Bibliographic Essay

perhaps the most notable of the slave autobiographies is the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself, with his elegant simplicity and carefully crafted account of the slave-driven South.

Robert B. Septo focuses on Douglass’s potpourri of writing in various styles in his essay, “Narration, Authentication, and Authorial Control in Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of 1845”. By using syncretic phrasing, introspective analysis, internalized documentation, and participant- observation, Septo claims that Douglass reveals his complexity through relatively straightforward form.

Rafia Zafar argues that Douglass should be considered a counterpart to Benjamin Franklin, as Douglass embodies the ideal American that Franklin described in his Autobiography. Zafar claims that the two renowned men are more similar than one may think, and they had many life experiences in common, most significantly the process of self-education. Just as Franklin claimed to be a self-made man, so Douglass was the sole motivator in his own quest for literacy. Another unifying factor according to Zafar, both men were in bondage to somebody, although he does not name Franklin’s “kinsman”. Douglass, however, did not restrain in revealing his master’s names, in fact, as Septo argued, spoke of his masters quite craftily. The “acrid punning” that Douglass used to name Mr. Severe and Mr. Freeland is an intriguing example of his syncretic phrasing (Septo 185). Zafar also claimed Douglass followed Franklin’s model set forth in his Autobiography, where he imposed upon himself the importance of personal freedom and emphasized hard work and industry.

William L. Andrews continues the examination of Douglass’s formation of identity and ...

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...s life; it also demonstrates through his mastery of classical rhetoric and oratory his own worth as a literate human being” (Cook and Tatum 55). Through learning, Douglass gained confidence that fueled his motivation to become the greatest self-made American citizen of his time.

Although there is contention over the details of Douglass’s impact, there is no arguing with William W. Cook and James Tatum’s declaration, “The Narrative gave the readers of his day not only the image of a black man transformed by literacy, but the self-portrait of a superior black man possessing great thoughts and noble feelings, empowered by learning” (Cook and Tatum 55).

Conclusion: Just as the Norton Anthology claims, “it would be difficult to exaggerate the importance for Americans across the color line of Douglass’s exemplary career as a champion of human rights” (Levine 1174).