The Use of Chiasmus to Highlight the Irony of Slavery in...

The Use of Chiasmus to Highlight the Irony of Slavery in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass According to Barton and Hudsons Contemporary Guide to Literary Terms, a chiasmus is a rhetorical scheme that is particularly effective in creating irony through the reversal of accepted truths or familiar ideas (189). Frederick Douglass uses the chiasmus throughout his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave to highlight the irony of slaverys existence in a country that was built upon the ideals of freedom. Throughout his autobiography, we find several specific instances of chiasmus that cause the reader to pause and focus on the point that Douglass is trying to make. Each chiasmus is placed in an important†¦show more content†¦When his mistress taught him to read, she sparked a fire of humanity inside him that would continue to grow until it eventually overpowered his slave qualities, and cause Douglass, the slave, to be made into a man. The transformation from slave to man occurred both over many years and in the space of a single afternoon. The Narrative in its entirety is a story of that transformation, but the chiasmus found at the beginning of Fredericks fight with Mr. Covey emphasizes that afternoon as the setting for the metamorphosis. In the longer transformation, Douglass was made a man ultimately through his willingness to take risks for the sake of freedom. He learned to read against his masters will, taught his fellow slaves, and attempted escapes, all for the sake of freedom. A slave could not exist as a slave forever with this burning desire for freedom within him. This lifelong risk-taking for the sake of freedom led up to the climactic afternoon where the slave fought the master and regained his manhood. When Douglass fought Mr. Covey, he regained his sense of pride that had been taken away from him. Mentally and spiritually, he was free. It was only a matter of time before he would no longer be a sla ve physically either. Douglass uses the chiasmus to mark the beginning of this afternoon to ensure that his readers will take note of its importance. Douglass chose to mark the afternoon when his education was halted, the afternoon that made him realize how important