Streelman 1

Devon Streelman

Mrs. Johnson

AP English Language and Composition

7 October 2018

NLFD Passage Two

In the mid to late 19th century, numerous slaves attempted to escape their chains, in hope

of making it to the free states, such as New York. Frederick Douglass was one of these slaves

that accepted this challenge in hope of becoming a free man. Throughout the passage, Frederick

Douglass takes advantage of various rhetorical strategies to convey that journey to the free states,

and slavery itself, contains numerous hardships. Douglass utilizes simile to give context to those

who cannot imagine how harsh his scenario was. Douglass also uses pathos throughout the

passage to make the audience to feel sorrow for him, thus persuading them to believe his point.

Another rhetorical strategy Douglass utilizes is anaphora to emphasize the grueling process in

which he escaped to New York.

Initially, Frederick Douglass takes advantage of anaphora to explain how he reached New

York. Douglass describes that he reached New York without any interruption by taking

consideration of“-what means [he] adopted,- what direction [he] traveled, and by what mode of

conveyance,- [He] must leave unexplained, for the reasons before mentioned”(3). This

emphasizes the numerous elements Douglass had to consider while traveling to minimizing the

chance of failure. The emphasis of the numerous elements that Douglass had to worry about

gives the audience a larger perspective to understand how difficult it was to travel to the free

states as a slave in this time period. Douglass also feels as if he is in a “land given up to be the
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hunting-ground for slaveholders-whose inhabitants are legalized kidnappers- where he is every

moment subjected to the terrible liability of being seized upon his fellowmen”(7). This quote

lists the various feelings Douglass gets while in the freeland, even though his is in a state where

owning slaves is illegal. This persuades the audience to believe the claim that being a slave

includes many hardships by making the audience realize even when slaves enter the free states,

they are still at risk. All in all, the application of anaphora in the passage makes the audience

realize the numerous hardships slaves had to conquer while on their journey and life in the free

states.

Secondly, Douglass elaborates on how it felt to be around others as an escaped slave by

employing similes. Douglass explains that it felt as if bounty hunters were “ferocious beasts of

the forest lie in wait for their prey”(5). This quote persuades the point that Douglass has

hardships while in the free states. This use of a simile gives context to those who cannot depict

the way Douglass felt. Another instance where Douglass uses simile to describe the hardships he

went through while attempting to become a free man was when he describes how it felt when he

had arrived at New York by describing it as if he “had escaped a den of hungry lions”(4). This

portrays that Douglass was relieved to make it to the free state and escaping some of the

hardships he faced while travelling. This proves Douglass’ point in that he shows how it felt to

escape some of these many hardships, however there are still more to come. In sum, Douglass

uses various similes to convey how he felt while traveling by giving context to the reader.

Douglass also persuades his point by giving the reader emotion by using the rhetorical

strategy of pathos. Douglass accomplishes this by explaining how it felt to lose “warm hearted
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friends in Baltimore,- frends that [he] loved almost as [he] did [his] life”(1) because he was

going to New York. This created emotion persuades the reader to believe that this was a hardship

he had to get through, thus proving Douglass’ point. The lost of loved ones does creates emotion

in the reader, more than most other subjects that the author could have elaborated on. Douglass

also applies pathos in the passage when elaborating on his situation when explaining that he is

“without home or friends-without money or credit- wanting shelter, and no one to give it”(7).

This quote creates despair in the reader by making the reader realize that Douglass has no

shelter, friends, home, and money, which are basic necessities to human life. This makes the

audience sorrow for Douglass, thus making the audience understand the hardships and

difficulties that Douglass has to bear. In wrap, the use of pathos opens the reader’s eyes to how

much Douglass has to go through.

In conclusion, Douglass effectively implements numerous rhetorical devices to persuade

his claim that the journey to the free states, and slavery itself, contains various hardships. With

anaphora, Douglass lists the numerous elements that he has to take account of, and how being in

a free state makes him feel, which would open the readers eyes to understand how many there

are. Douglass also uses simile to give context to elements that the readers can understand such as

“ferocious beasts hunting prey”(5) and a “den of hungry lions”(4). Finally, Douglass uses pathos

to create guilt and/or sadness in the reader by making the readers realize what Douglass had to

give up, even though he has so little in the first place, and the basic necessities that Douglass

lives without.