The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Frederick Douglass gives us an insight into the world of slavery through

his own experiences and from other slaves that shared with him their stories.
He wrote his narrative so that he could gain support for the abolitionist
movement. To achieve his goal he used many literary devices in his work.
One major theme Douglass uses to show the evil of slavery is
inequality. This is first shown in the book when Frederick talks about the
black children not being allowed to know their age. He says, The white
children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of
the same privilege (Douglass 47). He makes this point to show the reader
that the inequality the white people have against the black people starts at
an early age. Frederick shows the reader one of the biggest inequalities
when he talks about the worth of slaves. He says, We were all ranked
together at the valuation. Men and women, old and young, married and
single, were ranked with horses, sheep, and swine. There were horses and
men, cattle and women, pigs and children, all holding the same rank in the
scale of being, and were all subjected to the same narrow examination
(Douglass 90). Frederick shows with this quote the feeling of superiority the
white people have against the black people. Frederick uses the story of
Demby to show evil that the people in charge used. During the middle of a
whipping, Demby ran into a creek and refused to get out. Mr. Gore gave
Demby to the count of three to get out, but when Demby did not respond Mr.

Gore shot him dead. Mr. Gore received absolutely no punishment for the
murder he committed because black people were not allowed to testify in
court and the murder of a slave was not a crime in the south. Frederick also
shares other stories of people who were murdered and no one was punished.
Frederick also shows the effect of slavery and the hypocritical Christian
slaveholders. He points out that the slaveholders who are the most pious are
the ones who treat the slaves the worst. Douglass experience often shows
that the white southerners who participate most zealously in religious
activities are often the same ones who treat slaves most inhumanely
(Floman and Kestler). While these slaveholders will bend the scripture to go
their way, they will swiftly punish any slave who commits the smallest
violation against scripture. These religious slaveholders deal out brutal
punishment with the belief that they have been given divine right to do such
things. Douglass gives examples of slaveholders who commit rape and
justify it with illogical workarounds. When Douglass talks about these so
called christian slaveholders, he uses an ironic tone to condemn them.
Douglass is an actual Christian and shows through his narrative that slavery
and Christianity are incompatible.
Frederick Douglass uses symbolism to show the injustice of slavery. He
uses women as a symbol of oppression. When Frederick talks about women,
he associates them with suffering. He witnessed his Aunt Hester receiving a
brutal beating from Mr. Plummer when he was little. Frederick says, I
expected it would be my turn next. It was all new to me. I had never seen

anything like it before. I had always lived with my grandmother on the

outskirts of the plantation, where she was put to raise the children of the
younger women. I had therefore been, until now, out of the way of the
bloody scenes that often occurred on the plantation (Douglass 52). Another
symbol in the narrative is the book titled, The Columbian Orator. He got hold
of the book around the age of twelve when he has learned to read. It is a
symbol of human rights because it helps Frederick to clarify even more why
slavery is wrong both politically and philosophically. Douglass uses the city
as a symbol of freedom. In the city slaveholders do not punish their slaves
with extreme cruelty because of the standards that are set by the non slave
owners. The city is the first place Douglass meets white people who actually
oppose slavery. In the city Douglass is not under as much surveillance as he
is in the countryside. Douglass is able to learn how to read and write.
Douglass learns the trade of caulking while working in the city. Without the
ability to read and write, Douglass would not have had as big an influence as
he did, in the abolitionist movement.
Fredrick Douglass narrative served as a huge influence of showing
people the evil of slavery. His narrative is a classic that highlights the pain
and suffering he endured as a slave. Although he endured a lot of pain and
strife, his story ends victoriously as he escapes from slavery into freedom.

Bibliography

Ben Florman and Justin Kestler, LitCharts Editors. "LitChart on The Narrative
of Frederick
Douglass." LitCharts.com. 11 Aug 2015.

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American

Slave. New York:
Viking Penguin, 1982. Print.

Smith, Nicole. "Major Themes in Narrative of the Life of Frederick

Douglass." Article Myriad.
Article Myriad, 06 Dec. 2011. Web. 11 Aug. 2015.