Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Essay
“The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” written by Frederick Douglass himself, is a piece of literature about slavery. Born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Frederick Douglass, the voice within the text, was an abolitionist and activist who wanted to reveal the cruelness of slavery. Douglass decided to expose slavery by writing his story down in 1845, making his age roughly 27 years old. Throughout the narrative, Douglass uses ethos, pathos, and logos to convince the readers that his story is the truth and to establish credibility by exposing the barbaric ways of slavery. Through the use of rhetorical devices, Douglass reveals that the slaveholders prove their looks and their words work together by the heartlessness …show more content…
He states, “And to cap the climax of their base ingratitude and fiendish barbarity, my grandmother, who was now very old…and her present owners finding she was of but little value, her frame already racked with the pains of old age…they took her to the woods…and then made her welcome to the privilege of supporting herself there in perfect loneliness; thus virtually turning her out to die” (Douglass 61). Douglass appeals to pathos by using a periodic sentence for emphasis, which persuades the readers before the final point is even made. The suspenseful points leading up to the final point are there to guide the reader in a sentimental way, creating a tug at the reader’s …show more content…
By using his own life story, Frederick Douglass gives all those who read his narrative the harsh truth about slavery. He shows that his purpose is to abolish slavery because of the harmful and bestial ways the slave owners have towards the slaves. Douglass states his opinion near the end of the narrative, saying, “It is my opinion that thousands would escape from slavery, who now remain, but for the strong cords of affection that bind them to their friends. The thought of leaving my friends was decidedly the most painful thought with which I had to contend” (Douglass 111). Through this personification, Douglass is able to express that the reason other slaves have not been able to escape is because of the love they have for their friends and family. By Douglass using the personification, the readers understand the logic he is trying to convey. Douglass shows that the slaves felt it was only logical to stay with their friends, rather than abandoning them and risking their
Summary Of Frederick Douglass Learning To Read And Write
482 Words | 2 PagesAs Douglass said, “as I writhed under it, I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing” (6). This shows that as Douglass wanted to become more free, he found himself wanting to die rather than continue on living and experiencing the pain he has to go through everyday as he “found [himself] regretting [his] own existence” (7). Included with the emotional appeal is the fact that Douglass is expressing fear that the only way in becoming free would be running away to the North as he was talking to the Irishman who Douglass believed could be treacherous as “white men have been known to encourage slaves to escape, and the, to get the reward, catch them and return them to their masters” (7). Overall, the effect of the story allows the readers to grasp Douglass’ emotion at a young age whom encountered a very large situation in America at that
Douglass Ignorance In Frederick Douglas's Narrative Writing
115 Words | 1 PagesDouglass’s Narrative writings show us that the masters ignore their slaves, and keep them ignorant and uneducated. They wanted their slaves to know that the slaves were born as slaves, and there was no way out to get rid of being a slave. The masters of the slaves wanted their slaves to accept and know that slavery was natural. The slaveholders did not want their slaves to write and read because if they knew to write and read, the slavery might have been ended after a while. Another point was to control over the slaves by leaving them ignorant.
Frederick Douglasss Hope For Freedom Rhetorical Analysis
1127 Words | 5 PagesFrederick Douglass’s Hope for Freedom Hope and fear, two contradictory emotions that influence us all, convicted Frederick Douglass to choose life over death, light over darkness, and freedom over sin. Douglass, in Chapter ten, pages thirty-seven through thirty-nine, of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, utilizes various rhetorical techniques and tone shifts to convey his desperation to find hope in this time of misery and suffering. Mr. Covey, who Douglass has been sent to by his master to be broken, has succeeded in nearly tearing all of Douglass’s dreams of freedom away from him. To expound on his desires to escape, Douglass presents boats as something that induces joy to most but compels slaves to feel terror. Given the multiple uses of repetition, antithesis, indirect tone shifts, and various other rhetorical techniques, we can see Douglass relaying to his audience the hardships of slavery through ethos, the disheartening times that slavery brings, and his breakthrough of determination to obtain freedom.
Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis
864 Words | 4 PagesThe autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written in 1845 in Massachusetts, narrates the evils of slavery through the point of view of Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass is a slave who focuses his attention into escaping the horrors of slavery. He articulates his mournful story to anyone and everyone, in hopes of disclosing the crimes that come with slavery. In doing so, Douglass uses many rhetorical strategies to make effective arguments against slavery. Frederick Douglass makes a point to demonstrate the deterioration slavery yields from moral, benevolent people into ruthless, cold-hearted people.
Frederick Douglass Position Of Slavery
1574 Words | 7 PagesWhat this piece of evidence is illustrating is that there should not be equality for non-whites because it benefits the slaveholder because they make a huge profit off the slave. Another way that Douglass uses his Narrative to share his position is by sharing stories about how Frederick
Frederick Douglass Argumentative Essay
460 Words | 2 PagesAfter being separated from his mother at a young age, Frederick Douglass fights back against slavery and human rights. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, the author, Frederick Douglass, uses powerful rhetoric to disprove the Pragmatic and the Scientific pro-slavery arguments of Pre-Civil War America. The Pragmatic Argument is about how many people believe that if all black slaves were to be freed, then this would result in convulsions which would then lead to extermination of the one or other race. Many people also believed that black slavery was necessary for American history.
