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What Is The Life Of Frederick Douglass A Satire

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With liberty and justice for all. This statement, recited in schools daily, has become a newer concept in American society since the time of slavery. After its abolishment, human enslavement has not been a part of society and many have spoken out about their experiences, such as former slave, Frederick Douglass. Douglass is one of the greatest abolitionists and is known for his eye-opening speeches and the narrative he wrote of his life that goes well into the details of slavery. The concept of enslaving humans, once a normal part of life, provoked disputes and generated hatred through the mind of many, including former slave, Frederick Douglass, causing him to write a rather disturbing narrative that attempts to capture his horrific and gruesome …show more content…

Douglass complains and states that he believes that Christianity is “used to justify slavery in the South” (Stocks) and therefore is working against the freedom of slaves. Douglass was completely against Christianity because he thought that Christians not only supported slavery, but “encouraged the expansion” (“God In America”) of slavery in the south. Many Christians reading the book were alarmed by his tone and hostility of their religion that they decided to argue against his remarks made in the book. Disagreement caused the narrative to be taken into consideration and ultimately challenged. Douglass was never afraid to say what was on his mind, therefore he was not afraid to write what he thought, even if his words did offend others and their …show more content…

Douglass wanted to share his story with whoever would listen and he eventually became a spokesperson “giving numerous speeches about his life” (McDonald). In 1841, he spoke to a primarily white crowd for the first time and was amazed to see how many Northerners could simply not believe the words he was saying. Many of his audiences were disturbed by his stories and the idea that he was treated as “property and not a human” (McDonald). After months of speaking out, people began to encourage him to write a book and sell it so that others could read about his story and see that there needed to be changes made in the south regarding slavery. His story became so widely known and to this day, his book has proven to be one of the most successful educational narratives, and is still taught to students at schools around the country. For this reason, and many others, the challenged book should continue to be taught because it is a valuable part of the history of slavery and gives a look into the life of someone during this

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Contrary to the textbook, Douglass points out that many blacks were scared to speak out in fear of white kidnappers would take them back to the South. Despite differences, both the textbook and the narrative support the idea that the South was very resistant to the idea of abolishing

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In addition to establishing himself as a credible narrator and using anecdotes with repetitive diction and imagery, Douglass also highlights how religion was enforced in slavery. Every slave owner that Douglass belonged to was hypocritical and deceival towards their faith. This is frequently used through all his anecdotes to persuade the reader that slavery is full of non-sense and that the “devoted, peaceful, just, and kind owners” were full of lies. “He seemed to think himself equal to deceiving the Almighty. He would make a short prayer in the morning, and a long prayer at night; and, strange as it may seem, few men would at times appear more devotional than he…

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His “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave”, (Document G) makes emotional reading (lurid descriptions like "bitterest dregs of slavery" or "broken in body, mind, and soul" elicited reactions of disgust and dejection, which is the what abolitionists were hoping for) and showed that ultimately a slave, long thought to be a possession and less than human, was very much a person with reason and intellect. It provides unsurmountable proof that like any man, a slave deserved a life of dignity and liberty. His work shed light on the constant hard-working and abusive lifestyle that slaves

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Liberation Through Education Frederick Douglass, proclaimed human rights leader during the 19th century abolition movement, in his critically acclaimed autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass tells his personal experiences of overcoming obstacles a slave faced leading up to the point in which he breaks his own chains of slavery. Frederick Douglass’ most instrumental moment of his life was when he was under the ownership of the Auld family and gained the gift of literacy from Mrs. Auld. His ability to read had a profound effect on his development, such an effect that Mr. Auld felt the urgency to suppress any further growth. From this point on, Frederick Douglass had the knowledge to hate what his current and future

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Most of his time was in the movement of the abolition of slavery. He did not want any other black person to face brutality, humiliation, and pain. His arguments became very useful in the anti-slavery movement. It is through his experiences of being a slave that he urged for the abolition of slavery (Douglass, 1845). Douglass’ style of narration makes the reader to be involved in the story emotionally.

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Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 1818. Douglass wrote “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself” in 1845. This narrative was written to inform readers how the lives of slaves were, and the harsh treatment they experienced. Within the narrative we see how the slave system was corrupted. It was clear throughout the narrative that there were specific perpetrators, victims, and bystanders within the slave system.

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“ I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, woman-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land.” (Douglass 100) Douglass does this to show how hypocritical people in the South were being. Churches were teaching the Christian practice of being kind and compassionate while not actually practicing it themselves. Douglass argues that the actions of some people are against religion.

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As part of the history of the United States, a large amount of people were unfairly forced into slavery with appalling conditions. Slaves were barely considered people, much less allowed natural rights. Abolitionists and former slaves worked towards a United States without slavery through protests and written documents. One former slave who protested through writing was Frederick Douglass. With his book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Douglass describes the hardships as a slave, invoking sympathy and commiseration through his sincerity and prowess.

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Religion, is viewed as having two identities; false and true. During this time, the forms serve different purposes and functions depending on the people. Published in 1845, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass written by Frederick Douglass was an inspirational autobiography to others. It shows the true institution of slavery and how slaves are affected by it. One of the many themes brought up throughout the Narrative, especially the theme of religion.

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Here, Douglass exposes the Christian attempt to wash their hands of any guilt or wrong doing. Overall, Douglass exposes the truth behind this hypocrisy; when these slaveholders use God as a

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Because of this, he successfully creates a contrast between what the slave owners think of and treat the slaves and how they are. Douglass says that slave’s minds were “starved by their cruel masters”(Douglass, 48) and that “they had been shut up in mental darkness” (Douglass, 48) and through education, something that they were deprived of, Frederick Douglass is able to open their minds and allow them to flourish into the complex people that they are. By showing a willingness to learn to read and write, the slaves prove that they were much more than what was forced upon them by their masters.

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Douglass’s position differ from those who supported slavery is that people who supported slavery, they thought it was a natural thing to do because on the Document “ Slavery a positive Good” on paragraph 1 it says, “ To maintain the existing relations between two races, inhabiting that section of the Union, is indispensable to the peace and happiness of both…. But let me not be understood as admitting, even by implication, that the existing relations between two races in the slaveholding states is an evil: - far otherwise; I hold to be good, as it has thus far proved itself both, and will continue to prove so if not disturbed by the fell spirit of abolition.” What this piece of evidence is saying is that slavery is a good thing and not a bad thing and that abolition should stop. Another way that Frederick Douglass’s position is different from people that support is that people who support slavery is that the people who support slavery has a different perspective of what is right and what is wrong because on the Document “ Slavery a Positive Good” paragraph 2 it says,” I hold in the present state of civilization, where two races of different origin, and distinguished by color, and other physical differences, as well as intellectual, are brought together, the relation now existing in the slaveholding States between the two is, instead of an evil, a good- a positive good… I hold then, that

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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.

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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography told through the eyes of Frederick Douglass himself. Douglass was born as a slave; he was an African-American abolitionist and orator. In the book, Douglass highlights numerous cases of irony associated with slaveholding. Throughout his narrative, Douglass examines the irony of religious slaveholders and one of his non-religious slaveholder. He also speaks of the irony in which slaves are treated below animals.

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257 Words | 2 Pages

Frederick Douglass was a great writer, but he wasn’t always. He was an escaped slave who used that in his speeches as a topic to gain the attention of his audience. His audience was a seemingly sympathetic one and got to them through rhetorical questions. Douglass wanted to convey the message that there are many changes that need to be made.

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