Douglass -- The Narrative Essay -- essays research papers fc

Debunking the Southern SecretSincerely and earnestly hoping that this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system, and hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of my brethren in bonds relying upon the power of truth, love, and justice, for success in my efforts and solemnly pledging myself anew to the sacred cause, I subscribe myself (Douglass 76). With these words, Frederick Douglass (c. 1817-1895), an turn slave with no formal education, ends one of the greatest pieces of propaganda of the 19th century America that slavery is good for the slave. He writes his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave, as an abolitionist tool to shape his northern audiences view of southern slaveholders. Through personal anecdotes, Douglass draws an accurate picture of slave life. Simultaneously, he chooses these events for how they leave alone affect the northern audiences opinion of southern slaveholders (Quar les ii). By using the written word, Douglass targets educated northern whites because they were the only group capable of changing the status quo. Illiterate northern whites and free northern blacks could not vote, while white Southerners would not vote because they did not want change. For that reason, Douglass used his life boloney as an instrument to promote abolition among literate northern whites (vi).Douglass uses family relationships, starting with his own birth, to gain the compassion of his target audience. He never knew the identity of his father, simply it was whispered (Douglass 2) that it was his master. Douglass mentions this to demonstrate how the master in many cases, sustains to his slaves the double relation of master and father (2). This was so commonplace that it was by law established that the children of women sh all told in all cases follow the condition of their mother (2). This meant that these bastard children were slaves despite their paternal heritage because their mother was a slave. The effect of this revelation was to shock and offend the morals of the ultraconservative northern whites. Northern society scorned people in adulterous and interracial relationships. By portraying these Southerners as immoral and adulterous, Douglass wanted to cultivate in his audience a damaging opinion of southern slaveholders (Quarles ix).Continuing with the theme o... ...streated and punished their slaves, and how they used religion as an excuse to legitimize their immoral actions. thrall was a most painful situation and, to understand it, one must experience it, or imagine himself in similar circumstances then, and not savings bank then, will he fully appreciate the hardships of, and know how to sympathize with, the toil worn and whipped-scarred slave (64). Douglasss own words are meant as a plea for his readers to imagine themselves in his situation he and other slaves endured to better understand the hardships he and other slaves endur ed (Quarles xi).Frederick Douglass used family values, basic human rights, and religion to twine the northern white audience toward the cause of abolition. He expects his readers will share his hate for the corrupt, slaveholding, woman whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of southern slaveholders (Douglass 71). American slavery does not populate in today due partly to Douglasss effort to help advance the cause of abolition.Works CitedQuarles, Benjamin, ed. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave. By Frederick Douglass. Cambridge Harvard Press, 1988.