Frederick Douglass Quote Log free essay sample

Capable of high attainments as an intellectual and moral being needing nothing but a comparatively small amount of cultivation to make him an ornament to society and a blessing to his race by the law of the land, by the voice of the people, by the terms of the slave code, he was only a piece of property, a beast of burden, a chattel personal, nevertheless! † * Page 4 * Pathos, logos * The audience of this piece is educated, white abolitionist men from the north. Because of this, this speaker chooses to frequently use logos to make his argument, which is evident in this passage. He is straight forward in describing what it truly means to be a slave, and how they are of no lesser value than white people. These are simply facts, but the tone in which they are presented enable the audience/reader to understand where he is coming from and take his side. We will write a custom essay sample on Frederick Douglass Quote Log or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page * â€Å"I reminded the audience †¦ might burst of feeling. The exigence (issue being addressed? ) of this piece is the issue of slavery. Most pro-slavery people truly believed that blacks were of lesser value than them, and were of no potential benefit to society other than working as a slave. The author of the preface uses the logos appeal to prove this to be untrue, by explaining that the characteristics of a slave exist not because of the slave’s race, but because of the slavery itself. The capitalization of â€Å"the domestic institution† makes him sound more emotional and strong, as if he is yelling because he is so upset over the issue. * â€Å"Mr. Douglass has frankly disclosed †¦ if they are untrue.   Again, we have known you long †¦ fair specimen of the whole truth. These two passages are clear ethos appeal for Fredrick Douglass. Though someone else wrote both excerpts, they both give Douglass credibility that will carry on into his narrative. It makes Douglass’ narrative more powerful as a whole because the reader truly believes what he or she is reading. â€Å"There is no single spot †¦ I should throw the MS. into the fire., logos * Since the audience is mostly abolitionists, the author uses the logos appeal here to evoke a pathos appeal in them. He says that there is nowhere that a slave can ever truly be safe. People that were pro-slavery would probably think nothing of this statement, but this audience is educated and open-minded, and is able to recognize how unfair a situation the slaves are in. The impact of this quote is great, because the readers realize how trapped the slaves were and it makes the readers feel for them and want to do something about it. The audience is educated, and these facts are given to show how these slaves are intentionally dehumanized to prevent them from being able to develop even the most basic knowledge of themselves as individuals. It is effective because it shows the readers that it is not the slaves fault that they appear less educated, it is because they are intentionally kept ignorant. * â€Å"She made her journeys to see me in the night, travelling the whole distance on foot, after the performance of her day’s work.   In this passage, Douglass is talking about his mother. Most of the audience are adults, and are most likely parents in their own right. In this way, they can empathize with the desire of a parent to be with their child. This is effective in showing how slaves are humans just like everyone else and have emotion and longing to be with their families. * â€Å"He must not only whip them himself†¦ ply the gory lash to his naked back. † * Page 15 * Logos, pathos * The pu rpose of this narrative is to get readers to see how awful and inhumane slavery is, and to want to abolish it. This statement is clearly wrong (logos) and causes readers to sympathize with Douglass and agree that slavery should be banned. * â€Å"He would at times seem to take great pleasure†¦ would he cesase to swing the blood-clotted cowskin. † * Pages 15-16 * Logos, pathos, ethos * Douglass is writing this narrative to address slavery and give readers an idea of what being a slave is really like. To further show this, he uses this quote to show just how inhumane the owners can be. By using a specific example, he gives himself credibility of knowing what he’s talking about and really having witnessed torturous events. The language and tone used appeal to the pathos appeal because he sounds so angry about the things he has seen. * â€Å"To all these complaints, no matter how unjust†¦ thirty lashes at a the time. Because most of the audience is already abolitionist or open to abolishing slavery, Douglass knows they will find this passage unfair. Also, most of the audience is adults, and Douglass’ description of Old Barney gets them to sympathize with him. Logos Douglass is showing the audience that there are reasons why they don’t hear too much about why slavery is so bad, because the slaves have fatal consequences if they complain. His diction is very factual and straight to the point, due to his educated audience. His purpose in writing is to get people to see how dark slavery is, and this quote shows why some people might not think slavery is so bad. * â€Å"Mr. Gore then, without consultation or deliberation with any one†¦ He alone seemed cool and collected.