Frederick Douglass Analysis

Upon my first reading of the narrative Frederick Douglass provides, I immediately noticed an emotional core within his writing. Granted, this was a given since the narrative topic covers something deeply personal and emotional to Douglass as a person; Slavery. What I noticed, however, after scouring each paragraph is the diction that Douglass uses to convey this emotion. For instance, in the section of his recount of his time with the slave owner Mr. Plummer, there are aspects of this recount that are telling of his emotions then. Repetition was one of these patterns that I had noticed. "I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition, I was quite a child, but I remember it." (Douglass 1010) Repeating the word "remember" adds another dimension to this memory as this isn't just any recount, but a traumatic one. Something that he clearly remembers over and over again. 

One of the more interesting things about the narrative was the heir of confidence and almost superior tone that Douglass gives off within the text. He has a constant habit of saying things how they are with brutal honesty. This makes sense as this narrative is supposed to convey one singular message to the reader. That slavery isn't just a problem that should be abolished, but rather a poison that should be cured from America. This can be seen when he describes the slaves on The Great House Farm. "They would sometimes sing the most pathetic sentiment in the most rapturous tone, and the most rapturous sentiment in the most pathetic tone." (Douglass 1014) It is almost as if he is mocking not the slaves but the action of singing, as if to say, "The world has pushed down on them so hard that the only way for them to speak out against the system is to sing."