The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Analysis

Slavery was one of the most barbaric and inhumane practices in our world’s history. Although today we cannot imagine making someone work against their will and causing them much grief and suffering, slavery was rampant in the United States in the 19th century. Two men wrote about slavery during this time and one of them provides a firsthand account. In “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas,” a slave, Frederick Douglass, writes about how he moved from different masters and different cities, the people that he encountered, his methods and determination of learning to read and write, and how he eventually became a free man after surviving the horrors of slavery. He later learns about the history and true injustice of slavery

He justifies his opinions by establishing credibility, appealing to the reader’s emotions. Also, the fact that he was a slave makes his writing more engaging and original. His story goes in chronological order and he is a free man by the time he is writing his narrative. While he avoided whippings and beatings more than other slaves, he suffered his fair share of brutality. The reader can envision a young Douglass hiding in a nearby closet and hearing the cries of his aunt being beaten by her master. This strong imagery strengthens his writing. Douglass directs his work to the American public to show them the true harshness of slavery. He notes how many of his masters were religious people, but had no issue with forcing someone to work against their will and treat them like animals. Douglass wants them to follow the teachings of Christianity if they call themselves Christians and go to church. In his words, he writes,” religious slaveholders are the worst” (73). Douglass was born to a black woman and a white man. The idea at the time was that a woman who has a white man’s baby will pass on the slavery to future generations. In other words, the baby would become a slave. His mother died when he was young and he did not feel much sadness as the bond was never fully formed due to the oppression of slavery. This depressing fact illustrates how slaves were unjustly deprived of love and family. Douglass initially wonders why he is deprived of such trivial matters, such as the knowledge of his age. This truly appeals to the audience’s emotions, as the slaves were stripped of something that most people would take for granted. The slaves had little to no opportunity to speak out against the injustice as slaves cannot sue nor testify. Additionally, upon learning how to read and write, Douglass becomes depressed and suicidal as he learns of the true nature of slavery.