Frederick Douglass & The Reach Of Rhetoric
DescriptionAn essay exploring Frederick Douglass' powerful usage of rhetoric in his autobiographical Narrative to convince the need for abolition in America.
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In 1845, future orator Frederick Douglass—an escaped slave—published his first of many books fighting for emancipation in America. This memoir, titled The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, details his life as an enslaved person and his departure from the inhumane system that kept him and so many others captive; within its pages, Douglass uses rhetorical choices like descriptive imagery, repetition, and references to religion to target and ultimately convince a, at the time, primarily white, Christian audience of the necessity of abolition in the United States, appealing to their emotions and logic to secure victory.Imagery is a powerful tool, and Douglass does not shy away from using it to his fullest advantage. Throughout this narrative, vivid images of the atrocious treatment of slaves are painted in bloody detail, the first of which comes mere pages into it: “He commenced to lay on the heavy cowskin, and soon the warm, red blood (amid heart-rending shrieks from her, and horrid oaths from him) came dripping to the floor. I was so terrified and horror-stricken at the sight, that I hid myself in a closet, and dared not venture out till long after the bloody transaction was over” (Douglass 6). This scene followed Douglass as he watched his Aunt Hester be beaten by Captain Anthony, the first of his holders, and it was his introduction to the brutality of slavery. When watching this sight, he was a young boy, one yet to see what his life had in store for him. But this display left a permanent mark on him, as it would most, acting as an eye-opener for the audience, too, who may have been—similarly to Douglass—shielded from the reality of slavery. Furthermore, describing it in such detail, in such a way, using powerful phrases like “warm, red blood,” “shrieks,” “heart-rending,” and more, ensures that all readers can have an idea of what he saw: a horrid scene of pure human brutality. But Douglass offers other types of images as well, because one of the many points he makes in his narrative is that slavery not only hurt those who were enslaved, but slaveholders as well, as it corrupts their very being. Mrs. Auld is a perfect example of this, as she was initially ignorant of the place of slaves in the world, teaching Douglass how to read and write. However, when her husband discovers this, he gives her information that is rather deadly to this practice, turning her seemingly kind heart into one of pure stone: “The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a Demon” (Douglass 28). A clear portrait of what she was like before and after her transformation is quickly built with this description, with positives being replaced by negatives; an angel is twisted into a Demon. If that is not powerful, if that does not spawn a vivid idea of what the power and greed of slavery do to a person, what truly does? For readers, especially those who are religious, bringing up such iconic figures and using words associated with them (“cheerful,” “red with rage,” “sweet,” “harsh and horrid,” “angelic,” “Demon”) is beyond powerful, especially if trying to convince them of the dangers of slavery. He puts the issue directly into something the audience can comprehend, making sure they know in full detail what he is saying and its logic, Auld as proof. And that, together with the many other more brutal images he offers, helps ensure that readers cannot just walk away unscathed, their minds stamped with just mere snapshots of the pain and trauma sustained by Douglass in his time as a slave. This perfectly transitions into the next trick he uses, though, as if there is anything more potent than imagery, it would be this: repetition.Over, and over, and over again does Douglass repeat what he says, attempting his best to forge a memory in readers' minds they can never forget. By reciting what he says, by reciting a certain structure or word or idea, he makes sure that the danger it took to make and publish this book would not be for nothing, as, after reading it, there is no world where one CANNOT be moved. One of the more interesting examples is Mr. Gore, whose accusations equaled conviction, and conviction equaled punishment. It is said that “few slaves had the fortune to do either, under the overseership of Mr. Gore.” He was “just proud enough to demand the most debasing homage of the slave,” while “servile enough to crouch, himself, at the feet of the master.” This continues, with Gore being “ambitious enough to be contented with nothing short of the highest rank of overseers, and persevering enough to reach the height of his ambition. He was cruel enough to inflict the severest punishment, artful enough to descend to the lowest trickery, and obdurate enough to be insensible to the voice of a reproving conscience. He was, of all the overseers, the most dreaded by the slaves. His presence was painful; his eye flashed confusion; and seldom was his sharp, shrill voice heard, without producing horror and trembling in their ranks” (Douglass 13). The most obvious repetition here is of the words “He was,” but the more damning one is the structure of the sentences itself. He decides to continue with this juxtaposing, dichotomous, back-and-forth wording, with different and opposing adjectives being housed within it. The purpose behind doing this is to, yes, offer insight into the cruelty of the man, but also to highlight his purposeful moves in that cruelty. He had power, just not all of it, and used every ounce he was given to treat slaves in the most dehumanizing way possible; this helps Douglass in his continued effort to lay out the inhumanity of the practice, as it gives readers direct insight into the horrid ways of slaveholders and overseers. Moreover, this example is not alone, as later in Douglass’ slave life, Mr. Hopkins comes into play. He