ipl-logo

Summary Of Litany At The Tomb Of Frederick Douglass

475 Words2 Pages

Frederick Douglass is a historical figure recongnized by many, many people throughout the United States of America. In the poem Litany at the Tomb of Frederick Douglass, the author; Martín Espada exemplifies the impact this man had and how it has been revived in a modern sense. The poem illustrates the hardship a man of color would face in that current period of time, a man would arise who would break the shackles placed upon him and do what was forbidden for him and his people. This poem is supposedly only about Frederick Douglass, however it involves another man of color who has also made an impact. A subtle detail is placed in this piece of poetry, The "O" in Douglass stands for Obama, the rest of the stanza ends, allowing a new one to begin about Douglass's …show more content…

Both are great men who have made history on this date, Frederick marks the death of an exceptional man who has left his mark on this world; one that will be remembered forever. Do not morn for too long for the death of a great will also in time bring forth another great man. Therefore with death comes birth and President Barack Obama wins the election making this date even more important. In the end Espada may have wanted this poem to be primarily focused on Frederick Douglas nevertheless he decided to share some of the glory with President Barack Obama. Nonetheless the million dollar question still stands, "what is truly commemorated on this impactful day"? The answer is not as abstract as one would think, in fact it is quite simple. Both men and the date deserve the commemoration, the poem is indeed aimed directly at Frederick Douglass however the author would have not made a mention to how President Obama had an achievement on the date. Indirectly Espada was giving credit where it was due, commemorating the date not for death but for life as a new generation will be priveliged to see a great man in

Show More
Related
424 Words | 2 Pages

In July of 1852, Frederick Douglass prepares a speech known as The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro. Douglass was a former slave of the 19th century and soon became a leader during the Abolitionist Movement. In his speech, he argues that the Fourth of July is the darkest as well as most mournful day for slaves. Douglass then establishes his argument with distinct rhetorical strategies to make the audience feel the sorrow of which slaves felt. Through the use of allusion, sarcasm, and emotional appeal, Douglass reaches out to the listener to request a change in slavery.

Read More
844 Words | 4 Pages

Deep in a swarm of 500,000 women, men, and children; a small huddle of girls headed by lead singer MILCK sang their song “Quiet”, loudly, for all the world to hear during the Women’s March on Washington in 2017. Their voices carried a tune of faith, hope, and power, which Jill Lapore echoed in her work “Wars Within”. Lapore’s writing is essential to providing significant insight into the election of 2017 by connecting to past historical moments which many members of James Madison’s student body can recollect and link to the severity of the election results. Lapore uses the connections between the civil war era and present day America to tie together the presence of inequality in simple historical terms. The usage of this connection allows for readers to compare cause and solution to possibly be persuaded to enact change as Fredrick Douglass did in the past.

Read More
1463 Words | 6 Pages

He explains how within this celebration, the American people assume that everyone should celebrate, but they forget the harsh nature that caused the celebration to occur. “To pass lightly over [the] wrongs” the white population did to the blacks “would be treason” and would “make [him] reproach before God” (Source C). Douglas predicts that most of the American population had forgotten the struggle of slavery, and thrown that piece of history to the side in order to celebrate their hopes becoming truth. Yet, throughout his speech, Douglas reminds the people of the harsh punishments the African American people had to endure, and how in order to make happiness rise, America simply pushed the truth to the side. Within modern society, the population is forgetting the past that they so dearly praise.

Read More
258 Words | 2 Pages

The setting in the novel Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass American Slave changes multiple times throughout the story. The first setting takes place in Maryland where Frederick was born. “I was born in Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough, and about twelve miles from Easton, in Talbot county, Maryland” (Douglass 19). Frederick was born in Maryland on a huge slave plantation because that was one of the states that slavery was legal. Then Frederick got lucky and moved in with Mrs. and Mr. Auld in Baltimore.

