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2.

The preface by William Lloyd Garrison and the letter from Wendell Phillips Es
q. both illustrate the deep reverence for Frederick Douglass these men and many
others shared due to his courage, passion and ability to translate his events in
to an eye-opening novel surrounding the cruelties of contemporary mankind. Will
iam Lloyd Garrison's preface to the Narrative explains in depth how at an anti-s
lavery convention, an unfamiliar and rather timid face - that of the recently es
caped Frederick Douglass - after being greatly prodded to speak, roused the crow
d to such emotion that Garrison and many others had "never hated slavery so inte
nsely". It then moves to describe how Frederick Douglass' eloquent speech almos
t instantaneously made him a hero of the abolitionist movement, that his influen
ce on the immoral depression of human spirit and basic reasoning capabilities wo
uld become moving to everyone - regardless of abolitionist or slave owner. Doug
lass endured such unspeakable repression and dehumanization at the hands of his
slave driver, yet, being from Maryland, was not even considered to have had tort
ures comparable to those faced further South. Those who do not feel an immense,
foreboding sense of anguish when reading the Narrative, Garrison says, have a c
old, inhuman heart. He concludes the preface by breaking the 4th wall, calling
for whoever reads the Narrative to take action, whether you're a slave or slave
owner, and declare that there can be no compromise for slavery except its ultima
te disappearance from society. Notably, Garrison acknowledges the fluency of Do
uglass's speech and writings, glorifying his use of "pathos, wit, comparison, im
itation, strength of reasoning, and fluency of language", however he also descri
bes him as somewhat timid and hesitant, though certainly not lacking in intellig
ence, morality, courage or passion. In Wendell Phillips' letter to Frederick Do
uglass, he first happily declares that their voice will finally be heard in the
making of history. He then proceeds to describe how in subjects like these, the
reader must go beyond simply looking at statistics ("whether it has increased t
he produce of sugar") or basic knowledge, and delve deeper by looking at stories
from former slaves themselves in order to truly understand the issue of slavery
. It is despicable that Frederick Douglass and all other slaves, he says, learn
of despair and death before they learn their ABC's, however such is the truth o
f slavery. Phillips describes Frederick Douglass and his Narrative as being "st
rict justice", with no bias or falsehoods, but simply a life story of a fellow h
uman. He criticizes the Constitution and laws of the land for permitting the in
justices of dehumanization, and rejoices in a perceived future where states, sta
rting with those of New England, break away from "a blood-stained Union" to hous
e the oppressed. Throughout the letter, he seems to acknowledge Douglass as par
ticularly sincere and unafraid to speak the truth of his upbringing, through whi
ch he describes him as fearless, as Douglass writes "with danger compassing [him
] around". He is also portrayed as devoted to the service of others, and thus m
ost humble.
5. When Frederick Douglass in Chapter 10 says the words "You have seen how a man
was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man" he addresses his fi
ght with Mr. Covey as being the turning point in his life as a slave. Here he r
ealized that he was no animal, he was a man, perfectly capable of thinking and f
ighting for himself. The fight with Mr. Covey secured his conviction that all w
as not lost - he was in fact just beginning. Put into context, I argue that the
quote above shows that he used the word slave as a concept. When he mentions t
he word slave above, he means what society trains you to be under a culture that
promotes slavery - and that is mindless, hopeless servants to a master. When h
e refers to the word man, he means one who is equal with all others - someone wh
o is fundamentally a human being, nothing more and nothing less. He asserts ess
entially that it is all psychological. Thus here he says men become brutes at t
he will of their masters, but here I show you that we are still humans, we are s
till men with no disadvantage to another, and nothing about us has changed, if w
e're willing to fight for our own rights to live out our lives as men - just as
worthy as any other human.

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