Friday, 6 December 2013

How does Frederick Douglass rebuke the romantic image of slavery in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass?

In his
narrative,rebukes the romantic image of slavery by using vividto describe situations that he has
witnessed.  Additionally, Douglass uses specificto develop these scenes.  For example, in the
fourth chapter of the narrative, Douglass tells the reader about Mr. Gore who replaced Mr.
Hopkins as overseer on Great House Farm.  Mr. Gore was a tyrant and felt that the lives of
slaves were meaningless when compared to the reputation of the overseer.  Douglass recounts the
story of Demby, a slave who waded into a nearby creek to soothe the pain of a whipping given by
Mr. Gore.  When Demby refused to come out of the water, Gore shot and killed him.  Douglass
writes, "His mangled body sank out of sight, and blood and brains marked the water where he
had stood."  This line paints a vivid picture in the mind of the reader and is all but
romantic.  By painting the harsh image of reality, Douglass is able to rebuke the romantic image
of slavery.

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