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Modern America HS 1100 In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, there are two prominent motives for why Douglass wrote the story of his life. The primary reason for writing his story is targeted at the slaveholders and powerful people of New England, where the abolitionist movement was strongest. Douglass wanted the people in power to realize how barbaric slavery is and how cruel the slaveholders were. His secondary motive was geared towards the literate slaves of America that were able to get a hold of his book and read it.
He wanted the slaves to realize that they should not accept their condition as slaves and should stand up for themselves. Douglass demonstrates his second motive on pages 78 and 79 when he physically fights against Mr. Covey. Douglass viewed this event as a turning point in his career as a slave. For the following six months, Mr.
Covey never laid a hand upon him again. The readers of Douglass s narrative, or the audience he was writing for, were the two groups of people named in the above paragraph. His book is a terrible account of his slave life and it shows the cruelty of slave owners as well as producing a sympathetic feeling to any reader. Therefore, the book would be a marvelous way to make slave holders and politicians realize that slavery must be outlawed. Through his experiences, he demonstrates bravery which is aimed at the slaves who would be able to read his story. By writing to the people who were eventually responsible for the end of slavery and the slaves themselves, Douglass is ultimately trying to achieve an end to slavery.
Douglass used a certain genre of words throughout his autobiography to get his message across with greater intensity. He would at times seem to take great pleasure in whipping a slave. I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rendering shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till she was literally covered with blood. No words, no tears, no prayers, from his gory victim, seemed to move his iron heart from its bloody purpose. The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest.
He would whip her to make her scream, and whip her to make her hush; and not until overcome by fatigue, would he cease to swing the blood-clotted cowskin (Douglass, 42). This was just one of the horrible whippings and detailed descriptions that Douglass provides to the reader in his story. The language he uses contains words of dark meaning such as: blood, heart rendering, shrieks, gory, etc The intended audience, after reading this, must feel extreme sympathy for the slaves and hopefully take it among his / her self to reject slavery. By use of language and detailed descriptions, Douglass s narrative is very persuasive. An excerpt from an introductory essay titled, Psalm of Freedom, says, The Transcendentalist Margaret Fuller found Douglass s story so affecting because it was the slave s living voice. She admired Douglass s artistic abilities, urging that his work be prized as a specimen of the powers of the Black Race.
That strange but wonderful discovery a black person who could write beautifully and compellingly was to be celebrated. Douglass could not have asked for a better endorsement (Douglass, 16 - 17). Along with being persuasive, Douglass is very believable in his story. He does not seem to exaggerate through his descriptions and provides, what seems to be an accurate truth about the masters he has encountered through his life. He describes one of the masters, Mr.
Gore, as artful, cruel, and obdurate He was one of those who could torture the slightest look, word, or gesture, on the part of the slave, into impudence, and would treat it accordingly He was cruel enough to inflict the severest punishment, artful enough to descend to the lowest trickery, and obdurate enough to be insensible to the voice of a reproving conscience (Douglass, 51). This description becomes extremely accurate when Douglass provides an account of a terrifying killing on the following page. A slave by the name of Demby was receiving stripes from Mr. Gore when he decided to run away and jump into a nearby creek.
Demby refused to come out so Mr. Gore gave Demby an ultimatum. Mr. Gore would give three calls and Demby did not come out he would be shot.
After the third call was given, Mr. Gore then, without consultation or deliberation with any one, not even giving Demby an additional call, raised the musket o his face, taking deadly aim at his standing victim, and in an instant poor Demby was no more. His mangled body sank out of sight, and blood and brains marked the water where he had stood (Douglass, 52). In the preceding quotation, there is another example of gruesome language used by Douglass for strategic purposes. Of course Douglass omits aspects of his life in his book, intentionally and non-intentionally. Douglass focuses much of his story on the cruelty of the slave holders / owners but he also mentions some of the better times of his slave life.
For example, the period of time between Christmas and New Years, when the slaves were off and could travel, consume alcohol, and be social. He also includes his stay with the Aulds Family. His time with them was enjoyable, for a slave, he learned to read and even got along well with the Auld children and the neighborhood kids. I am sure that there were other pleasant times in Douglass s life but he chooses to omit them because it would create less emphasis on his motive that was to show the cruelty of the slave owning Americans.
In conclusion, after reading Douglass s narrative his intentions are quite clear and he does a good job of using language, persuasion, and believable context, to achieve his objectives. Douglass was a down to earth man who suffered greatly during his years of enslavement and when freed continued his fight to finally end slavery.
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