Read More
93 Words | 1 Pages

This passage appears in Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Douglass narrates his disgust with slavery and more specifically how his grandmother was wrongfully treated and the overall ingratitude slave-owners had toward her. Douglas explains how although his Grandmother cared so much for everyone else all through her life yet she got nothing but torture in return. In the end she is left alone with just loneliness of what then were distant memories of her family which had been ruined through the malicious acts of

Read More
873 Words | 4 Pages

Both King and Douglass were advocating for the same thing: their constitutional sanction of freedom. Both men, in their respective letters touch upon parallel thoughts and beliefs that revolve around the much bigger topic of racial inequality and discrimination. Both men were discriminated against and they talk about their experiences and plight in their very distinctive yet special styles. Born in the year 1817, in an era of open and unashamed slave trade, Frederick Douglass’s story begins as a serf to Mrs. Hugh in the city of Maryland.

Read More
828 Words | 4 Pages

He questions his audience of the significance of Independence Day to slaves, and he answers it in an extremely contrasting way: “your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; … your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery,” that the celebration is “a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.” Douglass dismisses the national pride, characterizing it as a mere expression of people’s ignorance. The antithesis, with “greatness” being “vanity,” “sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless,” and “shouts of liberty and equality” being “hollow mockery,” provokes shock and anger from the audience, who have just been part of it and are now degraded as “savages.” However, Douglass was not trying to be inflammatory but provocative, witnessing the pathetic enthusiasm in the anniversary, that people feel exuberant about themselves while ignoring the saddening

Read More
379 Words | 2 Pages

Progress is something everyone has to struggle and fought it through. Without progress and struggles, people wouldn't know how to make something better. Frederick Douglass once said that “If there’s no struggle, there’s no progress.” The struggle can be a physical struggle or a moral struggle, and any of them would work.

Read More
1110 Words | 5 Pages

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).

Read More
225 Words | 1 Pages

Annotated bibliography Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. Print.

Read More
595 Words | 3 Pages

Some people aren't the same, but that doesn't mean they have to be treated different then others. Frederick defended how slaves should not be treated harshly, and how they needed to be treated like a real human that have freedom and have rights. Douglass overall purpose was to shine a light on how slavery is terrible for slaves, and how it supports even the nicest people. People who defended slavery believed that slavery does not affect anybody, and that all slave owners were the nicest people in the world. Douglass wanted them to completely understand how it corrupts the good people into having a evil soul.

Read More
2333 Words | 10 Pages

Douglass establishes his credibility and authority on the issue of slavery and inequality in the United States by drawing on his own experience and expertise. He begins the speech by introducing himself as a former slave and expressing his sadness and disappointment at the Fourth of July festivities which celebrate the nation’s independence while ignoring the ongoing oppression of African Americans. He says, “I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us.” By acknowledging his own identity as a former slave, Douglass gives himself immediate credibility on the issue of slavery and inequality.

Read More
392 Words | 2 Pages

The legendary abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass was one of the most important social reformers of the nineteenth century. Being born into slavery on a Maryland Eastern Shore plantation to his mother, Harriet Bailey, and a white man, most likely Douglass’s first master was the starting point of his rise against the enslavement of African-Americans. Nearly 200 years after Douglass’s birth and 122 years after his death, The social activist’s name and accomplishments continue to inspire the progression of African-American youth in modern society. Through his ability to overcome obstacles, his strive for a better life through education, and his success despite humble beginnings, Frederick Douglass’s aspirations stretched his influence through

Read More
973 Words | 4 Pages

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is Frederick Douglass’s autobiography in which Douglass goes into detail about growing up as a slave and then escaping for a better life. During the early-to-mid 1800s, the period that this book was written, African-American slaves were no more than workers for their masters. Frederick Douglass recounts not only his personal life experiences but also the experiences of his fellow slaves during the period. This book was aimed at abolitionists, so he makes a point to portray the slaves as actual living people, not the inhuman beings that they are treated as. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, slaves are inhumanly represented by their owners and Frederick Douglass shines a positive light

Read More
850 Words | 4 Pages

Education is the light at the end of the tunnel, when Frederick uses it he discovers hope. In the story the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick goes through many struggles on his path to freedom, showing us the road from slavery to freedom. At the beginning of the book, Douglass is a slave in both body and mind. When the book ends, he gets both his legal freedom and frees his mind. The path to freedom was not easy, but it got clearer when he got an education.

Read More

More about Summary Of Litany At The Tomb Of Frederick Douglass

Related Topics

Open Document