His life story lived through Douglass's promotion of his work, and was expanded in the two succeeding texts. We can all easily imagine what it is like to be held too tightly or crushed by another person. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that. He uses his personal life story to argue against common myths that were used to justify the act of slavery. eNotes Editorial, 28 June 2019, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/frederick-douglass-use-figurative-language-525687. Here, Douglass uses the metaphor of an "iron heart" to describe how unmoving and unfeeling his master was in these beatings. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. In the excerpt from "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave", I thought it was interesting how Douglass so easily conveyed many tones and emotions at once. exercises this imaginative recreation in his Narrative in He writes: I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that slavery would not always be able to hold me within its foul embrace; and in the darkest hours of my career in slavery, this living word of faith and spirit of hope departed not from me, but remained like ministering angels to cheer me through the gloom. Covey was thus quite successful as a breaker of slaves, at least until Douglass finally fought back. <> He felt an abiding nationalism or pride in his people, often referring to them as his "fellow countrymen," alluding to their placement outside of the country that had enslaved them. ?og/qk'0J rl=wnK@F)A3c;2i[DAjAMDAI1Wr|8 8GA8p3OdBa8\ bPpN 8 /jp>ACA\2m/{NgtAELS;@%W,!CrZ;x] pcy}>\ W:,']QCBeqK[:NK|0 u4.CfYyE-3o%Kp ,^8KDEp8h\&wGsGA#BNzDJY|=8d!Lx="p#q"%,Zkf&4. Wed love to have you back! Dont have an account? Douglass was born into slavery because of his mothers status as a slave. Here, Douglass becomes emotional towards the audience. Preface and Letter from Wendell Phillips, Esq. 5 0 obj Douglass managed to overcome the maltreatment of his wretched slave owners through the eventual attainment of freedom. Douglass also uses a metaphor when he describes a "living world of faith and spirit of hope (that) departed not" from him. From the outset of the book, Douglass makes it clear that slaves are deprived of characteristics that humanize them, like birthdays. He was not sure about speaking before an audience, but once he began he spoke with ease, charisma, and rhetorical elegance and skill. Douglass upsets this point of view by depicting the unnaturalness of slavery. He demonstrates that his indomitable will and desire to be free is more powerful than slavery. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,did the mistress's initial kindness or her eventual cruelty have a greater effect on Frederick Douglass? Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was a former slave who became a nationally recognized abolitionist orator during the antebellum period. They were victims of psychological and physical brutal treatment. She became critical, harsh, fickle, and controlling. VII). My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!". In the story, Douglass brings us back in time to show his experiences of the hypocrisy of human nature. Frederick Douglass uses several metaphors to portray his suffering. The injustice imposed upon the African-American slaves by their owners was the crux of Douglasss motivation to escape this inhumane life. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was an outstanding, yet brutal life story as a slave. Douglass describes the hope from this world with the simile, "like ministering angels." However, there is somewhat of a larger point here: Douglass was using a style of speaking and writing that white America had long denied him or thought him even intellectually capable of possessing. (Narrative 16) Mr. Auld "forbade" Mrs. Auld from teaching Douglass to read and write and made her "tender heart [become] stone". Renews March 10, 2023 Share. I wish I could describe the rapture that flashed through my soul as I beheld it. This Douglass was born into slavery because of his mothers status as a slave. When Douglass writes that he is "fast in (his) chains" and "confined in bands of iron," he means this both literally and figuratively. 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Main Ideas In Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Your answer must include one element of Realism, a passage from the text, and an analysis of the passage. How many masters did Frederick Douglass have? In the third quotation (below), Douglass uses imagery of fire and darkness along with animalistic imagery to convey the impact that the life of a slave had upon him. He uses personification in this statement: Douglass says that as he still hears the echoes of these songs being sung, it forever deepens his hatred of slavery and all it represents. Frederick Douglass Figurative Language | ipl.org Adolescents in todays society could use Fredericks determination as an example of moving forward to better oneself or ones situation regardless of. This book was aimed at abolitionists, so he makes a point to portray the slaves as actual living people, not the inhuman beings that they are treated as. He would at times seem to take great pleasure in whipping a slave. PDF Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Disputes with Douglass and his masters are seen throughout the story showing both the good and bad traits of human nature. SAMPLE EXERCISES - NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS Read the passage a second time, marking figurative language, sensory imagery, poetic devices, and any other patterns of diction and rhetoric, then answer the questions below. affect him. This example of the base meanness of slaveholders serves as one of the most melancholy moments in Douglass's Narrative. 01. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! During this time, I succeeded in learning to read and write.. Obviously, it was not the slaves fault, but the horses. In this passage Covey is figured as larger-than-life, as representative of slavery as a system. Frederick Douglass makes a point to demonstrate the deterioration slavery yields from moral, benevolent people into ruthless, cold-hearted people. 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. Douglass does this to illustrate the illiteracy of the slaves. In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass narrates in detail the oppressions he went through as a slave before winning his freedom. In this quotation, Douglass uses descriptive adjectives Not only had she spent her entire life in shackles, she is now left to die alone, bereft of companionship and sustenance. 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. To some readers in Douglass's time it may have seemed natural for blacks to be kept as slaves. and sense of personal history. Again, Douglass uses the metaphor of a "blood-stained gate" as a comparison to describe the horrors of this experience. Of course, Christianity had been perverted, twisted, and altered by whites in the South (and the North) for decades. He is patient and persevering. The injustice imposed upon the African-American slaves by their owners was the crux of Douglasss motivation to escape this inhumane life. O that I were free!". It was southerners who thought slavery as beneficial, because it benefited themselves and white society. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Simply stated, Douglass was attempting to expose the horror of slavery to a large reading public. xsg4hF>@B l11`qxml1Y'TL6M6qcq0e\??%UT%3JMow=|-bMJJJN$;_> 5:! fsZfw8>o8; RV)/(LO8nNPAyk::f[G^?JK! NJ,zi;=CYKJN# V+Q#ZJ4z7D"E\9\? InNgSP\uHOpJ1 w I_op A:{&S}~A! My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!" (Narrative 30,33) All of these cruel acts that Douglass witnessed made . Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. We can evidently see that Douglass does not want to describe only his life, but he uses his personal experiences and life story as a tool to rise against slavery. Douglass directs towards white men, let him place himself in my situation, he elaborates through parallelism by trying to make his audience imagine being without home or friends-without money or credit and wanting shelter, and no one to give it-wanting bread and no money to buy it. More books than SparkNotes. This quote was created to show the effect that slavery had on not only the slave, but the slaveholder. The Project Gutenberg eBook of Narrative of the Life of Frederick The word rapture eloquently expresses his feelings of joy and peace as he meets Mrs. Auld. 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. The slaveholder would dehumanize the slave to the point where the human was no longer recognizable; instead, the slave was property. 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. "I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition. Rhetorical features and strategies are Douglass forte in engaging with the audience. Figurative Language In Paula Fox's The Slave Dancer | Bartleby Frederick Douglass realized this follow-ing his time as both a slave and a fugitive slave. What Is The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass | Cram