frederick douglous
... to his old masters because they were finally broken. Frederick Douglass is now his own master. The feeling of being your own boss and no longer having someone destroying your happiness created a feeling of jubilation within him. After Douglass’ excitement subsides he soon realized that although he was free, he was not free of cares. Douglass had a fear of speaking to anyone because he was afraid of speaking to the wrong person. He stated the people as being “the ferocious beast,” who is in the forest waiting for their prey. He knew there were people out there who wanted to betray him. Every moment he was at risk of being seized by his fellow race like “the hideous crocodile seizes upon his prey.” He comes to find out that he cannot trust anyone. Frederick Douglass had to worry about keeping the little freedom he had as much as possible. The nervous feeling of being sent back to his awful slave years kept him alert at all times. In both these similes Douglass feels as though he is the prey and people out there are his predators. Frederick Douglass feels like a fugitive slave in a strange land whose inhabitants are “legalized kidnappers.” This metaphor describes more fear Douglass felt as life went on his “free state.” He feels like he is being hunted like a prey with no where to hide. Also in the passage he uses hyperbole to describe how he sees himself and others. After realizing he is no longer found himself living in a free state he claims he saw in every white man a “enemy” and in almost every colored man a cause for “distrust.” This feeling of distrust not only affects him mentally but also physically. He always had fear in his mind and always had to watch his actions so it would not lead him into anything regrettable. Through all three of these figures of speech Frederick Douglass was able to reveal his states of mind as he first discovers a feeling of excitement but then the feeling of fear as he no longer has confidence in his “free state.” Throughout the excerpt Frederick Douglass uses individual words to suggest the horrors of slavery and the difficulties of a fugitive slave creating a feeling loneliness and fear. The use of diction enables the reader to experience Douglass' plight in his new world and his feelings about his old one. The “wretchedness” of slavery had motivated Douglass escape from slavery. He no longer wanted to experience a life without freedom. Mr. Douglass also uses words such as “toil worn” and “whipped scars,” to convey his fear of acceptance in his new world. These words represent him as a slave who was tortured and treated with brutality. Someone who lived in shacks with dirt floors. A slave who slept on cots or a plank of wood and drank dirty water. Finally a slave who was considered a thing, not person. Frederick Douglass also uses diction to reveal his situations as a fugitive slave. He uses many words to convey his feeling of loneliness in his free state. Douglass felt true “loneliness.” He has moved away from his family and friends so he has no one to relate to or had the chance to make any friends. Frederick was also “helpless,” he had know way to defend himself or try to survive. For a while he had suffer and relived things that happened to him in the past. He suffered alone and needed a plan to stay alive. Frederick Douglass uses diction to reveal about his situation as a slave and a fugitive slave through fear and loneliness. In the passage the author uses repetition of what Douglass is “in the midst of” and what he is “without” to emphasize abo...