Sara Elkhodiry

Professor: Uhl

FIQWS 10108


Oct 5th  2017

                                                                    Hope

           Hope gives the optimism that drives the individual to adhere to life again. Without it, the wheel of progress and advancement in man will not function. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass’ usage of syntax and figurative in chapter 10 when referring to the Chesapeake Bay demonstrates the slaves’ desperate yearning for their rightful freedom that was brutishly snatched away from them by the slaveholders. In the article “Ecocritical Approach to Literary Text Interpretation” by Neema Bagula, the concept that nature is a wild place for people to discover themselves can be applied to Douglass’s work to further demonstrate the dehumanization of the slaves as they were forbidden to explore nature.

         Our hope is the motivation that gives life continuity, the light that brightens our path to a more beautiful and finer life. The slaveholders tried their best to incinerate the hope that lies within the slaves. They tortured them to discipline their mentality into thinking that there’s no way to escape slavery. As the slaves reached a certain level of despair, the hope inside them gradually disappeared which caused them to find no value in their lives. Without that hope of being free from the shackles of slavery, the slaves found no reason to cling onto their humanity as it was taken away by the slaveholders. In chapter 10, Douglass’ master, Mr. Covey was trying to break Douglass’ ‘spirit’ as if he was a wild animal. Mr. Covey almost succeeded in ‘taming’ Douglass, but as Douglass painfully watched the sails floating through the sea freely, a deep desire to obtain freedom sparked within him. The sails represent freedom to Douglass as they can travel anywhere they please without any limitation. Douglass’ stylistic elements in chapter 10 when referring to the Chesapeake Bay exposes the horrors of slavery as he unleashes his soul's complaints and his desperation for freedom.

            Douglass uses figurative language when referring to the Chesapeake Bay to denote his yearning to escape slavery. He compares the view of the sails in the eyes of both the free and enslaved men when stating; “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.” (56). He highlights the difference between the enslaved and free men by showing us just how extremely aggrieved the enslaved men were that such simple scene as the sails floating in the sea causes them to feel fright and sorrow. By describing the sails as ‘white’ and ‘pure', Douglass portrays a heavenly relation to freedom. Douglass uses this metaphorical contrast to create an angelic association with being free at the same time he creates a hellish link to slavery. Douglass, with sentences such as “O that I could also go! Could I but swim! If I could fly!” (56), uses parallelism as he repeats the word ‘could’ to intensify his desperation to obtain freedom. The repetition of the word “could” indicates that Douglass is indeed powerless when it comes to attaining his rightful freedom. Douglass conveys the idea that slaves live defenselessly with no one to aid them which shows the readers that the slaves are suffering greatly. Douglass states “O that I was on one of your gallant decks….and under your protecting wing!” (56). By describing the sails as a ‘protective wing', Douglass implies that freedom is their salvation from slavery. Douglass uses personification as he describes the sails as “gallant.” By speaking to the sails as if they were humans, Douglass gives the readers a more in-depth depiction of the misery slavery put him through. The tone Douglass uses when describing the sails is envious as he longs to attain the freedom they have. This denotes Douglass’ hopefulness for a free life and the ending of slavery.

           Douglass’ syntax helps in giving the readers a better understanding of the urgency of his desire to end slavery. In the powerful apostrophe, Douglass states; “You move merrily before the gentle gale, and I sadly before the bloody whip!” (56). Douglass usage of soft alliteration when describing the “gale” which is the wind that surrounds the sails, sharply contrasts with the rough 'b' in “before bloody whip.” This diction is used to convey the peace and amity freedom offers as opposed to the turbulent life of slavery. Douglass’ usage of exclamation points in sentences such as “O that I could also go! Could I but swim! If I could fly!” (56), creates a shift in tone as it moves from a miserable tone in the first part of the paragraph to a desperate tone in the third half of the paragraph. Douglass frustrated tone emphasizes his abhorrence for slavery and desire to eliminate it. This diction helps the reader explore the thoughts of a slave who yearns to be freed from the chains of slavery. In using parallelism by adding the ‘O’ and exclamation points in short sentences, Douglass, with such sentences such as " O that I was free! O, that I was on one of your gallant deck!."(56) , further demonstrates the urgency behind his hope to be free. The repetition in that sentence implies that his suffering is never-ending. The structure of these short sentences forms a sense of frustration in Douglass’s tone. This change in syntax shows that the slaves are not accepting their lives. They do not feel 'blessed for having a home.' No-they are miserable human beings who never tasted freedom or hope, so they had no choice but to turn into brutes. This diction portrays the dehumanizing character of slavery.

             What is the relationship between Nature and man? According to Begula in the article “Eco-critical Approach to Literary Text Interpretation” ,nature is a place where people discover themselves as it provides the “opportunity for man to mirror himself so as to understand what sort of creature he is” (Begula 374). Society is corrupt, and the only way for humans to get in touch with their inner self is when they are far away from this corruption and closer to nature (Begula). In chapter 10 in the Narrative of Frederick Douglass, the slaveholders put defenses around nature as they disallowed an entire population to explore nature and limited them to only remain in their work field. Douglass expresses his dismay for he cannot freely explore nature like the sails can because the slaveholders restricted the slaves from going anywhere that is not work-related. Freedom of curiosity was not allowed to African Americans. They could not get in touch with themselves; they could not acknowledge their strengths and learn to accept themselves. Perhaps the slaveholders were afraid that if the slaves got in touch with themselves through nature, they would develop hope to escape from their miserable life and eventually abolish slavery. This is a major human rights violation. Frightened to lose their source of income, the slaveholders altered nature to their advantage by forbidding the slaves to explore nature (Begula). This resolution aids Douglass’ theme of dehumanization as it reveals how far the slaveholders would go to control the slaves.

           Slavery violated the slaves’ human rights. Douglass uses figurative language such as metaphors, apostrophe, repetition, parallelism to help the reader get a better understanding of his suffering. The change in syntax helps the readers to understand his desperation to escape slavery. By forbidding the slaves from exploring nature, the slaveholders denied the slaves from getting in touch with their inner self, thus depicting the dehumanizing effect of slavery.

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                                                         Works Cited

         Bagula, Nemma. “Ecocritical Approach to Literary Text Interpretation.”, International Journal of   Innovation and Scientific Research, Vol. 18, No. 2, Oct. 2015, pp. 374, http://www.ijisr.issr-journals.org/abstract.php?article=IJSR-15-155-03

Douglass, Frederick, and David W. Blight. “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an

American Slave.” Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Bedford/St.

Martin's, Mcmillan Learning, 2017.