Rhetorical Analysis Frederick Douglass
In Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Douglass recounts his life as a slave and journey to freedom. As a slave Douglass learns to read from his inexperienced mistress Sophia Auld. Literacy a rare position for any slave at the time sparks Douglass’s quest for knowledge and consequently freedom. Douglass’s exposure to The Columbian Orator at a young age expands his mind to a world where slave and master are equal. Not only does he gain the words to articulate his desire for freedom but he acquires a new mentality towards his imprisonment. This knowledge has become a burden upon him revealing the evils of slavery without a means to escape it. Upon his escape from slavery, Douglass
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To accomplish this, Douglass compares Southern and Northern society from his perspective. Douglass states, “There were no loud songs heard from those engaged in loading and unloading ships. I heard no deep oaths or horrid curses on the laborer.” (111). Rather than explicitly stating what the North has compared to the South, Douglass describes what the North doesn’t have compared to the South. Douglass recurrent use of the word “no” is a rhetorical technique which builds an emphasis on each clause. By comparing the North and South using this method he effectively achieves his objective. This rhetorical strategy is an appeal to his Northern audience in that explaining Northern conditions to Northerners would be a waste of time. Douglass also uses Ethos and Pathos to strengthen his argument by describing the absence of “horrid curses on the laborer”. This type of behavior would be disturbing to any Northerner unaccustomed to Southern society. Douglass continues his comparison of the North and South by stating, “Every thing looked clean, new, and beautiful. I saw few or no dilapidated houses, with poverty stricken-stricken inmates; no half-naked children and bare-footed women…” (111). Douglass’s use of the rhetorical technique parallel structure adds intensity to each following clause in this statement. He continues his use of the word “no” throughout the
To accomplish this, Douglass compares Southern and Northern society from his perspective. Douglass states, “There were no loud songs heard from those engaged in loading and unloading ships. I heard no deep oaths or horrid curses on the laborer.” (111). Rather than explicitly stating what the North has compared to the South, Douglass describes what the North doesn’t have compared to the South. Douglass recurrent use of the word “no” is a rhetorical technique which builds an emphasis on each clause. By comparing the North and South using this method he effectively achieves his objective. This rhetorical strategy is an appeal to his Northern audience in that explaining Northern conditions to Northerners would be a waste of time. Douglass also uses Ethos and Pathos to strengthen his argument by describing the absence of “horrid curses on the laborer”. This type of behavior would be disturbing to any Northerner unaccustomed to Southern society. Douglass continues his comparison of the North and South by stating, “Every thing looked clean, new, and beautiful. I saw few or no dilapidated houses, with poverty stricken-stricken inmates; no half-naked children and bare-footed women…” (111). Douglass’s use of the rhetorical technique parallel structure adds intensity to each following clause in this statement. He continues his use of the word “no” throughout the