enjoyed just as much the simple but ugly power slavery gave him, and his description details that perfectly: “It would astonish one, unaccustomed to a slaveholding life, to see with what wonderful ease a slaveholder can… make occasion to whip a slave… Does a slave look dissatisfied? It is said, he has the devil in him, and it must be whipped out. Does he speak loudly when spoken to by his master? Then he is getting high-minded, and should be taken down a button-hole lower. Does he forget to pull off his hat at the approach of a white person? Then he is wanting in reverence, and should be whipped for it. Does he… Does he… Does he… Mr. Hopkins could always find something of this sort to justify the use of the lash, and he seldom failed to embrace such opportunities” (Douglass 68). This repetition is most definitely of the traditional kind, but it is beyond powerful, as Douglass names nearly half a dozen rather superficial reasons why slaves may be punished. At the center of this, the words “Does he” exist, the following question-answer format acting as the vessel for the many ridiculous rationales slaveholders/overseers found to give reason to their vile cruelty. This delivers insight into how little it took for a slave to be punished, highlighting the lack of humanity and the horrible conditions in it. Repeating this over and over again, whether with Gore or Hopkins, guarantees that readers understand that point, that they understand that even the slightest sign of disobedience led to whipping, as it helps disprove any concept of slavery being either happy or enjoyable. Ultimately, the repetition used by Douglass is almost exclusively there to, similarly to imagery, ensure the audience cannot ignore what they are reading. He, over and over, nails his hardships and the hardships of all enslaved people into their minds. Though another powerful choice he makes is to bring a more personal note, a more spiritual note, to things, as he mentions one of the most critical points in both the justification of slavery and the hypocrisy of it: religion.Just the mere mention of religion alone by Douglass is a sign of his intentions within this narrative, as he uses it both as a point of refutation AND as a subversive highlight of what so-called “good Christians” do under the guise of it. This viewing of religion is no better seen than in Captain Auld, a rather cruel master of his who is suddenly converted to Methodism in August 1832. Douglass had this to say about it: “I indulged a faint hope that his conversion would lead him to emancipate his slaves, and… make him more kind and humane. I was disappointed… If it had any effect on his character, it made him more cruel and hateful in all his ways… Prior to his conversion, he relied upon his own depravity to shield and sustain him in his savage barbarity; but after his conversion, he found religious sanction and support for his slaveholding cruelty” (Douglass 47). While religion plays a multitude of roles in this narrative, its most prominent is acting as a clear analog for audience members to understand both Douglass’ story and the conundrum it puts slaveholders in. In a religion that claims to love and care for all, there are those who whip and beat and exploit others. In a religion where selflessness and sacrifice are staples, its members worship greed and are drunk on power. A quote in the narrative's appendix sums things up the best, mentioning how there are “men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members” and that “the man who wields the blood-clotted cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus” (Douglass 101-102). This, more than anything, is a direct callout of the pure hypocritical state slaveholders allowed themselves to exist in, the lines offered by Douglass making their condition increasingly ironic and sad. The goal, beyond anything, is to show that everyone knew this truth, yet they ignored it because, well, it was advantageous for them (the most un-Christian thought process to have). The purpose behind these references to God and religion and holiness is to acknowledge how void said followers are of such things, and it is so powerful purely due to readers' established interest in the subject. So this direct mention, along with Douglass’ admission in the appendix about his understanding of religion (he just dislikes how it perpetuated slavery), gives him a chance to be in the audience's favor, and makes some of his illustrations all the more robust. More than anything, that is what makes this choice so grand, and along with imagery and repetition, explains why Douglass is so iconic: he knows how to persuade, and does it with such simple words. That is remarkable.In The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Douglass outlines his life in slavery and his escape from it, using rhetorical choices like descriptive images, repetition, and references to religion to ultimately move his, at the time, mostly white, religious audience of the necessity of the abolition of slavery in America. And, besides the clear message of WHY the horrors of it needed to end, this narrative also acts as a powerful display of what rhetoric can do when used correctly. Is Douglass’ book the only reason why emancipation ensued? No. However, it was an essential tool in that fight, as his creative highjacking of appeals and persuasive words and basic human psychology helped the movement in the biggest way possible: educating. It forces anyone with even a shadow of a doubt about slavery that it is/was, in fact, not some remarkable or needed or God-given truth, just an inhumane system of power and greed. The gory graphics he offers, epic echoing he uses, and retorting of religion he delivers all work in that favor, acting as truth-bearing bombs and examples of how to persuade, because there is little way to walk away from his narrative not feeling like something needs to be done. If that is not a testament to Douglass’ genius, to the reach of rhetoric, then what truly is?
Sources
Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003.
