Reflections on Slavery: Frederick Douglass's Inner Turmoil
Within close proximity to the Chesapeake Bay, Frederick Douglass experiences a profound internal conflict while observing ships - symbols of freedom to some, but haunting ghosts to him. His longing for freedom, juxtaposed with the realities of his enslaved existence, is vividly portrayed through his yearning for escape and philosophical musings. Despite moments of despair, he finds solace in his faith. Douglass grapples with the duality of his emotions, ultimately striving for liberation despite the harsh constraints of slavery.
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Frederick Douglass Digital Close Reading Graham Sevy Jack Jahries Jack Ware Jacob Langer
Our house stood within a few rods of the Chesapeake Bay, whose broad bosom was ever white with sails from every quarter of the habitable globe. Those beautiful vessels, robed in purest white, so delightful to the eye of freemen, were to me so many shrouded ghosts, to terrify and torment me with thoughts of my wretched condition. 1 I have often, in the deep stillness of a summer's Sabbath 2, stood all alone upon the lofty banks of that noble bay, and traced, with saddened heart and tearful eye, the countless number of sails moving off to the mighty ocean. The sight of these always affected me powerfully. My thoughts would compel utterance; and there, with no audience but the Almighty, I would pour out my soul's complaint, in my rude way, with an apostrophe to the moving multitude of ships:-- "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! 3 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! 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. O God, save me! God, deliver me! Let me be free! 4 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. 5 I had as 6 well die with ague as the fever. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.7" Thus I used to think, and thus I used to speak to myself; goaded almost to madness at one moment, and at the next reconciling myself to my wretched lot.
Annotation 1 Those beautiful vessels, robed in purest white, so delightful to the eye of freemen, were to me so many shrouded ghosts, to terrify and torment me with thoughts of my wretched condition. Analysis: Firstly, the passage creates a contrast in the view of the boats in the eyes of freemen and slaves. By personifying 1 the ships in the eyes of freedmen as robed in the purest white , Douglass creates a heavenly connotation with being free. At the same time, he creates a hellish connotation from the slave s perspective by personifying the ships as shrouded ghosts . Return to Passage
Annotation 2 I have often, in the deep stillness of summer Sabbath, looked out upon the noble bay Analysis: The passage describes how Douglass took comfort in his religion and found a sense of calm, even when enslaved. The alliteration 1 of s creates a calm, constant feeling for the reader. In addition, the phrase contains a reference to the Sabbath, which was a religious day of rest where the slave could feel some small sense of freedom. Return to Passage
Annotation 3 "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! Analysis: Douglass utilizes apostrophe 1 by addressing the boats freedom, while he stands in sorrow as a slave. By speaking to the boats as people, Douglass emphasizes the differences between the free boats and his condition trapped in slavery Return to Passage
Annotation 4 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! 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. O God, save me! God, deliver me! Let me be free! Analysis: Douglass compares the ship s sail to a protective wing , implying that he believes freedom is a saving force. The metaphor directly comparing hell to the unending slavery clearly shows Douglass s disdain for the unescapable everlasting nature of slavery. 1 Return to Passage
Annotation 5 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. Analysis: Douglass uses the syntax 1 with short phrases to show his swirling thought process and desperation in reference to escaping slavery. This adds to the overall message as Douglass has gained more knowledge and therefore increases his craving for what he cannot obtain. Return to Passage
Annotation 6 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! 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. O God, save me! God, deliver me! Let me be free! Analysis: Here, Douglass utilizes anaphora 1 to convey the repetitive nature of his thoughts. By repeating the word O , Douglass describes the terrible circumstance where he is trapped in a cycle of unending slavery, yet unending thoughts of freedom. Douglass uses O also as a cry for help and appeal to pity. Return to Passage
Annotation 7 I am not the only slave in the world. Why should I fret? I can bear as much as any of them .There is a better day coming. Analysis: This sentence utilizes a rhetorical question 1 to provide a personal connection from the reader to Douglass. The inclusion of a question mark leads the reader to ask the question themselves, and consequently think about all of the reasons why Douglass SHOULD fret due to the horrors of slavery. This is also a pep talk internally for Douglass to help him cope with the situation at hand. Return to Passage
Alliteration The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. To Annotation
Personification Lending life-like or human-like qualities to an inanimate object To Annotation
Apostrophe A writer or a speaker, using an apostrophe, detaches himself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech. To Annotation
Metaphor Metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things or objects that are poles apart from each other but have some characteristics common between them. To Annotation
Syntax The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. To Annotation
Anaphora Repetition for effect: the use of the same word or phrase at the beginning of several successive clauses, sentences, lines, or verses, usually for emphasis or rhetorical effect. To Annotation
Rhetorical Question Any question asked for a purpose other than to obtain the information the question asks. To Annotation
