Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Chapter 9 Analysis

The novel Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, published in 1845, provides Americans with a firsthand look into slavery prior to the Civil War. Douglass, born a slave early into the nineteenth century, encounters and survives the task of living as a slave. Within the ninth chapter of his life, an argument arises that claims Southern Christianity differs immensely from its Northern counterpart. A majority of Christians in non-slaveholding states at the time believed that Christian slaveholders were kinder after they converted, Douglass worked to invalidate this claim. In chapter nine, the ingenious use of dispassionate tone and allusion throughout the passages support the claim that a simple conversion to Christianity only gives justification to cruel southern slaveholders.
Dispassionate tone appears often throughout chapter nine,

and particularly pushes the fact that Douglass lived in quite a horrid situation.

Such a tone is displayed when Douglass states a rule slaveholders follow, “The rule is, no matter how coarse the food, only let there be enough of it” (31). The structure of this sentence is formulated to convey a factual tone that lacks passion, leaving the audience to establish their own feelings of disgust and resentment. The simple statement of the rule divulges to the audience that slaveholders already lack the humanity needed to properly care for their own ‘property’, but a little bit later in the chapter, after Master Thomas’ conversion, the audience is exposed to something peculiar. Preachers have begun staying at the plantation, with Douglass recalling that “his house was the preachers’ home. They used to take great pleasure in coming there to put up; for while he starved

us, he stuffed them” (32). Prior to this comment, it could be argued that perhaps the slaveholder simply did not have enough to feed his slaves, and therefore followed this rule. However, now the audience recognizes that these masters simply intended to serve their slaves poorly. The lack of passion in this sentence funnels the audience into an outrage about the fact that Christian preachers are treated as if royalty while innumerable amounts of slaves are left outside to scavenge for food. Without displaying passion, the audience themselves are perpetuated into creating their own passion. Douglass hits hard with the tone displayed in the passages, and thus strengthens the claim that conversion to Christianity does nothing to make the aristocratic slaveholder humble nor compassionate.
The other style utilized in the chapter is that of allusion. In the chapter, allusion is used to draw attention to the slaveholder, at one point noting that Master Thomas “spoke to his slaves with the firmness of Napoleon” (31). This choice of allusion stands as quite important to the time period this book was published in, as Napoleons reign of terror in Europe had just recently ended. The allusion to such a historic figure strikes into the audience of this book, as he is quite despised by the populous. Napoleon also represents a horrible, cruel character who rules through tyranny and fear. By using this historical figure as comparison, the slaveholder is perceived by the audience in a negative fashion. Notably after this remark, Douglass recalls that “he (Master Thomas) would quote this passage of Scripture – ‘He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes” (33). Not only does Master Thomas contain within him the wrath of a tyrant, but he now uses the text of the Bible to justify his horrendous crimes. The allusions are ordered in this fashion to stir emotions within the audience, and to further prove Douglass’ argument that Christian conversion only allows a master to justify their atrocities.
The application of dispassionate tone to describe the state of slaves under a Christian master, and the addition of allusion to covertly open up the emotions of the audience, effectively establish a strong argument that claims conversion to Christianity only makes slaveholders strengthen their dreadful reign. These rhetoric devices are specifically chosen to jab at the emotions of the intended audience, and also strive to evoke a strong sense of resentment towards the slaveholder. Douglass specifically targets Christians in his diction for these devices, as the references to the bible as well as the example of preachers being fed bountifully in the presence of the starving appall humble Christians. Douglass’ Narrative depicts his life as a slave, and his eventual freedom. In his effort to free others, he strives to arouse the support of the Christian majority in the north, and chapter nine is his chosen method to do so.