How does Frederick Douglass, as an author, use language and rhetorical choices to create a larger argument in this passage? The first sentence of your paragraph should be your thesis statement responding to this prompt followed by sentences of supporting analysis that include several short embedded quotes.
1. Douglass uses language to make a larger argument/ claim in the text as a whole by using words with deep meanings and he used these words to express how he had felt in the first few moments of hearing people singing. He uses words with a genuinely reflective context to aid the reader in understanding how he felt in that exact moment. This moment was very significant to him, and led to him reflecting on himself, his surroundings, and the world and its morals in general. Douglass chose to use deep, descriptive language to somewhat portray how he felt in real life to the best of his ability. Part of the reason this moment was so important was because everything that Douglass experienced shaped him into the person he became once he was older, meaning that such a moment that caused him to cry, would most likely have enough significance on him to affect who he becomes and how he sees the world.
Thesis- Frederick Douglass uses language over the course of the text to tell the reader how emotionally impacted he was the very first time he heard the people singing, and does this by using words with deep and emotional context and descriptive background to communicate the depth of his emotions effectively.
Quotes:
1. “This they would sing, as a chorus, to words which to many would seem unmeaning jargon, but which, nevertheless, were full of meaning to themselves.”
This quote supports our argument by showing how Douglass uses words like “jargon”, “unmeaning”, and “full of meaning to themselves” to make the reader wonder what certain words mean and question the scene itself. This relates to our claim since we believe that Douglass uses descriptive language to express his emotions, and clearly, the observatory tone in this quote expresses his emotion at the moment.
2. “The hearing of those wild notes always depressed my spirit and filled me with ineffable sadness. I have frequently found myself in tears while hearing them.”
This supports our claim because Douglass directly expresses how he showed his feelings while listening to the music and uses descriptive words to express the sadness he had.
3. “They would compose and sing as they went along, consulting neither time nor tune. The thought that came up, came out- if not in the word, in the sound;-and as frequently in the one as in the other.”
This supports our claim because if you look at the words used, the context behind them has to be evaluated first, as they have a deeper meaning to them, showing another instance where Douglass uses words with an emotional, deep context. Overall, throughout all these quotes, there is a pattern in Douglass’ writing, and it is that he is open to communicating his emotions with the audience using certain words.