Personal Narrative: Wade In The Water

Over the course of the night the slaves, growing in numbers as other joined, covered many miles, resulting in a dozen homes being burnt to the ground and twice that number in whites killed (99). Morning found them marching to the beat of two drums down the Pon Pon road toward the freedom of Florida while crying out “liberty” (96). A small riding party that included Lieutenant Governor William Bull stumbled across the band of rebels. They fled to warn and dispatch the local militia who eventually caught the celebrating group off guard in a field. The consequent battle resulted in the end of the rebellion, but not without heavy casualties on both sides.

In Frederick Douglass’ passage written in to take place in New York in 1838, he uses emotion, and literary devices to convey his state of mind. He starts with persuading the reader to imagine the complexity of being a victim to slavery and escaping. With a cheerful emersion from the deeps of slavery to the openness of freedom. “I felt like one who had escaped a den of hungry lions”. “I felt as one may imagen an unarmed mariner”.

He might have passed for a lion, but for his ears.” (page 45). The author portrays the stubbornness and the stern personality aspect of the slaveowners. They were adamant and would stick to their orders like a warrior, who would show least flexibility with their

Before Douglass can become free, he has to learn the truth about slavery, which means enduring pain and loss, surviving tremendous pain before he can actually become free. When watching his Aunt

For years, the institution of slavery existed in the United States and was characterized by the legal, inhumane treatment of those enslaved. One of the most prominent figures during this time was Frederick Douglass, an African-American abolitionist who detailed his own experiences in the practice. Having spent most of his life enslaved and wishing to escape, when he finally did he would find himself in a new and overwhelming situation. In this excerpt of his autobiography, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” he describes his life after escaping slavery and shows how his state of mind goes from being enthusiastic over freedom to suddenly fearful and lonely. To convey his change, Douglass uses deliberate language, such as various

It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery, through which I was about to pass. It was a most terrible spectacle.” Overseers submitted slaves to beatings and atrocities and were often inconsistent in their enforcement (Douglass 47-50,

Douglass used imagery to express the true agony a slave went through during the hardships of slavery. He describes that, “ … those songs still follow me, to deepen my hatred of slavery, and quicken my sympathies for my brethren in bonds”(Douglass 21). The wretched songs the poor slaves sang were cries for help. They could only express their trauma by singing depressing tunes as they worked countless hours in horrible conditions. As for physical pain, Douglass mentions that, “[Demby’s] mangled body sank out of sight, and blood and brains marked the water where he had stood”(Douglass 26).

Natural elements would not prevent the slaves from working, even during harsh winters. We grasp a connection between the harsh conditions and horrid treatment the slaves endured. The cycle of a slaves life is exemplified in this example in how their lives solely revolved around working all the time. Douglass shows an antithesis in how to Mr. Covey, “The longest days were to short for him, and the shortest nights too long for him” (38). This is used to convey how the quantity of work Mr. Covey wanted to be accomplished was never done in that day.

Douglass begins uses paradox to show how slavery was inhuman by acknowledging how slave overseers treated the slaves when did wrong or doing what was not told by them. ‘’ He would whip her to make her scream and whip her to make her hush. ’’(page 5). Douglass appeals

It was the blood- stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery, through which I was about to pass. It was a most terrible spectacle. I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld it.” Analysis: There is no way to convey the true feelings Douglass must have felt the first time he witnesses the terrible abuse inflicted the people he cares for. For this incident to be only the beginning is saddening.

In chapter 4 from the book “Nightjohn” by Gary Paulsen we are introduced to characters that depict the conditions slaves had to endure during the 19th century. The chapter begins with a slave name Alice that is made into a “breeder” against her will by the plantation owner, Waller due to her unsatisfactory work on the plantation. Afterwards, Sarny got a flashback about Jim and Paulwe, the slaves at the plantation where Sarny, the narrator works. Jim was a old man that was tired of his life as a slave--at the plantation. Therefore, he attempted to escape, but he got caught and the dog gnawed Jim’s legs off--leaving him hanging on a trees that he climbed to escape.

“Yes, sir, he gives me enough, such as it is.” The colonel, after ascertaining where the slave belonged, rode on; the man also went on about his business, not dreaming that he had been conversing with his master. He thought, said, and heard nothing more of the matter, until two or three weeks afterwards. The poor man was then informed by his overseer that, for having found fault with his master, he was now to be sold to a Georgia trader. He was immediately chained and handcuffed; and thus, without a moment’s warning, he was snatched away, and forever sundered, from his family and friends, by a hand more unrelenting than death.”

The Golden Rule found in Luke 6:31 says, “Do unto others as you have them do upon you”. During the early 1800’s humans were brutally abused by other humans. In 1844, Frederick Douglass illustrates his brutal time as a slave through his narrative The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass writes his story using rhetorical elements to convey that slavery should be abandoned because it takes a mental and physical toll on the slaves plus, that slaves need to try and escape from slavery. Douglass uses logos and a periodic sentence to apply logical details to show how worthless and what value the slaves were to the slaveholders.

Frederick Douglass’s narrative provides a first hand experience into the imbalance of power between a slave and a slaveholder and the negative effects it has on them both. Douglass proves that slavery destroys not only the slave, but the slaveholder as well by saying that this “poison of irresponsible power” has a dehumanizing effect on the slaveholder’s morals and beliefs (Douglass 40). This intense amount of power breaks the  kindest heart and changes the slaveholder into a heartless demon (Douglass 40). Yet these are not the only ways that Douglass proves what ill effect slavery has on the slaveholder. Douglass also uses deep characterization, emotional appeal, and religion to present the negative effects of slavery.

These songs were far from joyful, they would sing “…the most pathetic sentiment in the most rapturous tone…” and these songs would “… [breathe] the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish.” (29). Douglass argues against the positive image of slavery that portrayed slaves to be