Mendola 1

Trevor Mendola

Mrs. Bouch

Honors English 11

March 16, 2018

How Theme is conveyed in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Almost every person in the United States could tell you why slavery is horrible and most

would definitely tell you slavery should never exist again. However, back when slavery was still

kicking in the 1800s, it took a lot more to get people on board with abolition. One of the leaders

of the abolitionist movement was a man by the name of Frederick Douglass. Douglass was born

into slavery in Maryland, and remained a slave until he was 20 years old, when he escaped and

earned his freedom. After obtaining freedom, Frederick Douglass took to writing a narrative of

his life as a slave, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. This narrative’s primary

purpose was, of course, to gain sympathy for slaves and strengthen the abolitionist cause.

Frederick Douglass was able to convey the message that, “Slaves suffered because of the

inhumane act of slavery.” Douglass used storytelling, tone and irony to communicate this theme.

The most obvious medium through which the theme is conveyed is storytelling. Douglass

wrote a narrative detailing the events of his life, which is a life in which he faced cruelty,

brutally, and a general disrespect for human dignity. The novel uses three different methods of

storytelling: events that happened to Douglass from Douglass’ perspective, events that happened

other people that were witnessed by Douglass, and events that happened to other people that

Douglass heard from other people. Any brutality that Douglass faces gives readers sympathy for

him. Douglass’ time spent with Edward Covey is horrible to read about. Knowing Douglass as

such a passionate individual, hearing that a man was able to break him illustrates how malicious
 Mendola 2

these slave-owners were. Douglass also witnesses atrocious acts occur around him. When he is

just a boy, Douglass witnesses a woman named Hester get brutally beaten by one of their

masters. These first-person perspective stories where Douglass is not the one getting beaten often

give readers insight into how scared Frederick Douglass was and allow for a more vivid

description of the action taking place, which in turn makes readers hates slave-owners. Douglass’

fear is most emphasized after Aunt Hester is beaten when he thinks, “I expected it would be my

turn next,” (24). No small child should ever have to worry about getting beaten to near-death, let

alone think about it. Lastly, Douglass occasionally tells an anecdote in the form of a brutal or

cruel event that he heard about. He hears about other slaves getting killed by their masters,

getting sold away from their families, or being treated worse than he is somehow. These stories

are important because not only do they, again, illustrate how brutal slave-owners are, but show

how widespread slavery was. These atrocities are actually occurring all around the South. They

are not just limited to Frederick Douglass’ life. Frederick Douglass’ ability to write a full novel

detailing everything he, and others, went through is enough to prove how evil slavery was.

However, Douglass did not just tell his story. He told it with personality and emotion.

Douglass’ tone has a wide range throughout his narrative. A disappointed tone floods the pages

whenever he is on the subject of slavery. How can a country that was built by people who

wanted freedom think that this is right? Douglass hardly ever comes off as furious, he is always

competent and rational. That does not mean that he does not become angry whenever he argues

about the hypocrisy that is Christian slave-owners. His anger towards faux religious slave-

owners is most exemplified in the appendix. Douglass states, “I am filled with unutterable

loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show, together with the horrible

inconsistencies, which every where surround me. We have men-stealers for minister, women-
 Mendola 3

whippers for missionaries, and cradle plunderers for church members,” (122-123). The last major

emotion seen in the novel is a passionate and optimistic tone that comes about whenever

Douglass talks about freedom. His excitement and passion allows readers to understand how

important freedom is to slaves and encourages joining the abolitionist movement so freedom

does not have to be just a distant fantasy to slaves. Douglass’ three major tones: disappointment

towards slavery, anger towards hypocrisy, and passion for freedom, give readers a personal

sympathy for Douglass and slaves alike. It also creates a hatred towards all people who promote

slavery, especially those who bolster about being Christian.

Frederick Douglass also points out many ironic qualities of slavery. Pointing these things

out makes the audience realize how ridiculous and cruel the concept of slavery is to begin with.

A country built on the foundations of freedom is content with the idea of enslaving, abusing,

malnourishing, and dehumanizing other people. How could this country be so blind to the evils

right under their noses? By writing a story about slavery, Douglass is able to make it obvious

how terrible slavery is. Douglass’ least favorite aspect of slavery is the concept of “religious”

slave-owners. Plantation owners and overseers in the South boasted about their religion. People

who beat other humans to death and treat them like animals have the mindset that they are

following in Christ’s footsteps. Douglass hates this hypocrisy and points out this obvious irony

to illustrate how evil and deceitful slave-owners are. The last major instance of irony is the

treatment of slaves like animals. Colonel Lloyd treated his horses like royalty, meanwhile the

slaves who cared for the horses were treated like dirt. If the horses are tired, it is their caretakers

fault and they were brutally beaten for insufficient treatment of the horses. Douglass puts it best,

“We were all ranked together at the valuation. Men and women, old and young, married and

single, were ranked with horses, sheep, and swine…all holding the same rank in the scale of
 Mendola 4

being,” (58-59). People were placed at the same level as animals. It is one of the most

dehumanizing things a person can hear, “You are as good as the livestock.” Irony presented

through Frederick Douglass’ narrative is used to get readers thinking about how unfair and cruel

the treatment of slaves is.

Slavery is evil. Almost all Americans today would agree with that statement. Back in the

1840s and 1850s, it took a little effort to convey that message. The Narrative of the Life of

Frederick Douglass was written so a massive audience would hopefully ascertain the idea that

slaves were suffering because of the inhumane treatment that slavery was. Douglass utilized

many writing methods to relay this message: storytelling, tone, and irony. By writing a vivid,

detailed, and truly human story about what it was like to be a slave, the theme was most

definitely communicated.