Narrative Of The Life of Fredrick Douglas Essay.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography of a slaves account to his life plagued by bondage. Often, autobiographies begin at a persons birth, with stories from their childhood that they couldnt have recalled due to their undeveloped brain. Frederick Douglass alleges several outlandish occurrences that he supposedly recollected from his very young childhood. This serves to prove that Douglass used deception to appeal to his audiences ethos and pathos to ultimately lead them to a life of abolitionism. It is clear that Douglass intended for every character to have a particular purpose, Douglass mother is the first striking character with questionable details that surround her purpose in this autobiography. But for a person who never knew his mother, he knew his lineage like the back of his hand even able to give full accounts of the skin complexion of people hes never met. It is possible that Douglass may have gotten this information on his mother from someone else on the plantation, but it is highly unlikely because familiar bonds were not encouraged and rare amongst slaves. Slaves were often separated from their families and friends, as the commerce of the slave trade in the south was booming, one didnt know where hed be the next week. His works still compels his audience to sympathize his condition by appealing to their ethos and pathos, which speaks volumes to and adheres to the function of Douglass mother in this narrative. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass serves as a powerful tool for abolitionism. Whether it is interpreted as a mere account of slavery or a powerful rhetorical piece of literature, this autobiography suggests Douglass implicitly characterizes the people in his childhood to appeal to the audiences ethos and pathos, coercing them into a life of abolitionism, by offering light to the harsh realities of American slavery.