risk of being caught. In his words, he could trust no one and was alone without a place to stay. Douglass wants his readers to understand the conflict he is going through, freeing himself from slavery mentally and physically. The author describes a great feeling of loneliness and the life and death situation of getting caught by a slaveholder. One of Douglass’s main points is for his audience to understand the danger he is in and the consequences of his capture. He is afraid to speak to people in public for fear of saying something wrong that may reveal to a stranger he is not a free

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How Does Frederick Douglass Use Ethos In Letter To My Master

1350 Words | 6 Pages

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.

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Frederick Douglass Use Of Similes And Metaphors

555 Words | 3 Pages

In the passage, Frederick Douglass speaks about the particulars of his state of mind as an escaped slave, a fugitive, in 1830’s New York. Throughout the passage, Douglass comprehensively uses similes and metaphors, as well as tone shifts, and repetition, to fully impart unto the reader his not only elation at being free but also his fears, exhaustion and his anxiety towards trusting people. This garners both empathy and understanding from his audience. Douglass opens the passage by describing parts of his escape to New York, comparing his elation to that of a “mariner . . .

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What Are The Similarities Between Frederick Douglass And The Awakening

1613 Words | 7 Pages

In this moment, by eavesdropping and allowing the words of his white master to fester in his soul, Douglass came to know how the white man had power over the black man. By knowing the information of what caused his suffering, Douglass easily knew how to reverse the suffering he was facing into the enlightenment that freedom from slavery poses. This is a profound, and thus efficacious, moment in the text of the novel considering the fact that it was the turning point from hopelessness to optimistic aspiration in Douglass’

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Examples Of Diction In Frederick Douglass

296 Words | 2 Pages

Frederick Douglass uses diction to express that the emotions of being free are equally as taxing as the emotions he experienced while he was a slave. He says that being free was the highest excitement he ever felt even though the answer does not satisfy him. By contradicting himself he seems to want to show that an answer to the question of how he felt in a free state is as inexplicable how it felt to be a slave. He later states that one must just experience or imagine themselves in a similar situation to understand his emotions. He compares escaping slavery to escaping a ‘’den of hungry tigers,’’ but the relief is shortly lived because loneliness consumes him.

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How Does Frederick Douglass Escape Slavery

140 Words | 1 Pages

There are a few themes presented in the narrative of Frederick Douglass. In this narrative, he demonstrates his journey, born in slavery around the 1830’s, discusses his journey, environmental influences, slaves among him, and his travels to escaping slavery. Moreover, he brings his writing into life as he discovers the superiority of the whites in their advantage of slavery and Frederick Douglass in realization; a slave being taught to read and write can be the greatest victory of their freedom. In the ending of the book, the author brings alive the writing to the reader about America and the slave organization.

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Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Essay

1125 Words | 5 Pages

Hope and fear, two contradictory emotions that influence us all, convicted Frederick Douglass to choose life over death, light over darkness, and freedom over sin. Douglass, in Chapter ten, pages thirty-seven through thirty-nine, of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, utilizes various rhetorical techniques and tone shifts to convey his desperation to find hope in this time of misery and suffering. Mr. Covey, who Douglass has been sent to by his master to be broken, has succeeded in nearly tearing all of Douglass’s dreams of freedom away from him. To expound on his desires to escape, Douglass presents boats as something that induces joy to most but compels slaves to feel terror. Given the multiple uses of repetition, antithesis,

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Frederick Douglasss Hope For Freedom Rhetorical Analysis

1127 Words | 5 Pages

Frederick Douglass’s Hope for Freedom Hope and fear, two contradictory emotions that influence us all, convicted Frederick Douglass to choose life over death, light over darkness, and freedom over sin. Douglass, in Chapter ten, pages thirty-seven through thirty-nine, of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, utilizes various rhetorical techniques and tone shifts to convey his desperation to find hope in this time of misery and suffering. Mr. Covey, who Douglass has been sent to by his master to be broken, has succeeded in nearly tearing all of Douglass’s dreams of freedom away from him. To expound on his desires to escape, Douglass presents boats as something that induces joy to most but compels slaves to feel terror. Given the multiple uses of repetition, antithesis, indirect tone shifts, and various other rhetorical techniques, we can see Douglass relaying to his audience the hardships of slavery through ethos, the disheartening times that slavery brings, and his breakthrough of determination to obtain freedom.

