Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis

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Those who defended slavery believed that it was beneficial to slaves, rather than it dehumanizing them. However, Douglass wanted them to understand that slavery actually tortured slaves. Instead, they were forced to work in all kind of conditions for long hours without being shown sympathy. While Douglass worked for one of his owners, Mr. Covey, he was worked so much that he “was broken in body, soul, and spirit.” (Excerpt 4) Covey was known to break slaves, and succeeded in doing just that to Douglass. He felt his “intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, that cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died…” (Excerpt 4) This example that Douglass provided proves that slavery was so corrupting for slaves that they felt as though
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