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The Narrative Of The Life Of Fredrick Douglass

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Recommended: Essays on christianity from the narrative by frederick douglass

Aaliyah Bell
Dr. Messick
AML 2600-14752
25 January 2023
Literature of Freedom and Slavery: Christianity
In the Literature of Freedom and Slavery, one the most heavily discussed topics were about the façade of Christianity, and how Christianity was wrongfully portrayed by white slave owners. In The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, southern Christianity is overturned by Douglass. In this text, there are true and false versions of religion, and what the real form of Christianity is. Douglass exemplifies the conflict and false interpretation between wants of man and human morals.
The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, is an autobiography of Douglass’ …show more content…

At just twelve years old, he finds a book called, “The Colombian Orator”. In this, it describes a conversation/debate between a slave and a master. In which the slave debunks every reason as to why slavery is unjustified by the Bible and my human morality. We as the readers can interpret this as Douglass’ continuous understanding of Christianity and the Bible and that he understands the southern white Christianity is wrong and hypocritical from the actual word. Douglass responds to Christianity well, by keeping a strong faith and maintaining his own interpretation of what the Bible really …show more content…

“I find, since reading over the foregoing Narrative, that I have, in several instances, spoken in such a tone and manner, respecting religion, as may possibly lead those unacquainted with my religious views to suppose me an opponent of all religion.” (Narrative in the Life of Fredrick Douglass, 389). The differences between the faith practiced by Douglass, and the faith practiced by his owners, was the interpretation of what the Bible was saying. Based on Fredrick’s narrative, we can interpret that slave owners used the Bible to justify their inhuman, unmoral actions onto other people. While Douglass interprets the Bible as something a Christian will use to maintain moral habits. Slave owners used the Bible to instill guilt and a feeling of inferiority onto the slaves. This helped them gain power as well as superiority above their slaves because they claimed the Bible said that this was right, this was what it was supposed to

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The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass challenges and enhances information from the textbook America a Narrative History. In Chapter 13 of the textbook, the Second Great Awakening is mentioned, and the author talks about how large camp meetings were held, which resulted in many converting to Methodism. Similarly, Douglass, as his master attended one, mentions a camp meeting, where Douglass hoped his master would become kinder or emancipate his slaves, however, instead it made his master crueler. In addition, in Chapter 15 the conflict between a true Christian and a Southern Christian is brought up. In both the narrative and the textbook, the fact that slavery is endorsed by the bible is brought up as part of the pro-slavery movement.

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Christianity was, to the slaves of America, (something with a double meaning). In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Frederick Douglass, the author, argues about how Christianity can mean one thing to a free white man and something completely different to a black slave. The slave owners follow the ‘Christianity of the Land’ while the slaves follow the ‘Christianity of Christ.’ Frederick begins to build his credibility to a, white, northern, audience by including documents from trustworthy writers and by getting into personal experiences through his writing. Throughout the narrative, he is articulate in how he writes, and it shows the reader that he is well educated.

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Douglass tells us this by saying that he believes anyone who is a slave owner cannot be a Christian. In his view, he believes being a slave owner violates the very principles of being a Christian. Auld quote he believes that the Christianity practiced by the Slave owners and the Christianity practiced by non-slave owners are two

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Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who wrote a speech arguing about the “freedom” Americans truly had, and the hypocrisy that came with it. He explained many valid points such as the confusing relationship Americans had between slaves and immigrants, along with the incorrect following of the Bible. Douglass exposes said hypocrisy through his writing by recognizing that Americans contradict the bible by owning and mistreating slaves. To begin, many Americans were Christian, yet still had hatred towards black people or those of color. In Douglass’ speech, he calls out the irony of white Americans going against what the bible says about equality.

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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

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