Frederick Douglas essays

Frederick Douglas essays In Douglass narrative, there are many instances in which he uses his experiences to enforce the view that slavery should be abolished. He also uses other slaves as examples in order to support this strong unpopular belief. Though he does not come directly out against slavery, he allows the reader to make the decision based on what he has told them. Throughout the narrative, he looks at the different perspectives of slavery, including the slaveholders point of view. The most compelling passage that sums up what Douglass had been going through is in the appendix. Here, he addresses the irony and hypocrisy of slaveholders to justify their actions. He who sells my sister, for purposes of prostitution, stands forth as the pious advocate of purity. He who proclaims it a religious duty to read the Bible denies me the right of learning to read the name of God who made me. He who is the religious advocate of marriage robs whole millions of its sacred influence, and leaves them to the ravages of wholesale pollution...Here we have religion and robbery the aliens of each other-devils dressed in angels robes, and hell presenting the semblance of paradise (Douglass 327). The passage shows the irony slavery brought to Southern culture. Douglass places the mirror directly in front of the white-South to show them that they are the evil they have been so against. The Souths view of slaves was that they were barbaric, evil, and heathens. Rather than conforming to this, Douglass shows the readers that the slaveholders were barbaric. As you can see, hypocrisy was a common virtue amongst the slaveholders and Douglass is sure to point this out in his closing statement. Throughout the South, religion is seen as the lifeline for slaveholders. Douglass takes particular notice to the Bible preaching South, but is quick to point out its flaws. The white-man declares p ...