ipl-logo

Discuss The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Figurative Language

670 Words3 Pages

In Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, he puts us in his shoes, recalling his encounter being born into slavery, and all the struggles that came with the ordeal. His story contains elements of the unimaginable realities of slavery, in pursuance of reaching out to an audience to spread awareness. A short, yet powerful part of his story describes his adventure escaping slavery into freedom. Douglass uses figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and parallelism in order to represent the exhilaration, loneliness and helplessness in results to his passage to freedom. After Douglass’s journey to freedom, he arrives to New York feeling exhilarated. He describes his arrival as “a moment of the highest excitement I ever experienced.”. This constitutes to show at that moment, his safe passage seized his emotions, and was the truest excitement he’s felt. Douglass accents his feelings of excitement to a friend of his through similes such as when he felt “as one may imagine the …show more content…

He confesses that from the start of his slavery his mindset was to “‘Trust no man!” and that he saw “in every white man an enemy”, indicating his distrust and fear to reach for help in order to settle his life in New York. Douglass tries to express this by the use of parallelism. Douglass directs towards white men, “let him place himself in my situation”, he elaborates through parallelism by trying to make his audience imagine being “without home or friends-without money or credit” and “wanting shelter, and no one to give it-wanting bread and no money to buy it”. Here, Douglass becomes emotional towards the audience. He is trying to represent his helplessness by having a white man imagine being in his shoes. While the white man can arrive to New York having access to money or shelter, the slave

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Chapter Eleven Of Frederick Douglass

    246 Words  | 1 Pages

    From this quote, readers can clearly analyze that even when Douglass escaped to freedom in the North, he cannot rest easy, nor stay placid. Douglass anticipates that he might be taken back to the South, and reclaim his identity as a slave; and he is aware that anyone around him is

    Read More

  • How Does Frederick Douglass Overcome Social Injustice

    1146 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout Frederick Douglass’s Narrative, he recalls the inhumane acts that were thrusted upon him as a slave, but overcame the abuse of the common practice. Specifically, Douglass since childhood worked in a plantation as a slave, but from him learning to read and write, he escapes and teaches the people of the North the hardships of slavery, where he faced deprivation through exploitation, discovered there were more opportunities for slaves as he approaches the North, and gains power to change of his life due to his knowledge. For instance, the slaves were put into lower social positions than their masters through social manipulation, in ways of isolation and deprivation, so they would not leave the plantations. To illustrate, in the plantations many of “the white

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Use Of Similes And Metaphors

    555 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the passage, Frederick Douglass speaks about the particulars of his state of mind as an escaped slave, a fugitive, in 1830’s New York. Throughout the passage, Douglass comprehensively uses similes and metaphors, as well as tone shifts, and repetition, to fully impart unto the reader his not only elation at being free but also his fears, exhaustion and his anxiety towards trusting people. This garners both empathy and understanding from his audience. Douglass opens the passage by describing parts of his escape to New York, comparing his elation to that of a “mariner . . .

    Read More

  • Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    958 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Allusions

    230 Words  | 1 Pages

    The aloof and paranoid tones in Douglass ' passage describe his fear of returning to his past life and it emphasizes his pain of remembering it. Aside from carrying physical scars, Douglass also carries mental and emotional within him that cannot be removed by anyone/anything. Douglass ' nautical imagery and historical allusions reflect his deep emotional pain from his past life and the concern that he will might "be taken back". Furthermore, Douglass feels that he will never be safe from the "money-loving hunters" and "Pirates" that are out there every day looking for vulnerable people like him. Every step he takes, he senses others are watching him and chasing after him.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis

    864 Words  | 4 Pages

    He starts out describing his new slave owner, Sophia Auld as “a white face beaming with the most kindly emotions; it was the face of my new mistress, Sophia Auld. I wish I could describe the rapture that flashed through my soul as I beheld it. It was a new and strange sight to me, brightening up my pathway with the light of happiness” (Ch. 5 ¶10). Douglass uses diction in “the rapture that flashed through my soul as I beheld it” to portray the effects of her gentle, compassionate personality. The word “rapture” eloquently expresses his feelings of joy and peace as he meets Mrs. Auld.

    Read More

  • Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Irony Analysis

    812 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    648 Words  | 3 Pages

    ‘’ No words, No tears, No prayers, from his glory victim, seemed to move his iron heart fro his bloody purpose.’’ (page 5). Douglass appeals to the mournful emotions of the audience by expressing how the overseers gave no mercy or cared about the effect of whippings to the slaves. Douglass use of parallelism displayed how slavery was

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass: Overcoming Obstacles

    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

  • Emotional Irony In Frederick Douglass

    1876 Words  | 8 Pages

    Emotional Argumentation: The Rhetorical Genius of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass’ use of vivid imagery, metaphor, parallelism, and irony in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave was even more impressive and effective in his time than now. Graphic visual and sensory imagery grabbed polite society’s attention to demonstrate the violence against slaves. Metaphors countered racial bias by equating violence across races. Irony emphasized the reality of religious, political, and social hypocrisy against black people.

    Read More

  • The Rhetorical Strategies Used In The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

    289 Words  | 2 Pages

     Douglass incorporated pathos to create an emotional appeal to his audience.   His message detailed how Douglass felt being a slave

    Read More

  • Theme Of Abuse In Frederick Douglass

    1838 Words  | 8 Pages

    PAGE 2 In the Narrative Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, he uses this text to explain his purpose in “throwing light on the American slave system”, or show it for what it really is, as well as show his position on how he strongly believes slavery is an issue that needs to be addressed and how it differs from those who defended slavery, with experiences from his own life to support his argument. Douglass uses experience from his early days as a young slave to throw light on the aspect of physical abuse. According to his narrative, Douglass states, “Master, however, was not a humane slaveholder.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Figurative Language Essay

    902 Words  | 4 Pages

    He uses similes throughout his narrative to compare his struggles with slavery and show how the African American is negatively portrayed with something the reader can easily imagine and relate. When discussing his tiresome days working , Douglass compares himself to being held down by a weight, When I could stand no longer, I fell, and felt as if held down by an immense weight.” (55) The simile between him and the weight shows how slavery is weighing him down and it is something the reader can easily imagine and relate too. Later in the narrative Douglass compares slaves to wild beasts, “In the midst of houses, yet having no home,--among fellow-men, yet feeling as if in the midst of wild beasts,” (90).

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis

    935 Words  | 4 Pages

    An American Slave,” Douglass discusses the horrors of being enslaved and a fugitive slave. Through Douglass’s use of figurative language, diction and repetition he emphasizes the cruelty he experiences thus allowing readers to under-stand his feelings of happiness, fear and isolation upon escaping slavery. Figurative language allocates emotions such as excitement, dread and seclusion. As a slave you have no rights, identity or home. Escaping slavery is the only hope of establishing a sense of self and humanity.

    Read More

  • Essay On Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

    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

More about Discuss The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Figurative Language

Open Document