The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass The...

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave details the progression of a slave to a man, and thus, the formation of his identity. The narrative functions as a persuasive essay, written in the hopes that it would successfully lead to â€Å"hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of [his] brethren in bonds† (Douglass 331). As an institution, slavery endeavored to reduce the men, women, and children â€Å"in bonds† to a state less than human. The slave identity, according to the institution of slavery, was not to be that of a rational, self forming, equal human being, but rather, a human animal whose purpose is to work and obey the whims of their â€Å"master.† For these reasons, Douglass articulates a distinction†¦show more content†¦The effect of this passage, in addition to introducing the idea that slaves were considered to be no more civilized than animals, is an emphasis on Douglass’s lack of a human identit y. As a slave, his role was that of an animal whose purpose was to work for his â€Å"master.† This internalization of the animal/slave role is accentuated further when Douglass discusses the slave’s notion of time as â€Å"planting-time, harvest-time, cherry-time, spring-time, or fall-time† (Douglass 255). The institution of slavery, which forced the comparison of slave to animal, required the slave to consider time in terms of his master—time to work, time to plant, time to harvest. Thus, slaves were unable to utilize a concept of time of their own making to identify themselves because their concepts of time reflected what was important to their â€Å"masters† and not to themselves. By representing the slaves as relying on their â€Å"masters’† wishes to identify themselves, Douglass emphasizes the comparison between slave and animals. Not only does the slave concept of time reflect the desire of the â€Å"masters’† to have the slaves view time in terms of work, but it also reflects the â€Å"masters’† refusals to allow slaves to define themselves historically. Douglass writes that slaves were unable to articulate their ages, the dates of births and deaths of family members, and their lengths of service. He is also unable to form his identity based onShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of A Slave Narrative By Frederick Douglass1646 Words   |  7 PagesWithin a slave narrative, the identity of the writer greatly affects the perspective of the story and the message that the author wishes to convey. For a narrative of this nature, to send its meaning directly and efficiently it must be able to illustrate the individual struggle of the writer as well as create a clear line between what it means to be a slave and what it means to be free. These identities of the author not only conflict with the image of self but also help to illuminate the strugglesRead MoreThe Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: the Formation of Iden2208 Words   |  9 PagesThe Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An Analysis of the Formation of Identity You have seen how a man was made a slave; you will now see how a slave was made a man. Ââ€"Frederick Douglass The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave details the progression of a slave to a man, and thus, the formation of his identity. The narrative functions as a persuasive essay, written in the hopes that it would successfully lead to hastening the glad day of deliveranceRead MoreThe Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay1730 Words   |  7 PagesIdentity is defined as the qualities or beliefs that make a particular person different from another. Often in African American literature the protagonist have a moment where they recognize their blackness as apart of their identity and often experience pain due to society s estimation of their inferiority due to their blackness. The â€Å"Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass† is about how Frederick Douglass overcomes the struggles of slavery. The experience of slavery is a continuous fight forRead MoreMajor Themes Of Us History During Slavery Essay1607 Words   |  7 Pagesaccording to as he pleases as long as it is in agreement with His teachings. Fellow human beings could not have control over their fellow men because it was against God’s will. A state whereby one person has absolute power over another and controls his life, liberty, and fortune is known as slavery. The history of slavery dates back to creation times where the Israelites were taken as slaves by the Egyptians. In the U.S., slavery began in the early 17th century and existed for about 250 years. Most ofRead MoreYour Freedom Is Not Free Essay1645 Words   |  7 Pagesconcerning the liberty of body and soul are heavily connected to the formation of individual and cultural identity in American literary history. Certain nineteenth century American writers stand out for their real-life dedication to freedom and non-conformity for seeking to free themselves from whatever shackles limited them from reaching their potentials, both literally and figuratively. Henry David Thoreau, Fredrick Douglass, and Ralph Waldo Emerson are exemplary writers of the nineteenth centuryRead MoreTranscendentalism, A Powerful Intellectual And Philosophical Movement1781 Words   |  8 Pageswriters and intellectuals such as Frederick Douglass, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson have adopted Emerson’s views on individuality and have expressed these ideals through their work. The spirit of individuality and self-reliance, key principles of Transcendentalism, are noted in Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Walt Whitman’s poem â€Å"Song of Myself† and Emily Dickinson’s poem â€Å"Nature (790).† Through their literary work, Douglass, Whitman, and Dickinson share commonalitiesRead MoreNarrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass Essay1851 Words   |  8 PagesFrederick Douglass was an orator and writer for the abolition movement. He was born into slavery and knows from personal experience how the institution dehumanizes everyone involv ed. His masters’ wife taught him the alphabet which was the start of Douglass learning how to write and speak out against slavery. His Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass was an attempt to describe the peculiar institution of slavery with out disrupting the sensibilities of his readers. In order to accomplishRead MoreEssay The Benevolent Master2098 Words   |  9 PagesThe Benevolent Master I. The black identity during the nineteenth century in America was one based on a position of inferiority. The inferiority of slaves to their masters was expressed in several different ways, but all were designed to secure a dependent relationship of the slave to the master. Masters often viewed their slaves as deserving of a moral or religious upbringing, and saw themselves as responsible for completing this task. Paternalism transformed the relationship of slave andRead MoreAnalysis Of Sapphire Along The Spectrum Of The Slave Narrative And The Neoslave Narrative2945 Words   |  12 PagesThis essay attempts to position Push by Sapphire along the spectrum of the slave narrative and the neoslave narrative in terms of African American literary tradition. It focuses on Precious’s parental abuse, neglect, sexual assault and journey to literacy. It will attempt to draw out similarities between this character’s abuse and the violent history of slavery. It will use the slave a nd neoslave narratives in Push to connect contemporary issues in black society, such as rape, labour, illiteracyRead MoreBibliographic Essay on African American History6221 Words   |  25 PagesAmerican Experience: An Historiographical and Bibliographical Guide (Westport: Greenwood Press, 2001); and Randall M. Miller and John David Smith, eds., Dictionary of Afro- American Slavery (Westport: Greenwood Press, 1988), provide informative narratives along with expansive bibliographies. General texts covering major historical events with attention to chronology include John Hope Franklin and Alfred A. Moss, Jr., From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans (Boston: McGraw