Samson Occum 's A Short Narrative of My Life was written in 1768 as a means of recording truer accounts of his life. It was written in his private journals and not published until well after his death. In addition to giving accounts of his life, it gives the reader insight on how relations between Europeans and Native Americans were. Years later, James Ottery, Occum 's descendent, wrote his poem The Diary of Samson Occum in response to Occum 's writings. The poem criticizes Occum as well as the system of his conversion to Christianity. Ottery 's The Diary of Samson Occum shows anger towards Occum 's writings, Ottery 's own writing, and the cruel realities of their heritage. To understand Ottery 's poem, one must first understand Occum 's writings. …show more content…
It is a critique of Samson Occum 's writing in addition to being prose. It calls into question not only Occum 's writing but also his lifestyle. The Diary of Samson Occum tells how Ottery views Occum 's writing, Ottery 's own writing, and the condition of Native American 's in both of their lifetimes. Ottery 's The Diary of Samson Occum makes use of a variety of literary devices as well as quotes for Occum 's journals. Many of the devices he uses are very straightforward, such as his use of repetition and his use of the double meanings of some words. It is from his tone, diction, and use of literary devices that we can analysis not only his view on Occum 's writing, but also his own, and the condition of Native Americans in both their time periods. Once one understands the diary entries of Samson Occum, it is easy to see how Ottery 's poem is very critical of Occum 's diary …show more content…
This comes from the fact that several of the observations Ottery makes about Occum 's writing also applies to his own. The biggest example of this deals with language. Throughout his poem, Ottery points out the fact that Occum does not write in his native language. He uses this to branch out into other issues as well. As, Occum 's descendant this implies that Ottery 's own native tongue is not English, or, at the very least, should not be English. However, His poem is written in English as well. This implies that Ottery finds many of the same issues in his own writing. It implies that, rather than being angry with Occum 's choices, he is saddened at the loss of culture. By analyzing Ottery 's view of his and Occum 's writing in The Diary of Samson Occum, the reader can tell much about how he views their Native American heritage. The way Ottery brings up aspects of Occum 's diaries implies he does not agree with many of the ideals mentioned their. Ottery writes "he does not write much of his personal "life" - how poverty and depression may have led to alcohol. He does not write these things in the white man 's
...nt of his main and most essential source, The Confessions, The Fires of Jubilee proves an unreliable piece of history. Oates still, is a commendable historian, however, this text is an example of a respectable historian’s weaknesses. Perhaps no one will ever really know what Nat’s childhood felt or looked like. Perhaps the reason behind the rebellion will always be questionable. Yet it is worth the fight to find out the true story. Not a historical survey Oates attempt at reconciling the past and the present will remain a testament to the goal of all historians: to search for truth in the past to teach and enrich the coming future.
Samson Occom (1723-1792) is a Mohegan native caught between two worlds, that of his "Heathen" (Occom, 52) upbringing and that of Christianity and the European Englishman. He decides he would like to discover a new method of discourse for himself and chooses to explore English. Occom is interested in the teachings of the Bible, and Christianity offers “saving and conviction” (Occom, 53) and allows him to become closer with the English locals. He develops an insatiable appetite for the English language and decides to learn to read and write in English in any way he can. This new found power over the language allows him to express himself to a wider audience and creates an opportunity for him to learn more about religion and teach students. He, along with other Mohegan natives connects with the English settlers and decides to gain their knowledge of language and religion. This creates an interesting turning point for Occom and a seemingly strange change for
Frederick Douglass, an African American social reformer who escaped from slavery, in his autobiography “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself,” denotes the perilous life of a slave in the South. Through syntax, Douglass is able to persuade his readers to support the abolitionist movement as his writing transitions from shifting sentence lengths to parallel structure and finally to varying uses of punctuation. Douglass begins his memoir with a combination of long and short sentences that serve to effectively depict life his life as a slave. This depiction is significant because it illustrates the treatment of slaves in the south allows his audience to despise the horrors of slavery. In addition, this
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass written by Frederick Douglass himself is a brutally honest portrayal of slavery's dehumanizing capabilities. The style of this famous autobiography can be best described as personal, emotional, and compelling. By writing this narrative, Douglass wants his audience to understand him. He does this by speaking informally like a person would when writing a letter or telling a story to a friend. By clearly establishing his credibility and connecting with his audience, Douglass uses numerous rhetorical devices to argue for the immorality of slavery.
When inquiring about the comparisons and contrasts between Melville’s Benito Cereno and Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of an American Slave, Written by Himself, the following question almost inevitably arises: Can a work of fiction and an autobiography be compared at all? Indeed, the structure of the two stories differs greatly. Whereas Douglass’s Narrative adapts a typical pattern of autobiographies, i.e. a chronological order of birth, childhood memories, events that helped shape the narrator etc., Benito Cereno is based on a peculiar three-layered foundation of a central story recounting the main events, a deposition delineating the events prior to the first part, and an ending.
