In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass argues that slavery is wrong. He believes that slaves are not powerful enough to rise up and fight for their rights. However Douglass had the courage to escape from slavery and become a free man. He said, “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.” In his narrative, he uses pathos, logos and ethos to show how slaves were mistreated and didn’t have the strength to fight for freedom. Douglass uses narration as his main rhetorical mode and keeps a serious, dignified tone throughout the novel.
He rebelled against his slave masters through learning to read and write. Frederick knew that education was the most powerful weapon in a slave’s arsenal. With his education and past experiences as a slave he was able to ally himself with powerful abolitionist and political figures. Through these alliances he was able to get former slaves and free blacks to fight the confederate south in the US Civil War. Frederick Douglass was aggressive leader in fighting for the rights and freedom of black slave through education, peaceful resistance and actual war against the confederate south.
Around his late teens, early twenties he begins to explore and highly consider the idea of escaping to the free states in the north. Through trial and error he eventually gets free and finds himself in a seemingly new world full of freedom, pride and new beginnings. Throughout the narration we learn not just the physical trials but also the emotional and mental injustices leading up to his triumphant escape from the chains of slavery, proving him to be a well-known American hero. Throughout this novel there is an underlying push to pity or feel sorrow for the author, Frederick Douglas, which is then turned into genuine respect for him. There are several examples pertaining to the physical
It is not only appropriate for Don Lemon to correct behavior from his national stage – it is his obligation to do so. As a community we must embrace those who have climbed the ladder of success and have the courage to reach back and make the ascension easier for the rest of us by informing us of the hardships and pitfalls that were encountered on the way up. Boykin hints at the fact that he agrees with Don Lemon but chose to use negativity as a springboard for his own success and notoriety. The black community is plagued with the remnants of years of oppression, slavery, and racism. Many of this is hard to overcome because it is beyond our control.
His courage translated into a change in humanity’s prejudice toward another fellow man. The frankness of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave had served its purpose in illustrating the cruel discrimination of slaves and also initiating a controversial movement that we ensure today. Douglass portrays a classical hero as he converts from a low class slave into a man who challenged an entire nation. He stood as a man with absolutely nothing to lose. It goes to show the capability of one’s voice and action.
It is here that I think Douglass makes another significant step, that is when he creates protections for himself and his clan, or as I like to think of it, their own declaration of independence from the slave community. But, like all things thus far in Douglass’s life, things fell through, and he suffered the mean hand of a relentless slave system. Although Douglas had burned his fake protection papers in order to save himself and his allies, the declaration was still clear in his mind. Like a true revolutionary, he stuck to it and eventually experienced life unrestrained by the horrid slave community in which he came from. It truly is amazing how much Douglass went through in order to experience life outside of his own community.
It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more of reforming.” (268) Huck finally makes the decision to keep helping Jim, and knows there is no turning back. By choosing to go against society, Huck remains loyal to Jim, proving their friendship to be strong. Huck knows that once he has made a choice, he has to go all the way, “ For a starter I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog.” (268) Huck is willing to accept any consequence that comes along with helping Jim because he has promised to help Jim as much as he could, even though it meant being shunned by society. Through Hucks decisions he made throughout the novel, Huck emerges as an individual with different beliefs from that of the rest of society.
The knowledge to know that someone can be equal, but not treated equally can be discouraging to most. Instead George uses this steam to motivate his dream of being free. One can only take so much before change is necessary. The is shown when George says, “I have been careful, and I have been patient, but it's growing worse and worse; flesh and blood can't bear it any longer;—every chance he can get to insult and torment me, he takes. The decision became clearer that this situation will only get
In the autobiography, “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass,” Douglass narrates his personal experience of being a slave and what steps he took to relinquish him from slavery and become a free man. Douglass uses vivid imagery in order to really depict what was really happening under the slaveholder’s hands. Without these images, his life story would have been in vain and everything he endured to achieve his dream of freedom along with it. Douglass’ style of writing, in his autobiography, is relative to the time when he wrote it. Not only did he want to voice the inhumane treatments brought upon other slaves, but he also wanted to let them know not to lose confidence, dignity or self-worth.
Narratives of the life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass Narratives of the life of Frederick Douglass is a auto biography written by Frederick Douglass, to give you the true and most vivid mental images of what it really was to be a slave. This autobiography made me tear up in some if not all chapters or all 58 pages. This book helps you realize how slavery was just plain and simply the most unfair, painful, depressing, and unrighteous thing and one can endure let alone try and overcome. Frederick Douglass was one of the few super intelligent and fearless former slaves who could use his surroundings to not only help himself but also to later on help the ones still in bondage. Its really messed up how slaves and colored people