Douglass Song Meaning

Douglass expressed these emotions in his narrative and could be seen in particular when he was "utterly astonished, since [he] came to the north, to find persons who could speak of the singing, among slaves, as evidence of their contentment and happiness" (367). With slavery came a fence of ignorance towards African-Americans. The contempt Douglass expresses clearly depicts the difference between the thought patterns of people in the south as compared to the somewhat naïve thinking of the north. Douglass makes it sound as if there is a line or fence that ran right across the country where the people on the side seemed to be uneducated about what was happening south of them. The spirituals which Douglass detested so much can also be looked at when using fences to describe the history of African-Americans.

Frederick Douglass uses his personal experience to establish his credibility, and connect with his audience. To  enumerate, in chapter two, Douglass states, “I have often been utterly astonished, … , to find persons who could speak of the singing,

Douglass’s narrative is a courageous work, as it confronts the slavery institution, and the misuse of Christianity by the slave owners

In chapter 5, Douglass begins his narrative to discuss the animal-like, inhuman treatment he received from his past slaveowner. Douglass does this by his use of diction and imagery throughout chapter 5. For example, he says “I suffered much from hunger, but much more from cold” (34). The diction and imagery Douglass uses in these sentences helps discuss the purpose of inhumanity by describing how the slaves were treated horribly. They were not given enough food and they were not given the proper amount of clothing need to stay warm in the frigid winter. The effect of this powerful quotes conveys a doleful tone that teaches the audience how many slaves, including Douglass, had suffered. Another example would be when he writes “The children were then called, like so many pigs, and like so many pigs, they would come and devour the mush…” (34). This quotes diction and imagery helps exhibit the purpose of animal-like, treatment by comparing the slave children as pigs. Douglass also does this by describing the food that they were given, like mush. The simile that Douglass uses effects the audience in that it conveys a sense of disturbance and gives the reader a clear picture of what and how the slave were forced to eat. These quotes help forecast Douglass’s purpose of the slaves being

With rhetorical tact, Douglass uses his narrative to underscore the overwhelming desperation inherent to slave songs. Says Douglass, “The singing of a man cast away upon a desert island might be as appropriately considered as evidence of contentment and happiness, as the singing of a slave; the songs of the one and of the other are prompted by the same emotion.” Driven by an all-consuming

As Douglass began to acquire a greater understanding of his condition through reading, he felt as if “the silver trump of freedom had roused [his] soul to eternal wakefulness.”20 Douglass’s use of the word silver helps express the precious nature of freedom, as well as the idea that it’s beckoning the enslaved with its gleam. Through the contrast between the purity of freedom and the corruption of slavery, Douglass’s choice of words humanizes himself because it demonstrates his attention to detail as he constructed this narrative. Likewise, he expresses that “[the slaves selected to go to the Great House Farm] would make [woods] reverberate with their wild songs, revealing at once the highest joys and the deepest sadness.”21 Douglass's usage of juxtaposition to draw attention to the vastness of emotion expressed by these songs demonstrates his own humanity, for this selection highlights Douglass's talent to capture the emotional peaks and troughs that are endured by

When describing horrific events he was forced to witness, the tone of Douglass’ voice becomes very detached, as if he is so used to witnessing beatings that it has become a normal event. Douglass also writes, “He was immediately chained and handcuffed; and thus, without a moments warning, he was snatched away, from his friends and family, by a hand more unrelenting than death” (34). This quote is used by Douglass to infuse a feeling of disbelief in the hearts of the audience, for the man in the quote earned this punishment for merely speaking the truth one time. The audience feels sympathy towards this slave for being taken away for something that should not be punished.

This aspect is not so much for the reader but for Douglass and slaves to release all the things they have been through and what slave are subjected to in that era. Even though this country stands for freedom and liberty slaves are imprisoned and chained like animals or properties. As well as having the knowledge of an animal as said by Douglass “By far the larger part of the slave know little of their ages as horses knows of theirs”. He this is one of his many angers and distastes of how slaves are denied any rights to knowledge. Even more having deepening quotes of groups of slaves having the emotion that stayed in Douglass’s heart and mind forever “ they were tones loud, long, and deep;they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish”.

Frederick Douglass awoke from mental slumber upon recognizing his first “gleam of light” from within the songs which the slaves sang while on route to their master’s house. He describes the songs as being sung in deep mellow tones which fell from the lips of those “anguished souls” as hopeless prayers for deliverance from slavery. He writes, “To those songs I trace my first glimmering of the dehumanizing character of

One who was asked was called the smartest and most trust-worthy. 5. Douglass believes that the songs the slaves sing have a deep meaning. They were prayers to God as well as a testimony against slavery. By listening to the songs a person is able to see and hear the passion behind what the slaves

This passage shows the life of Frederick Douglass’ help in the abolishment of slavery. This was written by the man himself, Frederick Douglass. He is also a very humble man so he would tell the truth, and give a primary source. His goal was to give a first hand view at the problem of slavery, and what it's doing to

Douglass says, “This they would sing, as chorus, to words which to many would seem unmeaning jargon, but which, nevertheless, were full of meaning to themselves”(Douglass, 57). The way the slaves used sound and music is dense in the sense that unlike writing, this music described “unmeaning jargon” is all emotion and reads the experiences of slavery. This is reflected in the rise of freestyling and on the spot singing. When wringing there is the time to filter your words and you thoughts, how ever when the slaves sang their words are pure and unfiltered in a sense. Most slaves were unable to read of write, which made music that much more powerful.

Douglass experienced many different situations while a slave. One occurrence was when he heard other slaves singing while observing the slaves. “I did not, when a slave, understand the deep meaning of those rude and apparently incoherent songs” (Bayem et al. 1188). Douglass realized that when he was a slave he

When delving into the song and trying to grasp the meaning, it can be understood that the author really desires to be free and go back home to where he belongs and desires. The author or writer of the song does not like the idea of slavery, nor does he like being a slave himself, his perspective on the topic shows that he is not happy about the current situation and no one should because of how cruel slavery is. The author also uses certain rhetorical strategies, one of them being metaphors. They can be used to explain his sadness and other feelings he has about the topic of slavery. An example of this is,

The poem and the narrative both reveal that there is a lot of religious hypocrisy within child labor and slavery. Christians are supposed to be kind to one another and help those who have less than them, but leaders shown exemplify the opposite. Douglass illustrates that the men who beat and abuse him are Christian people. Douglass explains that the slaveholders used the Bible to make slavery seem okay. Slaveholders believed that God cursed Ham for mocking Noah and that dark skin was the punishment in the Old Testament. He is able to prove that this statement does not add up, and demonstrates that the people within slavery are hypocrites. Christians are