Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis

Frederick Douglass’s life narrative provides a look in on slavery by someone who was directly affected. Because many masters believed that teaching their slaves to read and write, “would spoil the best nigger in the world,” (Douglass 5) not many slaves were able to write their story for the future to see. Douglass’s perspective is a once and a lifetime look into how slavery affected an intelligent slave who knew how to both read and write. Unfortunately for him Douglass’s growing understanding was a curse rather than a blessing. As his intellect expanded, his misery deepened as well and his lack of freedom began to bother him. Douglass shows his expanding sorrow, using tone, imagery and selection of detail. Through the these ten pages
Whether to visualize a setting, or to show emotion, imagery allows the reader to have a picture of what is happening in their head. Without, an image of what’s going on, the reader is stuck with a bunch of words that don’t mean as much. One type of imagery, that Douglass uses fantastically is emotional imagery. In the paragraph where Douglass first switches tone he states that, “while I am writing these lines, an expression of feeling has already found its way down my cheek.” (Douglass 4). What this means is that a tear began to run down his face, but the way it is said is so much more profound and appeals to pathos much better. The next type of imagery Douglass uses is tactile imagery, making an image of touching something. After having explained how the slaves in the city were generally treated much better than in the country, Douglass points out that there were still pockets of slave owners who treated their slaves poorly. He described the young female slaves in the neighborhood who were constantly being beaten by their mistress as having cut up shoulders and a head where he could feel festering sores. With his increased intelligence at this point, he understands how there is a difference in the treatment of people based on their surroundings and how unjust it all
One such case is when he talks about Mr. Hopkins taking over for Mr. Severe on the plantation. Douglass contrasts Mr. Hopkins from Mr. Severe by saying “He was less cruel, less profane and made less noise than Mr. Severe...He whipped, but he seemed to take no pleasure in it.” (Douglass 3). Yes, despite still having an overseer that whipped the slaves, they described him as a “good overseer.” This impacts the reader because it seems that anyone who would whip someone is a bad person, however, Frederick Douglass and the other slaves didn’t know anything other than his experience with Mr. Severe. Douglass details his anguish in becoming more aware of a life outside of slavery, where he wishes he didn’t know any better than most of the other slaves. He notes that “I often found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead; and but for the hope of being free I have no doubt that I should have killed myself.” (Douglass 9). For having just learned how to read, and understanding what might be if he were free, he was very quickly reaching the point of depression with no freedom in