Trickery in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by...

Humans are natural tricksters, beguiling others for benefits and survival; however, deceiving others is a skill possessed by few African-Americans and thus they do not survive. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, Douglass harnesses the ability to conform to the world of trickery and conveys his journey to freedom. Through his appeal to pathos, use of dramatic asides, and application of anecdotes, Douglass expresses the necessity of slaves to play the game of trickery to survive in the world of tricksters. Effectively establishing an appeal to pathos, Douglass emphasize his raw emotions to the reader, allowing the reader to feel more connected to why Douglass complies with the rules of trickery. Douglass†¦show more content†¦When his term with Mr. Edward Covey ends on 25 December 1833, Douglass reveals a feeling of disgrace when he is appalled by the slaveholders who are forcing the slaves to drink wine and whiskey, since it was â€Å"a disgrace not to get drunk on Christmas† (44) and, when the Christmas holidays end, the slaves, who the slaveholder â€Å"cheats†¦ with a dose of vicious dissipation, artfully labelled†¦ liberty,† are willing to go back to work, choosing to rather be â€Å"slaves to man as to rum.† (45). While the slaveholders capitalizes on the slave’s ignorance and negligence to play the game of trickery, Douglass exposes his detestation of the course of action for the â€Å"cunning slaveholders† (45). Later, as Do uglass appeals to a feeling of disappointment when he meets Henry and John Harris and utilizes their yearning of freedom to attempt escaping, but fail. As MacKethan puts it, â€Å"the American definition of man and the American concept of freedom could no longer be denied to†¦ [Douglass]†¦ or by logical extension to any other slave† (â€Å"From Fugitive†). In summary, MacKethan attempt to reveal the inhumanity of the slaves by hintingShow MoreRelatedThe Use of Trickery:, A Theme in the Novel: The Life of Frederick Douglass755 Words   |  4 Pagesrequirement to survive. In Frederick Douglass’s Narrative in the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass utilizes the ability to play the game of trickery to convey his journey to freedom. Through the use of anecdotes, appeal to pathos, and figurative language, Douglass expresses the necessity of slaves to play the game of trickery to survive in the world of tricksters. Douglass employs the use of anecdotes to clarify why he would deceive others. 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