The Wretchedness of Slavery

Fredrick Douglass a slave during the year 1800s yearns for freedom from the restraints of ignorance. When Frederick Douglass is finally vindicated, Frederick Douglass finds that freedom did not bring benevolence becoming overcome with anxiety and loneliness that threatens to swallow him whole. In the excerpt from “Narrative of Fredrick Douglass, Fredrick Douglass” a variety of emotions develop through the use of impassioned tone, descriptive imagery, and scholarly diction proving that expectations are not always what they seem.

Against all odds, when Frederick Douglass finally breaks free, in that blissful moment, he feels a sense of accomplishment. The appreciative mood in this section depicts itself through descriptive tone. “The wretchedness of slavery,” that Douglass experiences allows him to feel “the blessedness of freedom”. The stark contrast between the words “wretchedness of slavery” and “blessedness of freedom” supports the sentiment of his abhorrence towards slavery. The contrasts foreshadow the dismay Douglass feels about freedom, displaying the vastness of disappoint of his expectations. Terms such as “wretchedness,” and “blessedness,” utilizes his impassionate tone intensifying his emotions. Implying the contrast of “freedom” and “slavery” to “life and death,” Douglass informs that obtaining freedom is crucial. The repugnance towards slavery and the munificence of freedom heightens the destitution of his position. The descriptive tone Douglass constructs, illustrates an appreciative mood stating fervent emotions. The eloquent imagery creates a descriptive image leading to a better understanding of his bitterness towards slavery and blessedness to freedom. Douglass states that escaping is a euphoric moment comparing the situation of his escape with an “unarmed mariner,” rescued from the “pursuit of pirates,” When Douglass relates himself to an “unarmed mariner,” the desperateness that he feels