Question

3. Short-response prompt

Read the following excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.
Our food was coarse corn-meal boiled. This was called mush. It was put into a large wooden tray or trough, and set down upon the ground. The children were then called, like so many pigs, and like so many pigs they would come and devour the mush; some with oystershells, others with pieces of shingle, some with naked hands, and none with spoons. He that ate fastest got most; he that was strongest secured the best place; and few left the trough satisfied.

How does Douglass's objective style add to the power of his narrative? Be sure to use specific details from the text to support your answer.

Answer 1

As a reader, Douglass's objective style made me feel. It invoked emotions that are truly mine and not influenced by his own views or personal feelings. It made more impact for me because I can compare their situation and mine and realize that I'm lucky to be born in this time and with my family. 

His matter-of-fact narration does not invite the feeling of pity. It made me see that despite their setbacks, they do the best they can to survive and it's a man for himself out there. This kind of behavior still very much evident in today's society though practiced in a more subtle way. 

Answer 2

Douglass is describing a morally repugnant situation. He uses an objective style because he does not wish to sugarcoat what happened, but rather to elicit disgust in the reader at the treatment of slaves in Southern society. The comparison with pigs is particularly striking; the lowering of human beings to the condition of animals makes one recoil in horror. Not only are slaves treated like animals; they are not even satisfied. This makes his denunciation of slavery all the more powerful.