The autobiography of Frederick Douglass

Without a question, Frederick Douglass’ autobiography is fascinating. Like most authors of similar works, Douglass begins by outlining his early years before going on to describe in great detail some of his notable experiences as a slave. However, Douglass’ narration is truly a cut above the rest when compared to other autobiographies like those by Thomas De Quincey and Benjamin Franklin. From the beginning to the end, the reading is engaging, simple to comprehend, and understandable. Every word and phrase is carefully chosen to leave readers with a lasting impression. Frederick Douglass has perfected the art of using descriptive words and phrases, according to a critical analysis of the style. Besides, he has an astute choice of vocabularies and uses other devices such as alliteration and irony to make his writing humorous and enchanting.

The graphic nature of Douglass’ autobiography is evident in the narration of his experience while in slavery. The compelling story of how the overseer named Mr. Plummer used to beat slaves is a good example of Douglass’ descriptive skills. He uses adjectives and adverbs to ensure that the readers get a vivid picture of the experiences and characters. For instance, he describes Mr. Plummer as a “miserable drunkard, a profane swearer, and a savage monster” (Douglass 6). He goes ahead to use moving expressive phrases such as “extraordinary barbarity” and “most heart-rending shrieks” to capture the imagination of the readers. Therefore, anybody going through the autobiography will not only know the slaveholders were brutal but will have a clear picture of how they executed their cruelty. This feature makes the piece thrilling to read because the mind quickly perceives the images from the words of the author.

Douglass writing makes use of words to communicate deep meaning simply. His choice of vocabularies is conscious of connotations as advocated by George Orwell in his works. For example, the use of simple words such as “unmanageable,” instead of “disobedient”, “cowskin” instead of “whip”, and “slaveholders” instead of “masters”, not only makes it easy for the readers to understand but also send a deep meaning about the perception of the author. Throughout the book, Douglass uses simple words that are easy to relate to the readers without much thinking or guessing. He tries as much as possible to use conversational words unless when he wants to use a euphemism. For instance, Douglass uses the word “transaction” to describe the atrocious torture perpetrated by Mr. Bondly and Mr. Plummer. The word sounds like a business dealing, but in reality, it refers to abusing or terrorizing.

The flow of the reading is also made easy by the use of literary devices that includes repetitions, alliterations, rhyming, and metaphors. For example, “was cursing, raving, cutting, and slashing” (10), “Songs of the slave represent the sorrows” (13), and consummate “coolness with which he committed” (18). He uses the metaphor of horses to explain the illiteracy levels of slaves and compares the wealth of Captain Lloyd to that of Job in the Bible using a simile (Douglass 15). He also repeats some words in the same sentence just like Martin Luther King Jr did in his speech to achieve maximum emphasis. For example, “No words, no tears, no prayer…” (6). These techniques are quite useful in making the reading smooth and efficient. At some point, the writing seems poetic with the many commas, combined with the literary devices. This is a trend that is not common with other autobiographies where the authors are concerned more about the information and less about the style.

The author also uses satire to skillfully describe the folly of slavery. Douglass was born a slave and managed to escape after he learned how to read and write. His writing indicates his negative perception towards the whole idea of keeping and mistreating slaves. For instance, Douglass explains how the minds of slaves were brainwashed by their masters such that “many of us were led to think that there was little to choose between liberty and slavery” (57). It was funny that during the holiday the slaves were given a few days of freedom and provoked to drink too much wine such that they thought they were “free.” Douglass continues to point out how ironical the whole slavery system was because it was done under cover of Christianity. He calls united states a “Christian country” and asserts that “I should regard being the slave of a religious master the greatest calamity that could befall me” (58). Apparently, the same masters that upheld the religion of “love and brotherhood” are the same who mistreated their slaves more than the pagan masters. He goes ahead to give the story of how Mr. Hopkins, a devoted Christian, would find ridiculous reasons to mistreat slaves under his watch.

Most importantly, Douglass delivers his autobiography with a punch of humor to make it enticing to read. Even though some of the stories he narrates are gruesome, there is a pinch of a comic in his sentences that makes the whole ordeal funny. For example, Douglass gives the anecdote of how Colonel Lloyd asked one of his slaves about his working condition. The slave did not realize that he was talking to his master and so, went on to show dissatisfaction with his master genuinely. Douglass then goes ahead to describe the funny incident of slaves arguing and even fighting because each party considered their master to be richer and tougher than their neighbors’ masters. He writes that “They seemed to think that the greatness of their masters was transferable to themselves” (14). Such stories add humor to the sad story of slavery in the United States.

In conclusion, the style used in The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass is quite fascinating. The author has mastered the art of storytelling to vividly recount the sad and funny stories of slavery. The use of literary devices and witty words captures the attention of the readers. More so, Douglass uses simple phrases and sentence flow to make the book easy to read and understand. He goes overboard with the use of descriptive words that include adjectives and adverbs and enables the reader to visualize the characters and actions that took place at the time. The style adopted is different from the other autobiographies studied in the class where the authors were more concerned about the information and less about the style of delivery.

Works Cited

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass. The Anti-Slavery Office, No. 25 Cornhill, 1845