ipl-logo

Journal Entries In The Middle Passage

587 Words3 Pages

Charles Johnson's use of journal entries in his novel, The Middle Passage, is a powerful literary device that enhances the impact of the story. By incorporating personal accounts and first-hand experiences of characters, Johnson brings a level of authenticity and emotional depth to the novel that would be impossible to achieve through narration alone. Johnson's use of journal entries in The Middle Passage is a key factor in its ability to convey the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade and the impact it had on the lives of those who were forced to endure it. One of the most striking aspects of The Middle Passage is the vividness and detail with which Johnson portrays the experience of being a slave aboard a slave ship. By incorporating journal entries from characters such as Rutherford Calhoun and Ngonyama, Johnson is able to provide a more nuanced and complex understanding of the psychological toll that the journey took …show more content…

By incorporating entries from the captain and crew of the ship, Johnson is able to provide a more nuanced and complex understanding of the power dynamics that existed on board. For example, when Rutherford Calhoun first meets the captain, he wrote, "I find myself charmed by Captain Falcon. He is a man of great wit and intelligence, and he treats me with a kindness that is rare in these circumstances. And yet, I cannot forget that he is my captor, and that he is responsible for the suffering of myself and my fellow slaves." This passage focuses on the complicated emotions that Rutherford experiences towards the captain, and stresses the ways in which power and oppression can create complex relationships between people. By incorporating these complex relationships into the story, Johnson is able to provide a more accurate portrayal of the slave trade than would be possible through a more straightforward

Show More
Related

The Two Princes Of Calabar Summary

620 Words | 3 Pages

The conditions of the ships the slaves were on and the minds of the slaves are detailed most effectively in this first person documentary. Sharing the story of the enslavement and subsequent freedom of the brothers and their probable return to the slave trade gives a better insight into the journey of slavery from the eyes of the enslaved and those doing the enslavement. Sparks story helps the reader understand that the same Africans that were sold as slaves, were also involved in the selling of slaves. He also defends the brothers decision to enslave others explaining that since this was part of their culture, they didn’t know anything else or how to live any other way than to enslave others as they once were

Read More

Slavery In Walter Johnson's Soul By Soul

348 Words | 2 Pages

Johnson goes into depth about the process of the slave markets, and explains the

Read More

Analysis Of Alexander Falconbridge's An Account Of The Middle Passage

1574 Words | 7 Pages

Alexander Falconbridge served as a surgeon on the ships that transported slaves through the middle passage. He managed to only make four voyages between 1780 and 1787 due to the harsh circumstances he was witnessing, which ultimately led him to write An Account of the Middle Passage. The Middle Passage was the hardest and most dangerous part of the voyage for any slave transported out of Africa. The article carefully describes the strenuous conditions the slaves were in while being in the ships. An analysis of Alexander Falconbridge’s An Account of the Middle Passage reveals how this surgeon’s perspective aided the progression of the abolition movement by showcasing a new perspective of the Middle Passage, and how his purpose was to inform the general public on how dreadful these

Read More

Marcus Rediker The Slave Ship

552 Words | 3 Pages

The Slave Ship, by Marcus Rediker was wrote in 2007 about the cruel and brutal actions the slaves endured on their journey across the Atlantic Ocean. He states, “this has been a painful book to write, if I have done any justice to the subject, it will be a painful book to read.” Marcus Rediker accomplished exactly that. This book was not only compelling but emotional, heartbreaking, and makes a reader think, how could someone be so cruel to another living being. Within the first couple pages, the book brought me to tears.

Read More

Gary Paulsen's Later On Douglass: An Analysis

918 Words | 4 Pages

Although Gary Paulsen’s novel, is considered historical fiction, the descriptions of slaves wanting to be free under circumstances, slaves learning resourcefully in this grim time, and not breaking under harsh consequences. First the harsh restrictions, the way they are depicted in Nightjohn truly shows the life of slaves during this repulsive era in American

Read More

Frederick Douglass An American Slave Rhetorical Analysis Essay

732 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the narrative, the author includes his personal stories about experiencing the violence of slavery first-hand. For example, on page 20, he writes about the first time he witnessed a slave, his own aunt, getting the whip. “The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest…I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition… It struck me with awful force. It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery…” The author including his experience of his aunts whipping, in detail, appeals to the emotions of the reader.

