Use Of Ethos In Frederick Douglass

Douglass uses syntactical elements to prove his point about the senselessness of slavery. He exercises imperative sentences. He asserts, “Oh God, save me! God, deliver me! let me be free.” He asks God in a commanding fashion for his deliverance and freedom. He connects to his emotions when he describes his experiences as a slave. He also uses anaphora. He makes the statement, “Go on, go on.” He compares his life to the traveling ship. Douglass changes his writing structure. He transitions from a dethatched perspective to a more connected and personal account.

Douglass uses vivid imagery to depict the gruesome and ungodly nature of slavery. For example, in chapter six, Douglass describes the death of his grandmother “…She stands-she sits-she staggers-she falls-she groans-she dies-and there are none of her children or grandchildren present, to wipe from her wrinkled brow the cold sweat of death…” (59) This quote helps the reader imagine the grandmothers death and how helpless she felt. The fact that the slaveholders made it impossible for her children to be there when she died, contributes to the inhumane image Douglass has already been painting throughout the

To continue his persuasion, Douglass uses selection of detail and different tones to make his view known. When describing some aspects of slavery, Douglass’ use of detail opens society’s eyes to injustice. In one case, when describing the whipping of his Aunt Hester, he includes details that encompass sight- “the warm, red blood… came dripping to the floor,” sound- “amid heart-rending shrieks,” and emotion- “I was so horror-stricken… I hid myself in a closet” (Douglass, 24). By including facts covering many senses, he provides the reader a chance to piece together the scene, giving them perspective. If society has all the details, it becomes easier for them to pass an accurate judgment of slavery. His detail, or lack thereof,

Douglas relates to ethos multiple times in this passage. In the first lines he uses ethos by saying “The wretchedness of slavery, and the blessedness of freedom, were perpetually before me. it was life and death with me.” . This is Douglass in a sense saying I can be trusted from my experiences. He is specifically saying in that line that he has stared death, struggle, and oppression in the face and escaped it.

2. Quite early in the novel, Douglass talks about witnessing his aunt Hester getting whipped. He says, “I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition. I was quite a child, but I well remember it. I never shall forget it whilst I remember anything. It was the first of a long series of such outrages, of which I was doomed to be a witness and a participant. It struck me with awful force. It was the blood- stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery, through which I was about to pass.

His thoughts as he writes them are collected and formatted in a blunt, factual manner. Douglass scarcely uses figurative language, save at the end of the paragraph. His use of balanced sentences achieves the seeming of being very methodical and not in any rush. Douglass is simply recounting past events. There is still emotion in the paragraph, but integrated in an organized fashion. Douglass uses parallel structure in one of his sentences as a calm framework that allows the wretchedness of his experiences to come through. He writes, “My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed…” His writing flows well, moving easily and logically through the paragraph and is provides a narrative that can be easily kept up with and

The purpose behind Fredrick Douglass’s Narrative was to appeal to the other abolitionists who he wanted to convince that slave owners were wrong for their treatment of other human beings. His goal was to appeal to the middle-class people of that time and persuade them to get on board with the abolitionist movement. Douglass had a great writing style that was descriptive as well as convincing. He stayed away from the horrific details of the time, which helped him grasp the attention of the women who in turn would convince their husbands to help by donating money and eventually ending slavery. He used his words effectively in convincing the readers that the slave owners were inhuman and showed how they had no feelings for other human

Throughout history, slavery or the life of a slave is often taught which leads to many minds getting terrified due to all the horror that slaves had to face. Many slaves do not have the opportunity to tell what their life was really like, but Frederick Douglass does and he does it by using emotions.

experience to persuade the readers that slavery is cold-blooded and cruel. Douglass uses many rhetorical

Douglass experienced the worst of slavery. Pathos is used in this paragraph to feel sympathetic for the life he has endured.

Throughout the narration, Douglass has tried to maintain the flow using the techniques of realism and irony in order to present his themes. The reader can observe his helplessness for misery of the slaves from the quoted incidents. For example in the very first chapter, Douglass recalls the incident of his Aunt Hester who is

A slave has all the emotion to want freedom, but no common sense or logic to obtain it, nor the advantages in society to reach it. Mr.Douglass uses all three aspects such as Pathos, Logos, Ethos to not only depict the struggle and blindness of slaves, but present the lifestyle of slave and the missed opportunities in front of the so they can realize the difference between what is suppose represent them(The American Promise) then what they really are(the American Individual). Pathos is used by Douglass to express slaves gratitude, anger, and feelings of their turmoil by putting those around him in his book as examples seeking for their american individual to be realized. Secondly, logos is the logic he speaks when clarifying what slaves are missing out on not taking

For instance, one night Douglass's Aunt Hester was beaten and Douglass said, “I was so terrified and horror stricken at the sight, that I hid myself in a closet, and dared not to venture out till long after the bloody transaction was over” (46). This showed that Douglass lived a life of fear, seeing his aunt being beaten and worrying everyday that, that could be him. Douglass also had an eye opening experience as to what slavery does to people, through his interaction with his master’s wife, Mrs. Auld. In the beginning, she was very nice to Douglass and began to teach him the alphabet. Then when her husband found out what she was doing, she was scolded and was told that treating and teaching slaves as they were humans is against the law.

One of the first topics the reader studies is Douglass’ master’s wife. He describes her in an amiable and respectful way. He uses word such as “benevolent”, “good lady”, “a most kind and tenderhearted women”, and “fervent piety” to illustrate her. Even after she tries to halt his exploration of knowledge, he stills speaks of her with the same benevolence. On the other hand, Douglass characterizes his younger self with harsher terms. He depicts himself by writing remarks related to “mental darkness”, “too thoughtful to be happy”, “horrible and desolate”, and “my wretched condition”. The reader is somewhat surprised by the author’s use of wording. One would expect Douglass to speak more severely towards his owners. After all, they were the people who kept him from a life of freedom. However, he saves the harsh words to describe his adolescent self. This makes the reader thoughtful in response to Douglass’s piece. Readers want to understand more about why the writer depicts himself in such a unhappy condition. Nevertheless, Frederick Douglass verbiage not only helps compile a mood of competitiveness, but also a tone of

Frederick Douglass’ autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, allows readers view the life of a slave through Douglass’ eyes. Born into slavery, Douglass endures multiple hardships, which he shares with his readers. Douglass describes several scenarios in which slave masters deceive their slaves. Prior to learning how to read, Douglass is unaware of the severity of his conditions. However, he uses his platform as an educated slave to inform others of the truth. By exposing his readers to the harsh realities of slavery, Frederick Douglass is able to pull at his readers’ heartstrings and make a compelling argument against slavery.