The Classic Salve Narratives By Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Slavery is a humongous topic involving both slaves and former slaves. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Story is one such story. Douglass suffered punishments, and watching others get punished, he uses those experiences to make his argument against slavery.Douglass’ tone in the narrative is sarcastic and dark. Frederick Douglass successfully uses vast quantities of rhetorical devices, illuminating the horror and viciousness of slavery, including the need to eliminate it.

     The tone established in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is unusual in that from the beginning to the end the focus has been shifted. In the beginning of the narrative Douglass seems to fulfill every stereotypical slavery theme. He is a young black slave who at first cannot read and is very naïve in understanding his situation. As a child put into slavery Douglass does not have the knowledge to know about his surroundings and the world outside of slavery. In Douglass’ narrative the tone is first set as that of an observer, however finishing with his own personal accounts.

In the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave, written by himself, the author argues that slaves are treated no better than, sometimes worse, than livestock. Douglass supports his claim by demonstrating how the slaves were forced to eat out of a trough like pigs and second, shows how hard they were working, like animals. The author’s purpose is to show the lifestyle of an American slave in order to appeal to people’s emotions to show people, from a slave’s perspective, what slavery is really like. Based on the harsh descriptions of his life, Douglass is writing to abolitionist and other people that would sympathize and abolish slavery.

Frederick Douglass, the author of the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass was a self-taught slave that was able to escape the brutality of slavery in the year of 1838. Frederick Douglass’s book is separated into 3 main sections, including, a beginning, middle, and end. The purpose of the narrative is to improve the audience's understanding of Douglass’s experience of being a slave, the horrible treatment slaves received, and how Douglass was able to overcome and escape slavery. All throughout the narrative, Douglass uses many rhetorical devices, including, diction, imagery, and syntax, which helps the audience understand, one of his main chapters, chapter 5. In this chapter Douglass implies that the overall purpose is to emphasize the animalistic, inhuman treatment slaves received, how Douglass felt about leaving Colonel Lloyd’s plantation, and his luck of being able to move to Mr. and Mrs. Auld's.

After about nine chapters detailing his slave life, he says, “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.” (Douglass, 75) He then goes on to describe the turning point for him that sparked his quest for freedom. By structuring his narrative this way, he reveals both sides- how slavery broke him “in body, soul, and spirit” (Douglass, 73) and how it eventually “rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom” within him (Douglass, 80). In doing so, he gives the reader an insight into how he became himself, and reinforces the evils of slavery in the way it shapes a man’s life. Douglass’ use of diction and structure effectively persuades the reader of the barbarity and inhumanity that comes as a result of slavery.

The “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” is an autobiography in which Frederick Douglass reflects on his life as a slave in America. He writes this book as a free slave, in the North, while slavery was still running its course before the Civil War. Through his effective use of rhetorical strategies, Frederick Douglass argues against the institution of slavery by appealing to pathos and ethos, introducing multiple anecdotes, using satirical irony, and explaining the persuasive effects of slavery and reasoning behind keeping slaves uneducated.

Slavery was brought to America in the 1600’s taking millions of Africans from West Africa. But in 1804 the North voted to abolish slavery but the South refused making states escape the union.Slavery in the South had an effect on the economy, but also on the slaves.Frederick Douglass, who was once a slave with his family in Maryland suffered greatly, but still pushed on and finally escaped and became a national leader of the abolition in the south movement.He made a narrative about his life as a slave and stated that the purpose of the narrative is to “throw light” on the American slave system.The goal of this paper is to discuss three aspects his narrative discusses that he “throws light” on, his position against the feelings of defenders of

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in February of 1818, in Maryland. After his owner Aaron Anthony passed away, Douglass was given, as property, to Thomas Auld, and then eventually to Thomas’ brother Hugh Auld. When Douglass was

Frederick Douglass was born as a slave in Baltimore in 1818. He was raised by his grandparents after separated from his mother when he was only a few

Who was Frederick Douglass? Frederick Douglass was born in Talbot County, Maryland his date of birth is unknown but, he later chose to celebrate it on February 14, and died February 20, 1895 in Washington, D.C., people estimated he was born in 1818 which would make him 77 years old. His original name was Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey. Frederick Douglass was born a slave his mother was Harriet Bailey and his father was Anthony Aaron. When he was 12 his master's wife, Sophia, taught Douglass the alphabet. When his masters forbade his wife to give lessons, Douglass continued to learn by tricking the white children and others in the neighborhood to teach him. Douglass tried

Born Frederick Baily, Frederick Douglass was a slave, his birthday is not pin pointed but known to be in February of 1818. He was born on Holmes Hill Farm, near the town of Easton, Maryland. Harriet Baily was Frederick's mother. She worked the cornfields surrounding Holmes Hill. As a boy, he knew little of his father except that the man was white. As a child, he had heard rumors that

Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, which is located in the Talbot county of Maryland. He had no knowledge of his age. In fact, a large portion of the slaves did not. Frederick was not allowed to question the master concerning his age. The masters like to keep the slaves as ignorant as possible. The lack of knowledge he possessed was a source of unhappiness throughout his childhood. Frederick took note that white children knew their ages, but was not sure why he wasn't allowed the same privilege. The nearest estimate he possessed was made as a result of hearing his master state that he was about seventeen years old in the year of 1835.

Frederick Douglass was born in February of 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery and eventually became a very famous abolitionist and author. He did not have an easy life. He faced many struggles in his lifetime but he overcame them all to tell everyone the truth about slavery and how demeaning it was.

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey born into slavery in February 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. The exact date of his birthday is unknown, although according to his book Narrative of the Life of an American Slave he chose to take February 14th being his birthday because his mother, whom died when he was about 10, referred to him as her “little valentine”. "I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it." (Douglass) Douglass was the son of a slave mother and possibly his owner. (Foner pg 390) “The opinion was ... whispered that my master was my father; but of the correctness of this opinion I know nothing.” (Douglass) At a young age he was selected to live

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, brings to light many of the social injustices that colored men, women, and children all were forced to endure throughout the nineteenth century under Southern slavery laws. Douglass's life-story is presented in a way that creates a compelling argument against the justification of slavery. His argument is reinforced though a variety of anecdotes, many of which detailed strikingly bloody, horrific scenes and inhumane cruelty on the part of the slaveholders. Yet, while Douglas’s narrative describes in vivid detail his experiences of life as a slave, what Douglass intends for his readers to grasp after reading his narrative is something much more profound. Aside from all the