Frederick Douglass

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Frederick Douglass’ journey from slave to freed man is infamous for its influence in the abolition movements during the 1800’s. In his narrative, Douglass uses the appeal of ethos in order to establish his stance on the issue of slavery. In addition to that, he uses many of his own personal experiences to not only reveal the hard life of a slave, but to also show that at the time, he had his own thoughts and beliefs about the injustices around him. This shows the audience that slaves are capable of thinking for themselves, having feelings and even have the potential to become educated and live as equals among the whites. Despite his obvious support for the abolition of slavery, Douglass keeps an objective stance and does not only discuss the wrongs of slavery in favor of the blacks; he simply tells the story of his life. Throughout the narrative, he goes into great detail and explains things from both sides because the purpose of his narrative is not to place blame on the slave owners, but to show why slavery is negative in general. Douglass is able to effectively establish ethos because he uses rhetorical strategies such as tone and style in order to not only share his experiences during and after his life as a slave but to also establish his credibility and explain to the audience why slavery is wrong in order to gain their support and promote the awareness for the abolitionist movement. Douglass starts off the narrative in a way that not only makes the reader think about how hard life as a slave must have been, but also shows the reader that Douglass was intuitive even as a child. He shares different experiences and tells the reader what he thought about each one at the time; usually including a follow up of how his view chang... ... middle of paper ... ...o not only reveal what kind of terrible things slaves must endure, but also to show that all black people are capable of being much more than slaves. Douglass voices his opinions to move people toward abolitionism and gain support from the white community. The journey from slave to freed man was a very long one, but well worth it because Douglass was a very influential figure during the abolitionary movement and because of his words, many slaves were given the opportunities to make their own journey to freedom. Works Cited Douglass, Frederik. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. Boston (Mass.): ANdi-slavery Office No. 25 Cornhill, 1845. eBook. Garrison, Lloyd. Preface. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Written by Himself. 1845. Anti-Slavery Office No. 25 Cornhill, 1845. 6-20 eBook.

Fredrick Douglass
1342 Words | 3 Pages
In his narrative, Douglass simplifies his experience to that of other slaves showing the cruelty, psychological and physical struggle of slaves. Douglass went through several life changes, from being a slave to having freedom. He went from the south to the north, from a young man to a well known and respected speaker. This man helped America come to terms with slavery which was an important factor in the abolitionist movement.
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave
1297 Words | 3 Pages
From before the country’s conception to the war that divided it and the fallout that abolished it, slavery has been heavily engrained in the American society. From poor white yeoman farmers, to Northern abolitionist, to Southern gentry, and apathetic northerners slavery transformed the way people viewed both their life and liberty. To truly understand the impact that slavery has had on American society one has to look no further than those who have experienced them firsthand. Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave and advocate for the abolitionist, is on such person. Douglass was a living contradiction to American society during his time. He was an African-American man, self-taught, knowledgeable, well-spoken, and a robust writer. Douglass displayed a level of skill that few of his people at the time could acquire. With his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave Written by Himself, Douglass captivated the people of his time with his firsthand accounts into the horror and brutality that is the institution of slavery.
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Frederick Douglass
992 Words | 2 Pages
Gaining mental emancipation also made him a man. He had the power of knowledge and yet he didn't know the impact of being literate. He wasn't ready to have his world open right in front of him. Being able to read opened Douglass' eyes to what slavery really was. "He got the bold denunciation of slavery, and a powerful vindication of human rights."*(278) He saw things that he would have never seen if he had remained ignorant. He saw all the horrors and sadness of his life as a slave. He wasn't quite ready for the harsh realities that he was then exposed to. He felt that his master, Master Hugh, was right. Douglass learning to read brought him the discontentment, torment and anguish that Master Hugh said would follow if a slave learned how to read.* (279) The visions that Douglass saw was really affecting him. He saw things he never saw before. Dou...
