ipl-logo

South's Slave System Morally Evil?

547 Words3 Pages

“Did Thompson provide persuasive evidence that South’s slave system was morally evil?” I believe that Thompson did provide evidence that the South’s slave system was morally evil. Thompson gives many examples of merciless beatings of slaves to show how inhumane the system treated them. My first example of a beating is this: “At this refusal, they commenced pelting him with stones, chips, or whatever else they could find to throw at him, until they finally forced him down. He sprang from the scaffold, axe in hand, and commenced trying to cut his way through them; but, being defeated, he was knocked down, put in irons, taken to the drove yard, and beaten severely, but not until he had badly wounded two of his captors,”. This is a good example because it captures the fact that slaves were …show more content…

It’s the kind of violence you only read or see in fiction, and to here described as truth makes me sick to my stomach. Thompson knew that being this descriptive would help him make his point and provide persuasive evidence that the Southern slave system was morally wrong. Thompson makes it impossible to even begin to defend the slave owners and supporters of this system. My final example is when Thompson’s sister was sold to a new, crueler master, and upon seeing her mother for the first time since she was sold, wept. “As soon as my sister saw our mother, she ran to her and fell upon her neck, but was unable to speak a word. There was a scene which angels witnessed; there were tears which, I believe, were bottled and placed in God’s depository, there to be reserved until the day when He shall pour His wrath upon this guilty nation,”. Not only is this example extremely sad, but also shows Thompson saying he believes God will pour his wrath upon this “guilty nation,”. Thompson provided many examples that proved he believed that the South’s slave system was morally

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Violence In Frederick Douglass

    1636 Words  | 7 Pages

    Just Versus Unjust Violence: A Rhetorical Analysis of Violence in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Uncle Tom’s Cabin Frederick Douglass and Harriet Beecher Stowe present slavery in vastly distinct ways. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, author Frederick Douglass dives into a grisly world filled with bloodshed and in the middle of it a man willing to do what it takes to be educated and in control of his own person, narrated with the voice of reason. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, author Harriet Beecher Stowe depicts a variety of characters, their struggle with slavery and religion, their personal relationships, and their deep inner feelings, with no small degree of emotion and sentimentality. Douglass and Stowe’s use of

    Read More

  • Of George Fitzhugh's Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

    929 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the end, Fitzhugh's arguments about slavery are wrong and Maggie Escalas, Julie Feia, and Carrie Jean Schroeders “Logical Fallacies” give evidence that Fitzhugh's claims are wrong. This is proven by Douglass’ experience of the treatment of slaves, the amount slaves eat, and the relationship of a slave and his master. Fitzhugh’s first

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Questions

    684 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, in 1845, Douglass is reflecting on his experiences as a slave, as well as the known experiences of others, following his escape from bondage. He is making a plea to the Northerners who do not have a complete knowledge or understanding of the conditions of slavery in the South or are otherwise unopinionated in relation to it. In a later passage of the narrative, he focuses on the common beliefs of slave owners through a description of Mr. Hopkins, a former overseer he reported to. He reflects on this ideal that any problematic actions, or “misbehavior,” of slaves is awarded with abuse and punishment. Douglass includes concise and sarcastic rhetorical questions and responses in order to shed

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Literary Analysis

    799 Words  | 4 Pages

    Slavery is wicked and gory and monstrous and that is well known today but during the time it was well known. In Frederick Douglass’s, Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass tries to persuade everyone to stop the madness and recognize how awful slavery is; to do this he uses comparison and realization leading to the reader being blown away by this one slave’s life story. The goal of Douglass’s writing makes the reader see slavery in a different light. This is why Douglass’s writing is such a heavy read. To get his point across he talks about how monstrous his whole life is, starting for the very beginning when “... the child has reached its twelfth month, its mother is taken from it” (Douglass 1.4) Douglass had to go through

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Douglass And Mary Rowlandsson

