The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, is unique because Douglass, an escaped slave with no formal education, wrote the entire account himself.

by jaymehta16031996 (student)

Frederick Douglass: A Model Student

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, is unique because Douglass, an escaped slave with no formal education, wrote the entire account himself. As a result, Frederick Douglass is one of the originators of the uniquely American genre, the slave narrative.

Douglass' literary works are influenced greatly by his first book, written by Caleb Bingham. Douglass' first book purchase, The Columbian Orator did more than teach him to read and write; The Columbian Orator gives Douglass his first contact with vocalized anti-slavery issues and influences Douglass' orator skills allowing his words to reach a much broader audience.

As a young boy, Frederick Douglass is sent to Baltimore to remain with relatives of his master, Thomas Auld. His new mistress, Sophia Auld, began to "teach [Douglass] the A, B, C" and "assisted [Douglass] in learning to spell words of three or four letters" (1776). This "kind and tender-hearted woman" (1776) instructs Douglass despite her husband, who argued that educating slaves was unlawful. Though Mrs. Auld is not able to continue teaching Douglass, she "had given [Douglass] the inch and no precaution could prevent [him] from taking the ell" (1778). Once Douglass acquires The Columbian Orator, his search for knowledge blossoms for he knew the institution of slavery is wrong and these words on the page "gave tongue to interesting thoughts of [his] own soul" (1779). Douglass realizes that the "power of truth overpowers "the conscience of even a slaveholder" (1779). By studying this work, Frederick Douglass becomes convinced of the injustices of slavery and the right for all people to be free.

One story in The Columbian Orator would forever be an inspiration to

Frederick Douglass. It is the story of a slave who argues so well with his master on the ills of slavery that he is set free. Douglass read of an event he had never heard of in his life. A slave talks back to his master with eloquent speech and is let go? To his astonishment, Douglass observes that: The slave was made to say some very smart as well as impressive things in reply to his master- things which had the desired though unexpected effect; for ...

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One story in The Columbian Orator would forever be an inspiration to

This one story is monumental in effecting Douglass' life because, much like the slave in this story, Douglass stands up to his master and gains a respect other slaves only wish they have. Douglass continually reads this book for it gives him inspiration.

Besides the dialogue Douglass read in The Columbian Orator, Douglass is introduced to proper, eloquent orator skills. This popular schoolbook stresses the importance of an orator's ability to communicate through eloquent speech and proper body language. Caleb Bingham, writer of The Columbian Orator, says the effects of eloquence serve:

To scatter the clouds of ignorance and error from the atmosphere of reason; to remove the film of prejudice from the mental eye; and thus irradiate the benighted mind with the cheering beams of truth, is at once the business and the glory of eloquence. (Bingham 30-31) Douglass realizes if liberation were to occur for all slaves, it is not only crucial to have the capacity to even think of the inequities of slavery and racism but also be able to form his thoughts into eloquent, understandable words. Eloquence of speech is a necessary quality for an orator to possess in order for his or her listeners to be interested in what they have to say. By reading this book, Douglass learns of the skills needed to capture and captivate an audience. He learns which words are important to stress and which words to not. The rules of The Columbian Orator state that "nothing is of more importance to the speaker, than proper, attention to accent, emphasis, and cadence"

(Bingham 31). Douglass' education, due in part to this influential book, led many to question his slave heritage and his actual ability to write. Through his mastering of style and the English language, Douglass' narrative is successful in appealing to his white audience as he uses his literacy to break the myths of slavery.

As he developed into an abolitionist, Douglass' goal in his narrative is to blend his personal slave narrative with the outright injustices of the institution of slavery as a whole. The Columbian Orator plays two major roles in the development of Frederick Douglass as one of the most eloquent orators of the nineteenth century. Although Douglass knows slavery is wrong and recognizes himself as a human being, it is this work that convinces Douglass of the injustices of slavery. The Columbian Orator is more than a schoolbook because it motivates Frederick Douglass to improve his own situation and work for the abolition of slavery. From the book, Douglass also learns public speaking techniques that would later make him one of the greatest orators of all time. Like the title page says, The Columbian Orator is "calculated to improve youth and others on the ornamental and useful art of eloquence." Though this work may not have been intended for Frederick Douglass' eyes, he may have been its most successful student.