Frederick Douglass: Ethos, Pathos, Logos Essay

Douglass employs the idea that there are two different forms of Christianity, one real and one fake, which he illustrates in the text using rhetorical appeals such as logos through the characterization of the Auld family, pathos using strong diction such as ”master” and ”sanction”, and ethos through an ethical paradox that is Mr. Covey. The Christianity of the slaveholders is very hypocritical and is used to justify their efforts, also known as false Christianity. Douglass’s background repeatedly displays that the people who partake very fervently in religious actions are usually white Southerners who handle slaves most callously. The repugnant white southerners are very quick to criticize slaves for even the smallest violations of religious beliefs but are all inclined to wiggle the Word of God into rationalizing their terrorizing sacrilegious acts. Real Christianity is also present in The Narrative of Frederick Douglass and is Christianity that is usually lived by white people who disagree with slavery or are practiced by themselves. Throughout the whole story, Douglass’s analysis of religion is present and the audience gets the feeling that slavery and real Christianity are contradicting pressures of society and one cannot exist without the other one being present. It seems as if real Christianity does occur in a natural aspect, but the beginning of slavery inescapably distorts it. Douglass unveils the concealed hypocrisy in the South as he pairs both aspects of Christianity together. The slaveholders use religion to make it seem as though their actions towards the slaves are approved and nothing is unfair about them.

Douglass displays how the Christianity of the slaveholders is hypocritical and is used to pardon their efforts through the use of fortress-like characterization of Thomas Auld, his master, to illustrate logos. It has been about 7 years since Douglass has resided with Thomas Auld, and remembers instantly the savage nature of Thomas and his wife. ”I was made acquainted with his wife not less than with himself. They were well matched, being equally mean and cruel.” Thomas Auld and his wife were cruel in many ways to Douglass but one of the heftiest ways they indicate this is through not sufficiently feeding the slaves food. Many other slaves including Douglass are urged to seize and plead for food to survive. ”A great many times have we poor creatures been nearly perishing with hunger, when food in abundance lay moldering in the safe and smoke-house, and our pious mistress was aware of the fact; and yet that mistress and her husband would kneel every morning, and pray that God would bless them in basket and store.”

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Douglass expresses logos while characterizing Thomas Auld and his wife as incredibly ruthless and vile. He used logos to get the audience on his side. He desired for the readers to look at the Auld’s as awful and vile people; he wanted the audience to think logically. While they forgo their abundant food from their slaves, who are now diminished to utter desperation, the Auld fake holiness and pray for more food. Douglass uses a bitter tone towards his slave masters to elucidate how frustrated and upset he is about them and the hypocrisy utilized by his slaveholders. The Christianity of Thomas Auld and his wife is not legitimate, as it only makes the masters harsher to their slaves like not giving them food that they have.

Douglass applies to the emotions of the audience by using sharp diction like ”master” and ”sanction.” Douglass was held as an observer of a harrowing show of Auld thrashing a young woman. While Auld did so, ”...he would quote this passage of Scripture — ’He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes.’” It is shown in the scripture that the importance of ”master” does not pertain to a slave-owning master. This scripture is referring to Jesus Christ as the master and the outcome, as Luke explains, is being beaten which is the penalty for defying the Divine master, not a slave owner master. This may make the reader feel sick through the use of the scripture while he was whipping a young woman. Mr. Auld, ”... found religious sanction for his cruelty” which uses significant diction utilizing ”sanction” to show the implication of discovering religious stability and enjoyment for his efforts. Auld is doing terribly and thinking that if it gratifies him, then it gratifies whoever he admires. That is how he finds contentment in his misdeeds. Douglass makes the reader feel extreme resentment and irritation toward Mr. Auld as he is justifying his actions by using religion and God as an excuse. Douglass's tone throughout this is bitter toward Mr. Auld and his hypocrisy towards religion.

Another use of rhetorical device that Douglass uses in his novel is ethos by using a paradox. Christianity is Douglass’ primary priority throughout his narrative. Ethos is used to indicate ethical inconsistencies crucial to the process of slavery. It is very important in the tenth chapter with the introduction of Mr. Covey. Edward Covey sees himself as an extremely spiritual Christian and tries to deceive God and himself. This, however, is not the case as his sinful efforts unveil him to be nothing further than a double-dealing villain who uses religion to make it seem like trashing the slaves is okay. ”The facts in the case are these: Mr. Covey was a poor man; he was just commencing in life; he was only able to buy one slave; and, shocking as is the fact, he bought her, as he said, for a breeder.” Breeding is one of the most horrible methods of slavery, and it further renounces Covey’s proclaimed allegiance to Christianity.

Douglass declared that Mr. Covey’s ”...life was devoted to planning and perpetrating the grossest deceptions. Everything he possessed in the shape of learning or religion, he made conform to his disposition to deceive.” This attached the audience by depicting an exceptionally apparent example of the ethical paradox of being a slaveholder and a Christian. Douglass is portraying himself as a victim in this situation, as he is, which helps convey how frightening and hypocritical Mr. Covey is when it comes to Christianity and how he treats slaves. Douglass conveys a frustrated tone as he is angry and does not believe he can do anything about it just yet. It makes Douglass despise Mr. Covey more than he already does as he is insincere toward Christianity.

Douglass speaks in numerous moments of his beliefs of religious hypocrisy in the South and how he feels like he does not have the religious freedom that the Southerners do. They treated the slaves like garbage and didn't think anything of it because they were religious and deemed it okay. Through not giving the slaves food they have and praying for more, reading a scripture from the Bible while whipping a woman, and having a breeder as a slave and saying it is okay because he is a Christian. Douglass attempts to convince that religious hypocrisy negatively affected his life every day and that his slave owners were harsh and hypocritical by using scriptures and religious connections. Douglas Illustrates religious hypocrisy in the text using rhetorical appeals such as logos through the characterization of the Auld family, pathos using strong diction such as ”master” and ”sanction”, and ethos through an ethical paradox that is Mr. Covey. The Christianity of the slaveholders is very hypocritical and is used to justify their efforts, also known as false Christianity. Douglass focuses on the life of hypocrisy and voices his displeasure with the way they live.