Despite the obvious immoral results of slavery, the stripping and destroying of families is a point Douglas highlights throughout the narrative. Using his grandmother’s experiences of loss, Douglas shares how “she lives to remember the loss of children and grandchildren”. With no rights to her own children the burden of watching loved ones shipped away and treated “like so many sheep” has an almost unbelievable take on the true hardship slavery created for Fredrick and so many others. Throughout the narrative, the idea of freedom was always difficult and complicated to obtain. For Douglas, freedom was something of uncharted water, with no ability to relate to any freedom besides the memories of childhood anonymity was something that had to
Through the use of structure Douglas is able to conceive that idea that slave owners are not only bad people but have no feelings toward blacks. They will do whatever they please even if that action is morally wrong and undeserving. Douglas begins by telling about his grandmother being a victim of these awful slave owners. He begins by explaining how his grandmother was a loyal slave from young to old and “she had been the source of all [her masters] wealth” (395). By beginning with the positive aspects of his grandmother Douglas makes one grow a liking for her.
Twelve score and two years ago, America was founded upon the idea that “all men are created equal,” but defining equality has changed over time. This idea has changed all Americans. In “The Gettysburg Address” president A. Lincoln helps spread the ideas of freedom, liberty and equality through the United States of America. Frederick Douglass, a former slave, wrote a narrative of his life named “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” describing the horrors of slavery. Before the Civil War slavery was common all over America, mainly the south.
Analysing Frederick Douglass’s Narrative Frederick Douglass’s narrative of his slavery experience, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” was published in 1845. It discussed the truly horrific accounts of what legalized slavery looked like for him. Frederick Douglass uses diction in the form of explicit negative connotation in his narrative to reveal the horrible legacy of slavery. Douglass uses connotation in his narrative to help the reader understand the drastic realities of being a slave, especially a runaway slave, during the time of legalized slavery. He describes his experience of being in a free state as, “the unarmed mariner to feel when he is rescued by a friendly man-of-war from the pursuit of a pirate.”
Well, I think she means that yes we are free still we struggle to get our rights and respect. This was the era of Reconstruction. African Americans define freedom by their experiences as slaves and their observation of the free society around them. However, United States had an assignment to rebuild the literal and political landscape of the South. Provided federal troops who had once attacked the rebel states were now ruling over them until local governments could be established.
In the Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglas’s main goal is to debunk the myths that have been spread, throughout the world, of slavery. The beliefs of both the slave owners and the slaves themselves have been contorted with the myths that have been trying to justify the reality of slavery. Douglass debunks the myths of slavery through the romantic images of slavery, the intellect of slaves and through the promotion of the disloyalty between slaves. Douglass throughout his narrative argues with the romantic images that are assumed about slavery. He first debunks the idea about how a singing slave is a happy slave for “slave sing most when they are most unhappy” (12).
Stephen A. Douglas’s Impact on Freedom Stephen A. Douglas had a major impact on freedom. He was a prominent political figure in American politics in the mid-1800s. He played a significant role in shaping the landscape of politics. He had a major impact on slavery, territorial expansion, sectionalism, and the civil war.
Douglass claimed that although slavery was abolished, blacks were living under a different kind of slavery after the Civil war. Discrimination and racism was prominent and there were few laws enforced. “So long as discriminatory laws ensured defacto white control over Southern blacks, then ‘slavery by yet another name’ persisted. ‘Slavery is not abolished,’ he contended, ‘until the black man has the ballot’ with which to defend his interests and freedom.” (Howard-Pitney 485).
Then he jumps into a description of his mother, the only family member whom he knows. However, this portrayal is scant because Douglass and his mother are “separated when [he is] but an infant—before [he knows] her as [his] mother”, which “is a common custom” (Douglass 395). Although he defines it as common, this is not commonplace amongst his readers, the white majority, but the slave world. While an enslaved mother loses her child almost immediately after giving birth, the white slaveholding parents nurture their own children and watch them grow up with love and support. The irony in this situation is that these people do not realize that they are tearing families apart all the while making sure that their family stays together.
Douglass argues in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, although one may had escaped slavery, freedom is yet difficult for one to truly achieve. Freedom is a complex process in which it may be perceived as being comforting, immediately after one reaches the state, but this may not always be the case. Douglass clarifies his position regarding his first hand experience in achieving freedom, as he explains, “In writing to a dear friend, immediately after my arrival at New York, I said I felt like one who had escaped a den of hungry lions. This state of mind, however, very soon subsided; and I was again seized with a feeling of great insecurity and loneliness” (Douglass 92). Douglass finally obtained the long desired freedom and through this, he
Fredrick Douglas was a slave when he was young around 11 years old and eventually one day he ran away from slavery. The thing that is different about him to other slaves he made it out of slavery and he can tell his story from being a slave and being free. In the 1850s Fredrick Douglas broke and followed the strictly moralist brand of “abolitionism” led by William Lloyd Garrison. Racial equality was very important to Douglas he believed that men and woman no matter their race or gender should have a fair say in everything.
Everyone has a magnificent story behind them. Some change the lives of others, and some just like to add to their own story, but everything they do can or may affect another human being or just simply everything around them. One generous person that impacted many is known as Frederick Douglass. This man did not only gain freedom for himself, but for all the other slaves that were in his same exact position.
“With them, justice, liberty and humanity were “final”; not slavery and oppression.” This relates to the hardships and the fact that the people don’t recognize how terrible it is. And that these meanings of these “free” words mean something else to him and other slaves. He shows that the changes are hard but once they are made everything will be peaceful. Rhetorical features and strategies are Douglass’ forte’ in engaging with the audience.
he uses bold words and biting criticism to call attention to the gross injustices and hypocrisy of slavery in the United States. In the opening remarks of his speech, Douglas provides heart-wrenching descriptions to pull his audience into the lives of their fellow
By expressing passionate, but logical explanations of the wrong doings and persecution of Slavery, Douglas includes Pathos and Logos in his marvelous speech. Douglas mentions various forceful words to get the audience to understand his passion for the opposition of slavery, he quotes “But a still more inhuman, disgraceful, and scandalous state of things remains to be presented. By an act of the American Congress, not yet two years old, slavery has been nationalized in its most horrible and revolting form.” Douglas uses magnifying and strong words to connect the disrespect and cruelty that comes with slavery. He express his trouble passion towards slavery by stating vigorous and meaningful words that are associated with brutal actions.
Fredrick Douglass is one of the most famous abolitionists the United States has ever seen. The events that led up to his freedom of slavery were very interesting. In his Narrative you not only get to see the worst of slavery, but you can also feel firsthand what Douglass went through to get his freedom. As we all know slavery was something you could not just walk out of. Some slaves that try to escape even end up getting punished or killed.