Rhetorical Analysis Of Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

In Narrative of the Lift of Frederick Douglass, Douglass succeeds in grasping the attention of his audience by using countless rhetorical strategies, enabling him to portray slavery as it truthfully was. Written 20 years before the Civil War, the memoir served as a tool to influence and alter the minds of those supportive of slavery. While times have changed and slavery has been abolished, the memoir is continually used as a means to remember the past, preventing recurrence. Throughout the memoir, Douglass recounts his experiences as a slave, illustrating to his audience how slaves were brutally treated. His experiences consist of violence upon a fellow slave or upon himself. The acts of cruelty break down the slaves bodily and mentally, having no respect for human life. An example of this cruelty was when the slaveholders abandoned Douglass’ grandmother and “made her welcome to the privilege of supporting herself… in perfect loneliness; thus virtually turning her out to die!” (Douglass 48) Douglass uses these experiences as the logical basis for his argument, being that slavery is unjustified acts of hatred and dehumanization.

The publication of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was monumental, a rhetorical strategy in itself. Frederick Douglass establishes his credibility by being one of the first African slaves to write of the brutal nature of slavery. He also writes on a personal level, connecting to those who had the same experiences and appealing to those yearning to learn of the situation. Douglass’ personal affiliation with slavery can be seen at times when he shares that “slavery would not always be able to hold [him] within its foul embrace.” (Douglass