Like most slaves, he does not know when he was born, because masters usually try to keep their slaves from knowing their own ages. Douglass uses figurative language, diction, and repetition to emphasize the conflict between his emotions. SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. Slave religion was a fusion of traditional African beliefs and Christianity, oftentimes with a focus on the latter's stories of the Children of Israel and their flight from Egypt. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. While some think that slaves sing out of contentment, Douglass writes that slaves sing out of sorrow. Local banker William C . And in this essay I will talk about how Douglasss position differs from those who supported slavery and also I will be talking about How Douglass used his Narrative to share his position. Writing about it as if it were a person allows the reader to better imagine how it must have felt to be the victim of that power. Who is Frederick Douglass' intended audience in his autobiography, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass? eNotes Editorial, 28 June 2019, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/frederick-douglass-use-figurative-language-525687. Covey, who Douglass has been sent to by his master to be broken, has succeeded in nearly tearing all of Douglasss dreams of freedom away from him. The word rapture eloquently expresses his feelings of joy and peace as he meets Mrs. Auld. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Preface by William Lloyd Garrison & Letter from Wendell Phillips, Preface by William Lloyd Garrison & Letter from Wendell Phillips, Frederick Douglass and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Background. One who is a slaveholder at heart never recognizes a human being in a slave (Angelina Grimke). On the other hand, this passage and the autobiography as a whole are records of the brutality of slavery. Douglass upsets this point of view by depicting the unnaturalness of slavery. He uses his personal life story to argue against common myths that were used to justify the act of slavery. VII). "Does Frederick Douglass use figurative language in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave?" He belives that slavery should be should be abolished and he illustrates to the reader by telling his story. "If any one thing in my experience, more than another, served to deepen my conviction of the infernal character of slavery, and to fill me with unutterable loathing of slaveholders, it was their base ingratitude to my poor old grandmother.". Active Themes He rails against the hypocrisies of slaveholders and points out their many examples of brutality, avarice, ignorance, deceit, and blasphemy. Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was a former slave who became a nationally recognized abolitionist orator during the antebellum period. To some readers in Douglass's time it may have seemed natural for blacks to be kept as slaves. In the apostrophe, Douglass praises the metaphorical sense of freedom that the ships apparently have, and he talks about how they sail in and out of the area without boundaries. Similarly, Douglass implements irony in his tone as he describes Mr. Gore in chapter four4 as what is called a first-rate overseer (32). Adolescents in todays society could use Fredericks determination as an example of moving forward to better oneself or ones situation regardless of, For example, in chapter three,3 Douglass uses irony to describe the excessive attention his master, Colonel Lloyd, pays to his horses. In this quotation, Douglass uses descriptive adjectives of family structure would have saddened readers and appeared to While slavery was a well-known and growing problem in the south, it wasnt as widely recognized in the north. His world-view grew at that moment as he became aware of what outrages could be perpetrated against an innocent slave. With metaphors he compares his pain and creates vivid imagery of how he feels. The Clifton Waller Barrett Collection ] CONTENTS Preface by William Lloyd Garrison Letter from Wendell Phillips Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Douglass also uses a metaphor when he describes a "living world of faith and spirit of hope (that) departed not" from him. They are affected and artificial and strike the modern reader as unnecessary, but they would have resonated with contemporary readers. How many masters did Frederick Douglass have? As he grew older, however, he lamented how learning only made him more miserable, especially during periods where he had some sense of freedom and leisure. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Douglass uses much figurative language as part of his rhetorical strategy to deliver his message to the reader. Using a simile, he likens slaves trying to curry favor with their overseers to politicians trying to win election. While slavery was a well-known and growing problem in the south, it wasnt as widely recognized in the north. In the excerpt, Frederick Douglass recounts his transition from feelings of excitement to feelings of fear and loneliness during his escape and his arrival in New York using figurative language, diction, and repetition. Only this last sentence alludes to his life beyond his time in New Bedford. (Narrative 16) Mr. Auld "forbade" Mrs. Auld from teaching Douglass to read and write and made her "tender heart [become] stone". He is trying to represent his helplessness by having a white man imagine being in his shoes. "The hearing of those wild notes always depressed my spirit, and filled me with ineffable sadness. