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Title: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Passage Analysis

1
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Passage Analysis
2
Passage Chapter Ten Page 59 "You are loosed
from your moorings, and are free I am fast in my
chains, and am a slave! You move merrily before
the gentle gale, and I sadly before the bloody
whip! You are freedom's swift-winged angels, that
fly round the world I am confined in bands of
iron! 1 O that I were free! O, that I were on
one of your gallant decks, and under your
protecting wing! Alas! betwixt me and you, the
turbid waters roll. Go on, go on. O that I could
also go! 2 Could I but swim! If I could fly! O,
why was I born a man, of whom to make a brute!
The glad ship is gone she hides in the dim
distance. I am left in the hottest hell of
unending slavery. 3 O God, save me! God,
deliver me! Let me be free! Is there any God? Why
am I a slave? I will run away. I will not stand
it. Get caught, or get clear, I'll try it. I had
as well die with ague as the fever. 4 I have
only one life to lose. I had as well be killed
running as die standing. Only think of it one
hundred miles straight north, and I am free! Try
it? Yes! God helping me, I will. It cannot be
that I shall live and die a slave. 5 I will
take to the water. This very bay shall yet bear
me into freedom. The steamboats steered in a
northeast course from North Point. I will do the
same and when I get to the head of the bay, I
will turn my canoe adrift, and walk straight
through Delaware into Pennsylvania. 6 When I
get there, I shall not be required to have a
pass I can travel without being disturbed. Let
but the first opportunity offer, and, come what
will, I am off. 7 Meanwhile, I will try to bear
up under the yoke. I am not the only slave in the
world. Why should I fret? I can bear as much as
any of them. 8 Besides, I am but a boy, and all
boys are bound to some one. It may be that my
misery in slavery will only increase my happiness
when I get free. There is a better day coming."
9
3
Annotation 1

You are loosed from your moorings, and are
free I am fast in my chains, and am a slave! You
move merrily before the gentle gale, and I sadly
before the bloody whip! You are freedom's
swift-winged angels, that fly round the world I
am confined in bands of iron!
This passage revolves around contrast. Douglass
is comparing the oppression he suffers under
slavery to the freedom that the ships enjoy. The
passage personifies the ships with a metaphor,
thus allowing Douglass to compare himself to
them. Douglass envies the ships, for they may
sail and be free while he himself is confined to
wherever his master commands him to go. The
passage also contains parallelism, as the You
are, I am sentence structure is repeated three
times. Douglass is listing the reasons for his
jealousy of the ships. By doing this, he
contrasts his despairing station in life to the
swift-winged angels of freedom, in order to
highlight how the majesty of living is denied to
him because he is not his own person.