...oncluding passage to his narrative for a specific purpose: to create a more profound connection with his audience on the basis of his experiences and thoughts. He creates a vision of relief in the beginning of the passage by means of diction, similes, and an impeccable amount of imagery. Douglass also applies an approach for the application of syntax, diction, and connotative sense to amplify the feelings of loneliness and paranoia presented after emancipation. The result is the masterpiece that fluently runs from one state of mind following his escape to another. It is a masterpiece with a timeless sense of moral values being unconsciously taught to its audience, whether or not they succeed in deciphering it.
The title of the book for my report is Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, by himself. Its genre is autobiography, and it was first published in 1881 and later revised in 1893. The tone of the novel is contemplative and reflective. He talks about his thoughts on his circumstances and the actions of others constantly and often explains why things were as they were, such as the white children he was friends with as a child not agreeing with slavery. The book tells about his life, including his first realizations of slavery, his experiences and hardships growing up as a slave, his religious enlightenment, his escape from slavery, and his rise to the top as an influential voice for blacks in America. His style includes formal language and going into detail on his reflections.
One of his intriguing skills as a writer is his ability to intertwine narration and analysis in his essays. James Baldwin mixes narration and analysis in his essays so well that coherence is never broken, and the subconscious is so tempted to agree with and relate to what he says, that if you don’t pay close attention, one will find himself agreeing with Baldwin, when he wasn’t even aware Baldwin was making a point. Physical placement of analytical arguments and analytical transitions, frequency and size of analytical arguments, and the language used within the analytical arguments are the keys to Baldwin’s graceful persuasion. Throughout this essay, I will be using Baldwin’s “Notes of a Native Son” as an example. “Notes of a Native Son” is an essay that Baldwin wrote which focuses primarily on his life around the time his father died, which also happens to be the same time his youngest brother was born.
In the autobiography written by Frederick Douglass, it gives the reader details on the everyday life of past American slaves from both his eyes and from others that kept detailed record that they either witnessed or lived. Douglass describes firsthand of what he witnessed as well as his insight to personal experiences from being a slave to becoming a free man. Only when it came down to it he was never truly a free man, he was a runaway that risked everything he had worked for and if ever caught could be forced to return to his master or be killed for his action.
All in all, Frederick Douglass’s book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was a story of slavery and freedom. He was fortunate that he was able to experience a better slave life than others. He was able to obtain knowledge about reading that he was not obtaining to be a slave for all his life. He, unlike other slaves, knew he was not supposed to be a slave for the rest of his life. He described the ways by which slaveholders justify themselves for their actions. He was one of the rare ones who did not lose their way to freedom; he discussed the many ways that slaves were kept from thinking about escaping and freedom. Once he was free, he wrote this Narrative and refutes many myths that many have said about slaves and slaveholders.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography written by Frederick Douglass and published in 1845. Frederick Douglass, a former slave and passionate abolitionist, provides descriptive stories of his life as a slave, all the way from his childhood to his escape. Chapter four specifically focuses on the unjustness of slavery, and Douglass’ central claim that there is no justice system in the slave world. In chapter four, Douglass describes the brutal murder of Demby and recounts multiple killings of slaves by overseers to support his central claim that slaves receive no justice, safety or security.
America in the mid to early nineteenth century saw the torture of many African Americans in slavery. Plantation owners did not care whether they were young or old, girl or boy, to them all slaves were there to work. One slave in particular, Frederick Douglass, documented his journey through slavery in his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Through the use of various rhetorical devices and strategies, Douglass conveys the dehumanizing and corrupting effect of slavery, in order to show the overall need for American abolition. His use of devices such as parallelism, asyndeton, simile, antithesis, juxtaposition and use of irony, not only establish ethos but also show the negative effects of slavery on slaves, masters and
Douglass, Frederick. “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave: Written by Himself (ed. John Blassingame) Yale University Press, 2001.
Louise Erdrich’s short story “American horse” is a literary piece written by an author whose works emphasize the American experience for a multitude of different people from a plethora of various ethnic backgrounds. While Erdrich utilizes a full arsenal of literary elements to better convey this particular story to the reader, perhaps the two most prominent are theme and point of view. At first glance this story seems to portray the struggle of a mother who has her son ripped from her arms by government authorities; however, if the reader simply steps back to analyze the larger picture, the theme becomes clear. It is important to understand the backgrounds of both the protagonist and antagonists when analyzing theme of this short story. Albetrine, who is the short story’s protagonist, is a Native American woman who characterizes her son Buddy as “the best thing that has ever happened to me”. The antagonist, are westerners who work on behalf of the United States Government. Given this dynamic, the stage is set for a clash between the two forces. The struggle between these two can be viewed as a microcosm for what has occurred throughout history between Native Americans and Caucasians. With all this in mind, the reader can see that the theme of this piece is the battle of Native Americans to maintain their culture and way of life as their homeland is invaded by Caucasians. In addition to the theme, Erdrich’s usage of the third person limited point of view helps the reader understand the short story from several different perspectives while allowing the story to maintain the ambiguity and mysteriousness that was felt by many Natives Americans as they endured similar struggles. These two literary elements help set an underlying atmos...
In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Written by Himself, Douglass writes about his life in slavery. Douglass portrays how he overcame being separated from his mother, of witnessing a slave being whipped for the first time and enduring his servitude for multiple masters. However, his major triumphs in life were moving to Baltimore, overcoming illiteracy and gaining his freedom.