Rhetorical Devices In Frederick Douglass
631 Words | 3 PagesFrederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Essay The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by Frederick Douglass himself, is a brutally honest portrayal of slavery’s dehumanizing capabilities. By clearly connecting with his audience’s emotions, Douglass uses numerous rhetorical devices, including anecdotes and irony, to argue the depravity of slavery. Douglass clearly uses anecdotes to support his argument against the immorality of slavery. He illustrates different aspects of slavery’s destructive nature by using accounts of not only his own life but others’ alsoas well.
Turning Point In Frederick Douglass
633 Words | 3 PagesIn Frederick Douglass’s book, he writes accounts of his time in slavery and beyond. Throughout the book, Douglass writes about not only the physical hardships slaves endured, but the mental and emotional hardships as well. In Chapter X, Douglass describes a battle he had with a temporary slave owner named Mr. Covey. After the fight concludes, Douglass writes, “This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood.
Frederick Douglass Use And Abuse Of Power Essay
498 Words | 2 PagesThe Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass shows the imbalance of power between slaves and their masters. In his book, Douglass proves that slavery is a destructive force not only to the slaves, but also for the slaveholders. “Poison of the irresponsible power” that masters have upon their slaves that are dehumanizing and shameless, have changed the masters themselves and their morality(Douglass 39). This amount of power and control in contact with one man breaks the kindest heart and the purest thoughts turning the person evil and corrupt. Douglass uses flashbacks that illustrate the emotions that declare the negative effects of slavery.
Frederick Douglass's Arguments Against Slavery
1080 Words | 5 PagesIn “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, Douglass narrates in detail the oppressions he went through as a slave before winning his freedom. In the narrative, Douglass gives a picture about the humiliation, brutality, and pain that slaves go through. We can evidently see that Douglass does not want to describe only his life, but he uses his personal experiences and life story as a tool to rise against slavery. He uses his personal life story to argue against common myths that were used to justify the act of slavery. Douglass invalidated common justification for slavery like religion, economic argument and color with his life story through his experiences torture, separation, and illiteracy, and he urged for the end of slavery.
My Bondage And My Freedom Frederick Douglass Language Analysis
1344 Words | 6 Pages“One who is a slaveholder at heart never recognizes a human being in a slave” (Angelina Grimke). This quote was created to show the effect that slavery had on not only the slave, but the slaveholder. The slaveholder would dehumanize the slave to the point where the human was no longer recognizable; instead, the slave was property. Throughout this autobiography, Frederick Douglass uses language to portray the similarities and differences between the two sides. He allows the reader to spend a day in the life of a slave to see the effects from it.
Frederick Douglass An American Slave Rhetorical Analysis Essay
732 Words | 3 PagesBy appealing to the emotions of the reader, Frederick Douglass can build his argument of how awful slavery was and how the slave owners used Christianity to justify what they did. In the book, Narrative of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, the author uses his language to bring meaning to what he is writing. He creates an emotional connection to the reader using pathos, and builds his argument using the credibility of others, using ethos. In his book he uses his words to prove his argument to the reader of how the slave owners would use Christianity to justify slavery and violence, and how slavery affected everyone who was
Frederick Douglass Figurative Language Essay
902 Words | 4 PagesFrederick Douglass writes his narrative to educate the reader on the horrors of southern slavery. Douglass writes with the purpose of turning the reader against slavery and fight for abolishment. Throughout Frederick Douglass’s narrative he crafts figurative language such as imagery, repetition, and similes to shed light on the horrors of slavery and to get people to fight against slavery. To give the reader a detailed picture Frederick Douglass utilizes imagery. Douglass uses imagery in great detail when describing the beating of Aunt Hester, Before he commenced whipping Aunt Hester, he took her into the kitchen, and stripped her from neck to waist, leaving her neck, shoulders, and back, entirely naked.
Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis
935 Words | 4 PagesSlavery is equally a mental and a physical prison. Frederick Douglass realized this follow-ing his time as both a slave and a fugitive slave. Douglass was born into slavery because of his mother’s status as a slave. He had little to go off regarding his age and lineage. In the excerpt of the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Essay On Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass
973 Words | 4 PagesThus, in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass is able to represent slaves as dehumanized property with the sole purpose of working their masters land until the day they die. Douglass also successfully represents slaves as intelligent people who wish to learn and begin to see the world for themselves, not through the eyes of a slave master. Douglass illustrated both sides of the spectrum of slave life, being deprived of knowledge and having, although against the rules, access to material to learn, to provide a distinction between how slaves are handled and how they truly
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