Return to passage
4
Annotation 2
O that I were free! O, that I were on one of
your gallant decks, and under your protecting
wing! Alas! betwixt me and you, the turbid waters
roll. Go on, go on. O that I could also go!
This passage illustrates Douglasss intense
longing for freedom and escape from the bondage
of slavery. Douglass uses anaphora, a form of
syntax, in his repetition of O to highlight
this longing. His desire for freedom is contained
in this repetition, as it embodies the very
essence of his yearning. He also utilizes the
epistrophe of go on in order to express his
yearning wish to rise above the cruel chains of
slavery and be free, be safe on the deck of the
ship that is sailing away from oppression.
Diction is used to give the ship a valiant
quality by describing it as gallant with a
protecting wing. This is how Douglass views
freedom a bold and grand idea, one that slaves
have a right to experience. This freedom is
contained in the symbol of the ship. Overall,
this section of the passage presents Douglasss
deep longing to be free from slavery, a longing
that will haunt him throughout the rest of the
book as his ideals clash with the bondage of
slavery.
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5
Annotation 3
Could I but swim! If I could fly! O, why was I
born a man, of whom to make a brute! The glad
ship is gone she hides in the dim distance. I am
left in the hottest hell of unending
slavery. Douglass regrets being born a man, for
beasts are free, and cannot be degraded like a
slave is. Douglass implies that this is the worst
part of slavery for him, not the labor or the
mistreatment, but the forcing of man to be a
brute without rights. The symbol of the ship is
referred to again, but Douglasss escape to
salvation has left and he can no longer reach it.
Instead, Douglass is left to suffer under
slavery. He compares slavery to hell, making the
ship a metaphorical angel who can save him from
his damnation. This reflects Douglass unending
struggle with his fate, and his difficulty
understanding why God would put slaves in such a
agonizing situation.
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6
Annotation 4
O God, save me! God, deliver me! Let me be free!
Is there any God? Why am I a slave? I will run
away. I will not stand it. Get caught, or get
clear, I'll try it. I had as well die with ague
as the fever. In this passage, Douglass
expresses his frustration with slavery and God.
He uses religious references to elaborate on his
unhappiness with Gods lack of taking action
against the brutal reigns of slavery. Douglass
exclaims, save me! God, deliver me! Let me be
free! He longs for freedom more than anything,
and being a religious man, he calls upon God to
grant him freedom. When God does not, Douglass
begins to question the existence of the Creator.
The God of Christianity, symbol of all that is
good and just, would surely not allow the
suffering that Douglass must endure, yet this
suffering, and the loathsome institution of
slavery, continue on. Douglass also uses
rhetorical questions in the passage to question
Gods existence. Douglass is frustrated that God
would ignore his pleas, and feels that if there
is truly an almighty God, slavery would not be
permitted to exist. Douglass later exclaims that
he would rather die of disease or fever, than be
a slave any longer.
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7
Annotation 5
I have only one life to lose. I had as well be
killed running as die standing. Only think of it
one hundred miles straight north, and I am free!
Try it? Yes! God helping me, I will. It cannot be
that I shall live and die a slave. In this
passage, Douglass uses short sentences to express
his urgent need to be free. After all, freedom
is only one hundred miles straight north, and
then Douglass will no longer be subjugated under
the evils of slavery. The short sentences are
brief and final, just like his decision to escape
from slavery. It is a clear decision, firmly made
without lingering doubts, and to-the-point.
There are no other options available for him
anymore Douglass must be free. He wont change
his mind, and he wont back down from any
challenge. Douglass also continues to emphasize
his strongly religious background by asking God
to help him, as he feels that is the only help he
will receive in this daring venture. By using
declarative sentences, Douglass ends his decision
on a strong note, announcing to his readers that
he will be free or die trying.
Return to passage
8
Annotation 6
I will take to the water. This very bay shall yet
bear me into freedom. The steamboats steered in a
northeast course from North Point. I will do the
same and when I get to the head of the bay, I
will turn my canoe adrift, and walk straight
through Delaware into Pennsylvania. In this
passage Douglass continues the symbol of the
ships representing freedom, and the waterway as a
route into liberty. The steamboats will steer in
a northeast course from North Point. North is
where freedom lies, where slavery does not exist.
This repetition of North only emphasizes
Douglasss yearning for freedom, as he is
charting his path to escape to Pennsylvania. The
long sentence at the end, full of commas and
colons, exemplifies the lengthy duration of the
journey that Douglass must undertake in order to
achieve the freedom he so yearns for. This
passage also reveals the confidence of Douglass
in this venture. He is determined to be free, no
matter what it takes, and this is reflected in
his authoritative diction. The bay shall yet
bear him into freedom and Douglass will walk
straight through Delaware to Pennsylvania. His
whole soul is focused on freedom. He is already
charting his course north, and Douglass will
complete this course, no matter what.
Return to passage
9
Annotation 7
When I get there, I shall not be required to
have a pass I can travel without being
disturbed. Let but the first opportunity offer,
and, come what will, I am off. Slaves, when
traveling, are required to have passes signed by
their masters that authorize them to legally be
somewhere not on the plantation. Douglass airily
states he will not be required to have a pass
and that he will travel without being
disturbed, which only further reinforces the
growing sense of independence he is acquiring and
disregard for authority. He is confident he will
be free. It is not chance, but destiny. Douglass
ignores all obstacles that can stop him, from his
masters and his lack of supplies to the slave
catchers, and focuses only on journeying to
freedom and moving on from his current position
in life. Once Douglass sets his mind on becoming
free, nothing will deter him. He will be off.
Return to passage
10
Annotation 8
Meanwhile, I will try to bear up under the yoke.
I am not the only slave in the world. Why should
I fret? I can bear as much as any of
them. Douglass is referring to his ability to
handle adversity. This is a reference to the
years of hardship he has endured as a young man.
Douglass is emphasizing the fact that through the
beatings, the fights, and the failures, he has
persisted and managed to get this far. Slavery
makes one a hardened individual, and Douglass is
no exception. Douglass is confident that once he
manages to achieve his freedom, any adversity he
faces wont compare to the adversity hes faced
as a slave. When one wants something with enough
yearning, they will ignore or dismiss the
downsides that come with it.
Return to passage
11
Annotation 9
Besides, I am but a boy, and all boys are bound
to some one. It may be that my misery in slavery
will only increase my happiness when I get free.
There is a better day coming. Douglass uses
interesting syntax when writing this passage. He
refers to himself as a boy, instead of using
another, more mature term, such as a man.
There are several explanations for this, one
being that perhaps Douglass was simply used to
being called boy. Slaves were not treated with
decency by their masters, and were never
respected. Regardless of age, men were called
boys of course slave masters would not care
about the way in which they referred to their
slaves. This shows the reader how trained to be a
slave Douglass was. He has not yet achieved the
mindset of a free man, independent and
self-serving, though this revelation will come
later in his fight with Mr. Covey (when Douglass
vows never to be whipped again). Douglass also
juxtaposes the misery of slavery with the
happiness of freedom in order to show that
nothing else matters for him anymore. Only misery
is found in slavery, and only happiness is found
in freedom. The wide gap between these two
conflicting institutions will make the
achievement of freedom sweeter. The day Douglass
becomes free is the day he will always savor as
the ascension out of the torment of slavery.
Douglass ends this passage on a hopeful note,
saying that a better day is coming. It seems that
he truly believes, one day, he will be a free
man.