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Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Essay

431 Words | 2 Pages

A notable aspect of this passage is Douglass’s employment of analogy to express his thoughts. In one phrase (sentence 8), he compares his experience to a mariner rescued from a pirate, emphasizing his great relief and excitement at escaping enslavement. The comparison helps the reader comprehend the depth of Douglass’s feelings and the magnitude of his achievement. In others, he compares himself to a hunted animal (sentences 9, 15, 19, 20), underlining the danger he faced as a fugitive, and the vigilance required to avoid recapture. This parallel provides a sense of tension that calls attention to Douglass’s vulnerable situation.

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Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis

355 Words | 2 Pages

Analysing Frederick Douglass’s Narrative Frederick Douglass’s narrative of his slavery experience, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” was published in 1845. It discussed the truly horrific accounts of what legalized slavery looked like for him. Frederick Douglass uses diction in the form of explicit negative connotation in his narrative to reveal the horrible legacy of slavery. Douglass uses connotation in his narrative to help the reader understand the drastic realities of being a slave, especially a runaway slave, during the time of legalized slavery. He describes his experience of being in a free state as, “the unarmed mariner to feel when he is rescued by a friendly man-of-war from the pursuit of a pirate.”

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Frederick Douglass: Overcoming Obstacles

392 Words | 2 Pages

Douglass managed to overcome the maltreatment of his wretched slave owners through the eventual attainment of freedom. The injustice imposed upon the African-American slaves by their owners was the crux of Douglass’s motivation to escape this inhumane life. Adolescents in today’s society could use Frederick’s determination as an example of moving forward to better oneself or one’s situation regardless of

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Frederick Douglass Syntax Analysis

1186 Words | 5 Pages

In this except from the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass (1844), Douglass tells the story of the obstacles he faced as a runaway slave. Douglass speaks of the excitement he experienced after first escaping; he soon realizes that he will forever be bound to the paranoia caused by the idea of getting caught, and he challenges his audience to place themselves in his situation. Douglass’s purpose is to reveal the physical and emotional hardships faced by runaway slaves and to encourage the people to do something about it. He writes with tones of loneliness and paranoia to an audience who does not understand the trials runaway slaves face, in hopes that they will recognize the cruelness of slavery and make an attempt to end it.

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Argumentative Essay: The Death Of Frederick Douglass

265 Words | 2 Pages

When Douglass master unexpectedly died, he and other slaves were to be sent off to be claimed or sold to family and friends, because these slaves are “considered property” This is a hard time for slaves because then “families are divided and friends separated, never to see each again.” Douglass was lucky enough to be sent back to Baltimore. His grandmother ;however, is sent into the woods to fend for herself, considered “not valuable enough to sell.” Soon after these events, Douglass is sent to the country. When he becomes aware of this, he realizes that it may be too late to escape saying that “ it’s much harder to escape in the country than in a big city like Baltimore.”

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Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis

935 Words | 4 Pages

An American Slave,” Douglass discusses the horrors of being enslaved and a fugitive slave. Through Douglass’s use of figurative language, diction and repetition he emphasizes the cruelty he experiences thus allowing readers to under-stand his feelings of happiness, fear and isolation upon escaping slavery. Figurative language allocates emotions such as excitement, dread and seclusion. As a slave you have no rights, identity or home. Escaping slavery is the only hope of establishing a sense of self and humanity.

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Summary Of 'The Life Of Fredric Douglass, An American Slave'

500 Words | 2 Pages

In moments of agony, I envied my fellow-slaves for their stupidity." He says that he released that he was a caged creature. He then views his freedom as a must have was before he didn't know how badly he was

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Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay

1617 Words | 7 Pages

“With us, it was a doubtful liberty at most, and almost certain death if we failed. For my part, I should prefer death to hopeless bondage” - (Frederick Douglass). In the Autobiography “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, the maltreatment and trauma involved in slavery are analyzed and challenged through the unique lenses of a past slave who despite spending the first twenty years of his life enslaved managed to escape his destined life of oppression. This autobiography allows for an inspirational and captivating reaction from the audience, through the use of a much more emotional approach on the taboo topic of American slavery. In contrast to the more common eschew theme of stating the general cold facts.

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