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Analysis of the narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass
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Analysis of the narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass
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In this final research analysis, I will be doing a comparison between the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” and the “Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” to show how both Douglass and Rowlandson use a great deal of person strength and faith in God to endure their life and ultimately gain their freedom.
Douglass spends most of the first five chapters giving the reader his background from birth. He explains the beginning of his sad life, hardships he has seen and endured on the plantation. Then when he was about 7 or 8 Douglass set sail to Baltimore This is the first time Douglass uses a reference to God. He says” that the transfer to Baltimore is a gift of providence” (Douglass). If he had not been
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She wrote how she tried to acknowledge the Sabbath day while in captivity. “I told them it was the Sabbath day and desired them to let me rest, and told them I would do as much more tomorrow, to which they answered me they would break my face” (Rowlandson)
Both Douglass and Rowlandson express great contempt for the Non Christian that surround them. Rowlandson uses these words to describe the Indians, “Barbarous creatures,” “murderous wretches,” “heathens,” “ravenous beasts,” and even “hell-hounds,” This fear and revulsion she expressed during captivity, the punishments and retributions, darkness and light, good and evil. The usage of scripture throughout the narrative is a source of strength and solace for Rowlandson (Colley).
Interestingly although she feared and reviled the Indians she states that not one of them offered the least abuse of unchastity to her. Her captors never sexually molested or violated her. Rowlandson learned to adapt and strove to make it thought her captivity alive. She learned how to gather food for herself. Tolerate the ways of the Indians, and make clothes for the tribe. She even decided to stay with the Indians when given the chance to escape. “Rowlandson refused them choosing to stay put and let God choose when she was fully redeemed and ready to be released”
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One example is Douglass talking about Mr. Covey. Even though he seems to be one of most devoted Christians its all an act. But in Convoy case he isn’t just a hypocrite, he actually thinks he is a Christian. ‘Douglass refused to pray with a man who believes owning a slave is a righteous thing to do, and this had Convey completely confused” (Wishart). Douglass relates biblical and Christian knowledge to his feeling about the inherent wrong of slavery and could never pray with someone who perpetuates
Franklin's attitude towards the Native Americans is very different from Mary Rowlandson's because he recognized that even though their manners were different from english men, they weren't savages as Rowlandson described them. In Rowlandson's narrative she clearly shows her opinion on their habits when she says: "and myself also in this wilderness condition," by comparing their normal condition to "wilderness" she calls them animals. Meanwhile Franklin is sure to state that: "These Employments of Men and Women are accounted natural & honorable," and by doing so he clarifies a good opinion on the natives and in the way they lived. Rowlandson also compares the Indian's manners as unpleasant, when she describes: "(in their hellish manner)."
Rowlandson watches as her family members are killed and kidnapped by Indians. At the beginning of her story she says she used to think she would rather be killed than taken captive by Indians, but when the time comes, she changes her mind and is taken by the “ravenous beasts,” (238). Rowlandson has never been around Indians. She knows only what she has been told about Indians, which is to fear and hate them, because they are savages. She feels she is being taken from civilization into the wilderness.
Douglass’ explains his view of religion as “When I think that these precious souls are to-day shut up in the prison-house of slavery, my feelings overcome me, and I am almost ready to ask, “Does a righteous God govern the universe? And for what does he hold the thunders in his right hand, if not to smite the oppressor, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the spoiler? (p.48).” He wonders how a righteous God can rule the universe, and yet still allow cruel things like slavery to exist. One of the ways Douglass shows himself to be a Christian, is by quoting the Bible, “Dark and terrible as is this picture, I hold it to be s...
The tone established in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is unusual in that from the beginning to the end the focus has been shifted. In the beginning of the narrative Douglass seems to fulfill every stereotypical slavery theme. He is a young black slave who at first cannot read and is very naïve in understanding his situation. As a child put into slavery Douglass does not have the knowledge to know about his surroundings and the world outside of slavery. In Douglass’ narrative the tone is first set as that of an observer, however finishing with his own personal accounts.
...ve Indians. From the copious use of examples in Winthrop's work, and the concise detail in Rowlandson's narrative, one can imbibe such Puritans values as the mercy of God, place in society, and community. Together, these three elements create a foundation for Puritan thought and lifestyle in the New World. Though A Model of Christian Charity is rather prescriptive in its discussion of these values, Rowlandson's captivity narrative can certainly be categorized as descriptive; this pious young woman serves as a living example of Winthrop's "laws," in that she lives the life of a true Puritan. Therefore, both 17th century works are extremely interrelated; in order to create Winthrop's model community, one must have faith and closely follow Puritan ideals, as Rowlandson has effectively done in her A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson.
Like the puritans Rowlandson uses a pain style of writing. The language she uses is uncomplicated and easy to understand. She dose not use references to other books except the bible. In one instance she compares the Indians to Jehu, the Israelite king who slew Ahab and all his men, "like Jehu, they marched on furiously". She also compares her experiences to the bible. Rowlandson makes it clear that the Indians did not comfort her after "It" died. Trying to explain the way she felt at that moment, she writes, "as he said". "He" is a Biblical allusion to Job. Like Rowlandson, "he" also lost his children.