Read More

Inhuman Traffick

933 Words | 4 Pages

The detailed descriptions included in primary sources, along with the descriptive and emotional illustrations included in graphic history are crucial elements in studying and understanding the process and history of the transatlantic slave trade. Rafe Blaufarb and Liz Clarke tie both of these together to help readers truly understand this historic tragedy in the book, Inhuman Traffick: The International Struggle Against the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Although different than the standard book that may be used, that simply spews information out in an uncreative and somewhat boring way, this book is a tool that can be chosen in classrooms to teach different aspects of the slave trade. Working together, the primary sources and graphic history

Read More

Emotional And Literary Devices In Frederick Douglass

318 Words | 2 Pages

In Frederick Douglass’ passage written in to take place in New York in 1838, he uses emotion, and literary devices to convey his state of mind. He starts with persuading the reader to imagine the complexity of being a victim to slavery and escaping. With a cheerful emersion from the deeps of slavery to the openness of freedom. “I felt like one who had escaped a den of hungry lions”. “I felt as one may imagen an unarmed mariner”.

Read More

Use Of Ethos In Frederick Douglass

566 Words | 3 Pages

To begin, Douglass masterfully hooked the reader by relating his experiences to those of the readers. When Douglass related to the reader's experiences it helped him create a deeper connection between them, leading to a deeper understanding of his arguments. He emphasizes: “It caused me more pain than anything else in the whole transaction. I was ready for anything rather than separation.”

Read More

Frederick Douglass Use Of The Gentle Gale In This Passage

1033 Words | 5 Pages

Douglass describes the ships he sees on the Chesapeake Bay as moving “merrily before the gentle gale” and himself as “[sad] before the bloody whip.” By juxtaposing “merrily” and “sadly,” two completely opposing concepts, he displays that he is coming to a better understanding of how horrible his plight is in the context of the rest of society. The imagery of “the gentle gale,” a seemingly comforting concept, stands in stark contrast to “the bloody whip,” with its connotation of pain and great suffering, which further demonstrates Douglass’ recognition that his situation is different. Towards the end of the passage, Douglass contrasts his “misery in slavery” to “happiness when [he becomes] free.” By associating misery with his current state of captivity and placing it in close proximity to the happiness he would feel if he were liberated, a sense of desperation from Douglass to escape from slavery becomes evident.

Read More

Olaudah's Passage Literary Devices

560 Words | 3 Pages

Olaudahs passage is a story that informs readers about his life as an African American and what it was like when he was a slave. His story begins from when he was tied up and thrown onto a ship and ends with how he got his freedom. Throughout the passage, Olaudah uses different writing techniques to create sympathy for African Americans that British citizens can feel. For one he uses rhetorical question technique which not only creates a sympathetic feeling, but makes the reader feel depressed as well as uneasy. Another writing technique used is personification which creates a very eerie, upsetting morbid feeling for the reader.

Read More

Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Essay

958 Words | 4 Pages

In the autobiography Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, the author details the horrors and dehumanization of slavery in the south. Douglass utilizes paradox and powerful diction to illustrate his transformation from slave to man in mind, body, and spirit. After overcoming his oppressor, Mr. Covey, Douglass declares, “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.” Douglass captures the reader’s attention with use of word play and allusion, he clearly indicates the turning point of the memoir and his transformation from slave to man. Douglass uses an allusion to the Bible, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away

Read More

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.

Read More

Frederick Douglass Gang System

816 Words | 4 Pages

The Narrative written by Fredrick Douglass was an important book and was a big part of contributing to what we know about the history of slavery. The narrative involved the troubles slaves and Fredrick would go through and how they felt in those horrible moments of their lives. For Fredrick to be free he needed to disguise himself as a sailor and he boarded a northbound train. Sometimes we don’t realize how good freedom really is until we lose it. The book talks about the struggle for freedom, and the horrors of slavery both country and city slaves.

Read More

The Sorrows Of Yamba And The Runaway Slave At Pilgrim's Point

1318 Words | 6 Pages

While this story does not mention the transatlantic slave trade, it illustrates the escape from slavery and the horrors a slave carried on their path to freedom. These horrors include suicide, death, physical beating, rape, and spiritual instability. Unlike “The Sorrows from Yamba,” “The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point” illustrates the after-fact of escape from slavery instead of the reflection. The main character’s morals and values come from slavery and its effect on

Read More

More about Journal Entries In The Middle Passage

Related Topics

Open Document