Through the use of descriptive language, Frederick Douglass explains the cruelty and harsh conditions slaves faced at various points in their live. He gives detailed accounts of different scenes that he experienced or witnessed during his life as a slave. By the end of these introductory chapters, the reader has a good visual of the daily struggles of a slave, what they were punished for and how they were punished.
From Douglass’ use of descriptive language, the audience witnesses a few cases of the day-to-day hardships slaves faced. One of these cases is about the separation of a mother and her child. Frederick Douglass’ mother was a slave living twelve miles away from him. She would make her journeys in the night “…travelling the whole distance …show more content…
Clothing was given as a yearly allowance. Men and women were given more clothing than children. Children, however, were only given “…two coarse linen shirts per year…” (6). Once they grew out of their clothing, the children would go naked until next allowance day. Nearly naked children could be seen “…at all seasons of the year” (6). All of the slaves lacked proper bedding and blankets. After a long day of work, the slaves would “…drop down side by side, on one common bed—the cold, damp floor...” (6). This descriptive language not only shows how united the slave community was, but also how they were expected to work all day, get only a few hours of sleep in uncomfortable sleeping conditions, and be expected to work the next day. As a result of the miserable blankets and lack of shoes, Douglass wrote his feet would become “…so cracked with the frost, that the pen with which [he was] writing might be laid in the gashes” (16). This vivid description shows the reader of how extremely the slaves were deprived of basic …show more content…
The first example is of Mr. Austin Gore shooting Demby. Mr. Gore was punishing Demby for an act he deemed improper, and after a few lashes, Demby “…ran and plunged himself into a creek…” (13). The use of the word “plunged” in this description shows how fearful Demby was of his overseer. Mr. Gore gives Demby three calls to get out of the water, but Demby refuses to abide. After the third call, Mr. Gore shoots and kills Demby without a second thought. Douglass describes Demby’s “…mangled body…” (13). The description using the word mangled truly stands out because the reader can visualize the bodily remains floating in the
From Douglass’ use of descriptive language, the audience witnesses a few cases of the day-to-day hardships slaves faced. One of these cases is about the separation of a mother and her child. Frederick Douglass’ mother was a slave living twelve miles away from him. She would make her journeys in the night “…travelling the whole distance …show more content…
Clothing was given as a yearly allowance. Men and women were given more clothing than children. Children, however, were only given “…two coarse linen shirts per year…” (6). Once they grew out of their clothing, the children would go naked until next allowance day. Nearly naked children could be seen “…at all seasons of the year” (6). All of the slaves lacked proper bedding and blankets. After a long day of work, the slaves would “…drop down side by side, on one common bed—the cold, damp floor...” (6). This descriptive language not only shows how united the slave community was, but also how they were expected to work all day, get only a few hours of sleep in uncomfortable sleeping conditions, and be expected to work the next day. As a result of the miserable blankets and lack of shoes, Douglass wrote his feet would become “…so cracked with the frost, that the pen with which [he was] writing might be laid in the gashes” (16). This vivid description shows the reader of how extremely the slaves were deprived of basic …show more content…
The first example is of Mr. Austin Gore shooting Demby. Mr. Gore was punishing Demby for an act he deemed improper, and after a few lashes, Demby “…ran and plunged himself into a creek…” (13). The use of the word “plunged” in this description shows how fearful Demby was of his overseer. Mr. Gore gives Demby three calls to get out of the water, but Demby refuses to abide. After the third call, Mr. Gore shoots and kills Demby without a second thought. Douglass describes Demby’s “…mangled body…” (13). The description using the word mangled truly stands out because the reader can visualize the bodily remains floating in the