Frederick Douglass’ Outright and Subtle Irony - 1219 Words

Frederick Douglass’ Outright and Subtle Irony Frederick Douglass’ Outright and Subtle Irony Frederick Douglass’ autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave offers a depiction of slavery like very few before him, from his firsthand accounts. Douglass wanted to show his opposition to slavery and knew he would meet many criticisms. Due to this criticism, he had to mask much of his work with irony. Some of his works are obvious and others are a bit harder to see. The more difficult ones were put in place by Douglass in order to provide a deep and profound statement, without arousing too much opposition. If he had he would have faced much more threats than he did. He not only†¦show more content†¦Master Thomas was one of the many pious slaveholders who hold slaves for the very charitable purpose of taking care of them. (p. 77) The irony in this passage is showing that even though Master Thomas was a newly religious person practicing a peaceful religion that teaches to help the poor and helpless, heShow MoreRelatedSlavery and Mass Incarceration2562 Words   |  11 Pageslearning Christianity, especially reading the Bible. Slave owners feared the Bible would be misinterpreted as assuring equality for all. Christianity was used against them to keep order and rebellions down by appealing to their spirituality. [ (Frederick Douglass Introduction and Background on American Slavery) ] In Harriett Jacobs’s book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, she tells of how the slave masters would put on a show for clergyman visiting the south for the first time and the clergyman