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12
Rhetorical Term Anaphora

Anaphora is defined as repetition of a word or
phrase at the beginning of successive phrases,
clauses, or sentences.
O that I were free! O, that I were on one of
your gallant decks, and under your protecting
wing! Alas! betwixt me and you, the turbid waters
roll. Go on, go on. O that I could also go!
The main usage of anaphora in this passage is
Douglass repetition of O at the beginnings of
his sentences. While it is outdated language by
our modern standards, O was used as an
expression of depression or woe in Douglass time.
Douglass was filled with enormous regret for his
landlocked and enslaved existence, and wished for
the freedom that came with the voyage on the boat.

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13
Rhetorical Term Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is placing two opposites next to
one another to better illustrate the difference
between them. It may be that my misery in
slavery will only increase my happiness when I
get free. In this sentence, Douglass does more
than simply say freedom is the opposite of
slavery and misery is the opposite of happiness.
He also heavily implies misery is the opposite of
freedom, and happiness the opposite of slavery.
So great was Douglass want for freedom, that he
equates freedom to happiness. A slave cannot be
happy, and a freeman cannot be miserable.
Douglass had entered a sort of apotheosis, a
lowest point where the only escape and
achievement of true joy was being freed from his
bonds.
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14
Rhetorical Term Rhetorical Question
A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in
the form of a question posed for its persuasive
effect without the expectation of a reply Is
there any God? Why am I a slave? Try it?
Why should I fret? On numerous occasions
within the passage, Douglass asks brief questions
of the audience that have no definite answer. He
is baring his mind and heart to the reader, his
doubts, his fears, his angers, his hopes. Through
these questions, he is illustrates his thought
process. From regret, to wistfulness, to finally
an insatiable desire for freedom, Douglass goes
through all of them in his one-way conversation
with the reader.
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15
Rhetorical Term Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word
or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is
used to designate another, thus making an
implicit comparison. You are freedom's
swift-winged angels Douglass utilizes
metaphor to describe the ships he sees out on the
bay. This device further reinforces the symbol of
the ships as a passage to freedom. In fact, with
this phrase, Douglass once again brings in a
religion motif by comparing the ships with the
angels of freedom. This is tangent to Douglasss
thinking that religion, specifically Christianity
in this autobiography, is a morally good concept
that goes hand in hand with freedom. Angels are
pure and innocent, they would clearly be the
harbingers of all that is virtuous, and free.
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16
Vocabulary