Narrative: Douglas
What kinds of knowledge about themselves does Douglass believe are kept from slaves, and why does he believe this is important?
What does he believe are some of the worse consequences of masters' siring of children on their slaves?
What explanation does Douglass give for the singing of slaves? What features does he ascribe to the songs he heard? How do you interpret the refrain he reproduces? ("I am going away to the Great House Farm!/ O, yea! O, yea! O!")
In the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave” many aspects of slavery are discussed and explored. Douglass believes that the knowledge of birthdates is kept from the slaves. He believes that this is important because white children were able to tell their ages while black children were “deprived of this privilege” (Douglas). In addition, the lack of this information was a cause of happiness for many children. There are many consequences of masters’ siring of children on their slaves. Among the worse consequences of this is that the children follow the condition of their mothers and remain slaves. This is as so because it is profitable to the white fathers and they get something out of it. In many cases, these children live a harsher life than most other slaves. This is partly because they are in “constant offense of their mistress”. Should her husband ever show care or pay attention to these children, she is more than willing to put them under the lash. Often times, these children are sold, for if they are not, their father or white brother must carry out their lashings which are hard for the father to watch. Douglass’s explanation for the singing of slaves is that it is a symbol of their unhappiness and sorrow. He then goes on to explain that slaves sing the most when they are unhappy. He writes, “The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears.” (Douglass). The tones of the songs he heard were loud and deep. The songs had deep meaning, as they were “a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from the chains.” (Douglass). The refrain Douglass reproduces is interpreted as a sarcasm statement that is full of meaning. EDIT Do Not Weep (Crane): To whom does Crane address verses 1, 3, and 5? Why might he have chosen these people? How does the tone, or mood, differ between the non-indented verses and the indented verses? What does Crane emphasize in each of the two different kinds of verses? In verses 1, 3, and 5 of “Do Not Weep”, Crane addresses women who have lost their lovers and/or loved ones in war. These verses are meant to comfort these individuals. Crane chose these people because they are the ones who suffer on …show more content…
Lincoln begins his speech by reminding his audience about this event because the Declaration of Independence was the first action towards freedom, just as Civil War was also a “new birth of freedom” (Lincoln). Lincoln mentions the dead soldiers because he hopes that they will inspire the audience to devote themselves to the cause of “the birth of freedom” as the soldiers did. Throughout the speech, Lincoln uses parallelism to emphasize several key ideas. One example of this parallel structure is the following : “...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” (Lincoln). The parallel pattern here is all of the phrases that include “the people” that are preceded by prepositions. This use of parallel structure emphasized that the government was dedicated to the …show more content…
This poem is a metaphor that memorializes Lincoln’s life and works, specifically, the impact of his life on the nation as well os grief over his loss. They style of the poem is that it places emphasizes the feelings of the narrator. It places focus on parts of the President's life that impacted the nation. This can be seen in the beginning of the poem when Whitman describes the victory of the Civil War. In addition, Whitman describes has bouquets and wreaths ready for the “Captain”, indicating how much the nation cared for him and grieved over this
What kinds of knowledge about themselves does Douglass believe are kept from slaves, and why does he believe this is important?
What does he believe are some of the worse consequences of masters' siring of children on their slaves?
What explanation does Douglass give for the singing of slaves? What features does he ascribe to the songs he heard? How do you interpret the refrain he reproduces? ("I am going away to the Great House Farm!/ O, yea! O, yea! O!")
In the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave” many aspects of slavery are discussed and explored. Douglass believes that the knowledge of birthdates is kept from the slaves. He believes that this is important because white children were able to tell their ages while black children were “deprived of this privilege” (Douglas). In addition, the lack of this information was a cause of happiness for many children. There are many consequences of masters’ siring of children on their slaves. Among the worse consequences of this is that the children follow the condition of their mothers and remain slaves. This is as so because it is profitable to the white fathers and they get something out of it. In many cases, these children live a harsher life than most other slaves. This is partly because they are in “constant offense of their mistress”. Should her husband ever show care or pay attention to these children, she is more than willing to put them under the lash. Often times, these children are sold, for if they are not, their father or white brother must carry out their lashings which are hard for the father to watch. Douglass’s explanation for the singing of slaves is that it is a symbol of their unhappiness and sorrow. He then goes on to explain that slaves sing the most when they are unhappy. He writes, “The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears.” (Douglass). The tones of the songs he heard were loud and deep. The songs had deep meaning, as they were “a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from the chains.” (Douglass). The refrain Douglass reproduces is interpreted as a sarcasm statement that is full of meaning. EDIT Do Not Weep (Crane): To whom does Crane address verses 1, 3, and 5? Why might he have chosen these people? How does the tone, or mood, differ between the non-indented verses and the indented verses? What does Crane emphasize in each of the two different kinds of verses? In verses 1, 3, and 5 of “Do Not Weep”, Crane addresses women who have lost their lovers and/or loved ones in war. These verses are meant to comfort these individuals. Crane chose these people because they are the ones who suffer on …show more content…
Lincoln begins his speech by reminding his audience about this event because the Declaration of Independence was the first action towards freedom, just as Civil War was also a “new birth of freedom” (Lincoln). Lincoln mentions the dead soldiers because he hopes that they will inspire the audience to devote themselves to the cause of “the birth of freedom” as the soldiers did. Throughout the speech, Lincoln uses parallelism to emphasize several key ideas. One example of this parallel structure is the following : “...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” (Lincoln). The parallel pattern here is all of the phrases that include “the people” that are preceded by prepositions. This use of parallel structure emphasized that the government was dedicated to the …show more content…
This poem is a metaphor that memorializes Lincoln’s life and works, specifically, the impact of his life on the nation as well os grief over his loss. They style of the poem is that it places emphasizes the feelings of the narrator. It places focus on parts of the President's life that impacted the nation. This can be seen in the beginning of the poem when Whitman describes the victory of the Civil War. In addition, Whitman describes has bouquets and wreaths ready for the “Captain”, indicating how much the nation cared for him and grieved over this