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. For example, the ex-slave was practically starved to death by his masters on multiple occasions. Slavery is equally a mental and a physical prison. How does this excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass demonstrate elements of Realism? This process begins at birth, as 8U/QCAh,/J~G99y8 tWo.tA <> What words does douglass use to help illustrate confidence in that scene? He observed the slave's brutal conditions working under Aaron Anthony. readers in Douglasss time it may have seemed natural for blacks Frederick Douglass believes America has been altered by a mass hysteria, slavery, thus affecting its ideals, values, culture, practices, or myths. His was a commitment nearly unparalleled during his day. Douglass is aggressive, but it is a controlled aggression. Religion is a major component of the novel. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave: Written by Himself essays are academic essays for citation. In fact, [He was] allowed less than a half of a bushel of corn-meal per week, and very little elseIt was not enough for [him] to subsist uponA great many times [he had] been nearly perishing with hunger (pg 31). The story that surrounds the transatlantic slave trade is notoriously known, by both young and old, across the nation. In this highly sentimental passage, Douglass offers a literary performance for his readers. Hope and fear, two contradictory emotions that influence us all, convicted Frederick Douglass to choose life over death, light over darkness, and freedom over sin. Discuss The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Figurative Language, In Frederick Douglasss autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, he puts us in his shoes, recalling his encounter being born into slavery, and all the struggles that came with the ordeal. His figurative language is intended to catch the eye and an emotional response of the reader. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave: Written by Himself study guide contains a biography of Frederick Douglass, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. It is successful as a compelling personal tale of an incredible human being as well as a historical document. Within My Bondage and My Freedom, Douglass uses diction throughout the autobiography to display his tone of understanding, and how slavery affects both the slave and the slave holder which causes the mood of frustration for the reader. Discount, Discount Code Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass tells the remarkable story of Frederick Douglass as he witnesses the dehumanizing effects of slavery on both slaves and their masters and works to be acknowledged as a human being. Rather than blatantly stating his feelings, Douglass uses several kinds of figurative language to convey his emotions to the reader. Douglass resumes his narrative in the spring of 1838, when he begins to object to turning over all his wages to Hugh Auld. Douglass himself registered to vote less than a year after arriving in New Bedford, and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church became his platform for articulating his beliefs about slavery and freedom. In the passage about his escape and arrival in New York, Douglass emotions regress from feelings of joy to feelings of emptiness. Douglass, in Chapter ten, pages thirty-seven through thirty-nine, of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, utilizes various rhetorical techniques and tone shifts to convey his desperation to find hope in this time of misery and suffering. Summary Analysis Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland. 9. He would at times seem to take great pleasure in whipping a slave. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. The loneliness overcame him due to the fact that he had no friends or family there. Frederick Douglass makes a point to demonstrate the deterioration slavery yields from moral, benevolent people into ruthless, cold-hearted people. He wants this to be so uncomfortable for the reader that he or she is compelled to demand a change in society. However, while he was with Covey he typified the experience of many slaves. (105). You'll also receive an email with the link. by Frederick Douglass Buy Study Guide Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Summary and Analysis of Preface and Letter from Wendell Phillips, Esq. Frederick Douglass recounts not only his personal life experiences but also the experiences of his fellow slaves during the period. Given the multiple uses of repetition, antithesis, indirect tone shifts, and various other rhetorical techniques, we can see Douglass relaying to his audience the hardships of slavery through ethos, the disheartening times that slavery brings, and his breakthrough of determination to obtain freedom. 5 0 obj <> Summary and Analysis. I spoke but a few moments, when I felt a degree of freedom, and said what I desired with considerable ease.