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: The Formation of Identity
2136 Words | 5 Pages
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave details the progression of a slave to a man, and thus, the formation of his identity. The narrative functions as a persuasive essay, written in the hopes that it would successfully lead to “hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of [his] brethren in bonds” (Douglass 331). As an institution, slavery endeavored to reduce the men, women, and children “in bonds” to a state less than human. The slave identity, according to the institution of slavery, was not to be that of a rational, self forming, equal human being, but rather, a human animal whose purpose is to work and obey the whims of their “master.” For these reasons, Douglass articulates a distinction between the terms ‘man’ and ‘slaves’ under the institution of slavery. In his narrative, Douglass describes the situations and conditions that portray the differences between the two terms. Douglass also depicts the progression he makes from internalizing the slaveholder viewpoints about what his identity should be to creating an identity of his own making. Thus, Douglass’ narrative depicts not simply a search for freedom, but also a search for himself through the abandonment of the slave/animal identity forced upon him by the institution of slavery.
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Deborah E. McDowell “In the First Place: Making Frederick Douglass and the Afro-American Narrative Tradition”
556 Words | 2 Pages
As both the narrator and author of “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself” Frederick Douglass writes about his transition from a slave to a well educated and empowered colored young man. As a skilled and spirited man, he served as both an orator and writer for the abolitionist movement, which was a movement to the abolishment of slavery. At the time of his narrative’s publication, Douglass’s sole goal of his writings was to essentially prove to those in disbelief that an articulate and intelligent man, such as himself, could have,in fact, been enslaved at one point in time. While, Douglass’ narrative was and arguably still is very influential, there are some controversial aspects of of this piece, of which Deborah McDowell mentions in her criticism.
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Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Ethos Essay
616 Words | 2 Pages
In, “The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass”, readers get a first person perspective on slavery in the South before the Civil War. The author, Frederick Douglass, taught himself how to read and write, and was able to share his story to show the evils of slavery, not only in regard to the slaves, but with regard to masters, as well. Throughout Douglass’ autobiography, he shares his disgust with how slavery would corrupt people and change their whole entire persona. He uses ethos, logos, and pathos to help establish his credibility, and enlighten his readers about what changes needed to be made.
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City and Rural Slaves
1171 Words | 3 Pages
Print. The. Douglass, Frederick. A. A. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1995. Print.
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Key Arguments in "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"
1143 Words | 3 Pages
In sum, all of these key arguments exist in “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” because of the institution of slavery and its resulting lack of freedom that was used to defend it. This text’s arguments could all be gathered together under the common element of inequality and how it affected the practical, social, and even spiritual lives of the slaves.
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Essay on Literacy in African-American Literature
2285 Words | 5 Pages
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The Classic Slave Narratives. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: New American Library, 1987. 243-331.
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Analysis of The Narrative of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
902 Words | 2 Pages
The Narrative of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass is written to have people place their feet in the shoes of Frederick Douglass and try to understand the experience he went through as a slave. Douglass writes this piece of literature with strong wording to get his point across. He is not trying to point out the unpleasant parts of history, but to make people face the truth. He wants readers to realize that slavery is brutalizing and dehumanizing, that a slave is able to become a man, and that some slaves, like himself, have intellectual ability. These points are commonly presented through the words of Douglass because of his diction.
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Frederick Douglass: The Psychological Approaches Used to Maintain the Institution of Slavery
1326 Words | 3 Pages
...understanding of freedom. By exposing the wrongs done to slaves, Douglass greatly contributed to the abolitionist movement. He also took back some of the power and control from the slaveholders, putting it in the hands of the enslaved.
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Comparison Of Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass
1046 Words | 3 Pages
Douglas, Frederick. Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (The Harper Single Volume American Literature 3rd edition) 1845:p.1017-1081
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Close but not Deep: The Use of Richness in Love’s Literary Ethics and the Descriptive Turn
1332 Words | 3 Pages
Douglass, Frederick, and David W. Blight. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave: With Related Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003. Print.
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Analysis of Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass
1293 Words | 3 Pages
...a lot of atrocities at the hands of their owners, who were successful in using ignorance as a tool of slavery, besides treating them as personal property. However, the slaves struggled to gain education on their own, ultimately knowing their rights and questioning some of the heinous acts. Slave owners ensured that slaves worked tirelessly so that they do not get time to idle around and gather in groups that would shake the administration. The narrative, through highlighting the experiences of Douglass himself, painted a true picture of the type of life slaves were undergoing under the surveillance of their slave masters in the United States, a picture that the slaveholders did not want to be brought to the limelight.
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