    1157 Words  | 5 Pages

    Although from different eras, both Douglass and Rowlandson use similar techniques such as religion, repetition, and sentimentalism to show that being held captive and slavery is wrong. America was founded on Christian beliefs, so Douglass attacked that. He states, “If the churches and ministers of our country were not stupidly blind, or most wickedly indifferent, they, too, would so regard it” (Douglass 1037) Douglass is making a bold move that will spark controversy. He uses statements like this to keep the audience’s attention.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Paradox Analysis

    161 Words  | 1 Pages

    Douglass uses paradox to demonstrate that slavery degragrates the slaverholder. When Douglass under Mr. Sever’s care he described that: “He was less cruel, less profane… He whipped, but seemed to take no pleasure in it. ”(Douglass 24). Most slaveholders are characterized to be cruel and inhuman because of the whipping and the way they treated the slaves.

    Read More

  • Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    648 Words  | 3 Pages

    Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Rhetorical Analysis By Migion Booth Social reformer, Frederick Douglass was an African American man who decamped from slavery. He has drafted several books including Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. In his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Mr. Douglass writes about his perspicacity as a slave. Mr. Douglass repeatedly uses paradox, imagery, and parallelism to display how slavery was inhuman and heartbroken.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass's Arguments Against Slavery

    1080 Words  | 5 Pages

    In “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.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Frederick Douglass Religious Hypocrisy

    67 Words  | 1 Pages

    Douglass demonstrates how religious hypocrisy morally bankrupts the white slave holders turning them into brutes in their supposedly superior social class. While at Coveys plantation, Douglass sees the religious hypocrisy of the slave holders. The slave holders set Covey above them as if his words and ideas are divine. They have a corrupt sense of morality, using religion as a base for their rules of slave holding

    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 An American Slave Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    732 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Rebunk The Myth Of Slavery

    814 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the 1700-1800’s, the use of African American slaves for backbreaking, unpaid work was at its prime. Despite the terrible conditions that slaves were forced to deal with, slave owners managed to convince themselves and others that it was not the abhorrent work it was thought to be. However, in the mid-1800’s, Northern and southern Americans were becoming more aware of the trauma that slaves were facing in the South. Soon, an abolitionist group began in protest, but still people doubted and questioned it.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Negative Effects On Slaves

    753 Words  | 4 Pages

    Frederick Douglass’s narrative provides a first hand experience into the imbalance of power between a slave and a slaveholder and the negative effects it has on them both. Douglass proves that slavery destroys not only the slave, but the slaveholder as well by saying that this “poison of irresponsible power” has a dehumanizing effect on the slaveholder’s morals and beliefs (Douglass 40). This intense amount of power breaks the  kindest heart and changes the slaveholder into a heartless demon (Douglass 40). Yet these are not the only ways that Douglass proves what ill effect slavery has on the slaveholder. Douglass also uses deep characterization, emotional appeal, and religion to present the negative effects of slavery.

    Read More

  • What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July Analysis

    793 Words  | 4 Pages

    Douglass stated, “What am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow-men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters?” He successfully expresses his pain and anger in this quote by providing images of his and his people’s suffering. He tapped into the emotions of his audience, such as mothers, workers, and those who have felt physically pain by exposing them to the amplified struggles he and others had to face. Nonetheless, he continually reminded the audience, both explicitly and subliminally, that his group of people are too human, and that the only difference they share is the color of their skin. He is pleading his cases and hoping that it gets across to his audience in hope they will do the right

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass: My Slave Experience In Maryland

    3339 Words  | 14 Pages

    He was lavish with the whip, sparing with his word. I have seen that man tie up men by the two hands, and for two hours, at intervals, ply the lash. I have seen women stretched up on the limbs of trees, and their bare backs made bloody with the lash. Frederick Douglass had a overseer which spoke to be obeyed so almost every slave felt nothing but fear by him. Douglass had seen the overseer tie up the hands of men and women and lashed them for hours until their backs were covered in nothing but blood.

    Read More

More about South's Slave System Morally Evil?

Open Document