Douglass as both the author and narrator in his novel took readers through his escape from slavery. Specifically mentioned in chapter seven of the book, the author expressed his new skill of reading and how that inspired his freedom. Douglass utilized rhetorical devices in chapter seven, such as pathos and personification to illustrate to his audience how his education motivated him to achieve liberation. Douglass’ effective use of emotion throughout the chapter made his experiences appeal to readers. Also, the first and last sentences of chapter seven served as bookends to show how education influenced Douglass’ freedom because within those two phrases there was a portion of Douglass’ journey told on how he escaped salvation. Lastly, Douglass’
Mary Rowlandson’s The Sovereignty and Goodness of God tells the story of her captivity by Native Americans in 17th century. In this story, she shows a typical Puritan view of Native Americans. When the Native Americans captured the Puritans, they did not have a positive view of the Native Americans at all, and not surprisingly, Rowlandson was not much different from them. Rowlandson starts the story with the Native Americans’ brutal attack on her village. She describes those gruesome experiences very vividly, and it seems certain that she has no reason to think highly of the Native Americans. On top of that, her words describing the Native Americans, such as infidels, liars and heathens, indicate that she did not see them as normal people.
“Looking that every hour would be the last of its life; and having no Christian friend near me, either to comfort or help me. Oh, I may see the wonderful power of God, that my Spirit did not utterly sink under my affliction: still the Lord upheld me with His gracious and merciful spirit.”(131) Mary Rowlandson mentions multiple times that that she does notn’t have any Christian friends to talk about her religion. As a result, she keeps to herself about her love for the Lord because she doesn't want anyone contradicting her religion. It mentions a time in the book when Rowlandson was exposing her religion and it was rejected because of the lack of faith, “My mistress, before she went , was gone to the burial of a papoose, and returning, she found me sitting and reading in my bible; she snatched it hastily out of my hand, and threw it out of doors. I ran out and catched it up, and put it into my pocket, and never let her see it afterward.”(134) Because her Native American captor “threw [her bible] out of the doors”, it is clear that she faces challenges practicing her religion. Mary Rowlandson kept the religion she loved, protected by not letting any other ideas, that contradicted her beliefs, change her perspective. She did this because it gave her strength and was the only motivation that got her through her time in captivity by
Douglass continues to describe the severity of the manipulation of Christianity. Slave owners use generations of slavery and mental control to convert slaves to the belief God sanctions and supports slavery. They teach that, “ man may properly be a slave; that the relation of master and slave is ordained by God” (Douglass 13). In order to justify their own wrongdoings, slaveowners convert the slaves themselves to Christianity, either by force or gentle coercion over generations. The slaves are therefore under the impression that slavery is a necessary evil. With no other source of information other than their slave owners, and no other supernatural explanation for the horrors they face other than the ones provided by Christianity, generations of slaves cannot escape from under the canopy of Christianity. Christianity molded so deeply to the ideals of slavery that it becomes a postmark of America and a shield of steel for American slave owners. Douglass exposes the blatant misuse of the religion. By using Christianity as a vessel of exploitation, they forever modify the connotations of Christianity to that of tyrannical rule and
In, “The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass”, readers get a first person perspective on slavery in the South before the Civil War. The author, Frederick Douglass, taught himself how to read and write, and was able to share his story to show the evils of slavery, not only in regard to the slaves, but with regard to masters, as well. Throughout Douglass’ autobiography, he shares his disgust with how slavery would corrupt people and change their whole entire persona. He uses ethos, logos, and pathos to help establish his credibility, and enlighten his readers about what changes needed to be made.
In “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,” Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan mother from Lancaster, Massachusetts, recounts the invasion of her town by Indians in 1676 during “King Philip’s War,” when the Indians attempted to regain their tribal lands. She describes the period of time where she is held under captivity by the Indians, and the dire circumstances under which she lives. During these terrible weeks, Mary Rowlandson deals with the death of her youngest child, the absence of her Christian family and friends, the terrible conditions that she must survive, and her struggle to maintain her faith in God. She also learns how to cope with the Indians amongst whom she lives, which causes her attitude towards them to undergo several changes. At first, she is utterly appalled by their lifestyle and actions, but as time passes she grows dependent upon them, and by the end of her captivity, she almost admires their ability to survive the harshest times with a very minimal amount of possessions and resources. Despite her growing awe of the Indian lifestyle, her attitude towards them always maintains a view that they are the “enemy.”
In Frederick Douglass’ Narrative, Christianity is a prominent feature of both slave and slave-owners’ lives. However, Douglass highlights the discrepancies between the religions of these two groups, finding the Christianity of slave holders to be false, malicious and hypocritical. Though he makes clear he is not irreligious himself, Douglass condemns the insincere ideology of slave owning America.
Mary Rowlandson was a pretentious, bold and pious character. Her narrative did not make me feel sorry for her at all, which is strange since she really did go through a lot. During the war, the Narragansett Indians attacked Lancaster Massachusetts, and burned and pillaged the whole village. During the siege Mary and her six year old child were shot, she watched her sister and most of her village either burn or get shot. She was kept as a captive, along with her three children and taken with the Narragansett’s on their long retreat. The exposition of the story is set immediately. The reader is perfectly aware of Missus Rowlandson’s status and religious beliefs. She constantly refers to the Narragansetts in an incredibly condescending way, to the point that you know that she does not even consider them human. She paints them as purely evil pe...
The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson is a personal account, written by Mary Rowlandson in 1682, of what life in captivity was like. Her narrative of her captivity by Indians became popular in both American and English literature. Mary Rowlandson basically lost everything by an Indian attack on her town Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1675; where she is then held prisoner and spends eleven weeks with the Wampanoag Indians as they travel to safety. What made this piece so popular in both England and America was not only because of the great narrative skill used be Mary Rowlandson, but also the intriguing personality shown by the complicated character who has a struggle in recognizing her identity. The reoccurring idea of food and the word remove, used as metaphors throughout the narrative, could be observed to lead to Mary Rowlandson’s repression of anger, depression, and realization of change throughout her journey and more so at the end of it.