Frederick Douglass aims to point out the injustices of slavery in his autobiography consisting of personal experiences. Douglass illustrates the struggles that come with being a slave through recollection of experiences and circumstances that he lived through while creating vivid images producing emotion from the audience. Strong word choice and purposeful syntax further push Douglass's argument as well. Douglass’s attempts to create emotions in the minds of the reader through his use of vivid imagery in the descriptions of the slaves’ poor treatment illuminates his most valuable strategy. Not only does Douglass pathetically appeal to the reader in these descriptions but they are also first-hand accounts which make the gruesome depictions stick with the reader. His grim imagery perfectly exemplifies the way he describes the killing of a fellow slave, Demby in the following quotation, “In …show more content…
His mangled body sank out of sight, and blood and brains marked the water where he stood.” (Douglass pg. 35) Douglass’s vivid descriptions extend from grisly scenes to his excitement in simple things. When simply isn’t treated as bad as usual or learns to read, he delights in these events, evoking a sadness on the reader because any human should have these basic rights. His carefully placed imagery maximizes the emotion and compassion the reader feels. Douglass also utilizes strong words and juxtaposed ideas to not only further his ultimate purpose but also emphasize his other strategies as well. Diction such as “mangled” and phrases such as “lashed me till he had worn out his switches.” (pg. 68) are written in such a way that emotions form in the reader to feel the horrors of the act of slavery. Throughout his autobiography, Douglass contrasts the images of slaveholders and overseers with monsters and slaves with