"Frederick Douglass" Synthesis Essay

Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist born into slavery shares the injustice and torture he faced as a slave in his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, written in 1845. In his autobiography, Douglass incorporates the use of dramatic rhetorical devices to convey his message of the dehumanizing and cruel nature of slavery. The dark truths of slavery are brought to light through the use of juxtaposition and the rhetorical appeal of ethos. 

One instance of juxtaposition is when Douglass compares his illiterate vs. literate states of awareness, showing how the gift of literacy and knowledge can be a double-edged sword. Douglass highlights his own intellectual growth, but also illustrates how ignorance can be bliss in some instances. As a child, Douglass was not fully aware of his enslavement and the injustice that came with it, forcing him to accept his circumstances. However, as he grows, he learns to read and gains knowledge about ideas such as human rights and oppression, giving rise to internal conflict as he gains more awareness. Douglass writes, “I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy” Source B (Douglass, 1845). In other words, this juxtaposition compares Douglass’s earlier ignorance to his newfound intellect, painting ignorance as “bad” and knowledge as “good”. Simply put, Douglass uses this juxtaposition to inform the audience that slavery depends on ignorance by keeping the enslaved uneducated. As a result, Douglass stresses upon the fact that education is very significant and should be valued. While this juxtaposition represents Douglass’s personal transformation, it can also symbolize how society can take a turn for the greater good with more knowledge, however, slavery keeps the enslaved in the dark about their situation by taking advantage of their lower education. 

In addition, Douglass utilizes several rhetorical appeals in his autobiography, however, he uses ethos the most to portray the evilness and torment present in slavery. Douglass criticizes the hypocrisy of American society by arguing that although the Constitution is supposed to give liberty and rights to all residents, slaves were not granted the opportunity of these natural rights or equality. In an excerpt from the Stanford University Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Sundstrom writes, “Second, since blacks were humans, Douglass argued they were entitled to the natural rights that natural law mandated” Source A (Sundstrom, 2023). This demonstrates how Douglass aims to emphasize that even slaves share the same rights as everyone else despite the color of their skin. Under the guise of race, everyone is still human and still shares the same thoughts and feelings. By appealing to the ethics and natural law of having equal rights, Douglass forces the reader to reflect on their morals and how slavery demeans the human nature of the enslaved. 

Additionally, Douglass also uses the values of Christianity and the politicized rhetoric introduced by the Second Great Awakening to appeal to religious beliefs of his audience, further utilizing ethos. By focusing on how Christianity portrays slavery as a sin allows Douglass to use the idea of freedom from slavery as parallel to Christian Redemption, evoking sympathy from the audience. Overall, Frederick Douglass’s use of dramatic rhetoric in his autobiography allowed him to become one of the greatest orators, connecting with the emotional and ethical appeals of his audience, while sharing his personal experiences.