Group Members

1. Group Members • Fechi Okeke

2. Passage Chapter: Appendix I find, since reading over the foregoing Narrative, that I have, in several instances, spoken in such a tone and manner, respecting religion, as may possibly lead those unacquainted with my religious views to suppose me an opponent of all religion. To remove the liability of such misapprehension, I deem it proper to append the following brief explanation. What I have said respecting and against religion, I mean strictly to apply to the slaveholding religion of this land [1] ,and with no possible reference to Christianity proper; for, between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference—so wide [2] ,that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. To be the friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other. [3] I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. [4] Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. [5] I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels. [6] Never was there a clearer case of "stealing the livery of the court of heaven to serve the devil in." I am filled with unutterable loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show [7] ,together with the horrible inconsistencies, which every where surround me. We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members. The man who wields the blood-clotted cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus. The man who robs me of my earnings at the end of each week meets me as a class-leader on Sunday morning, to show me the way of life, and the path of salvation. He who sells my sister, for purposes of prostitution, stands forth as the pious advocate of purity. He who proclaims it a religious duty to read the Bible denies me the right of learning to read the name of the God who made me. He who is the religious advocate of marriage robs whole millions of its sacred influence, and leaves them to the ravages of wholesale pollution. [8] The warm defender of the sacredness of the family relation is the same that scatters whole families,—sundering husbands and wives, parents and children, sisters and brothers,—leaving the hut vacant, and the hearth desolate. [9] We see the thief preaching against theft, and the adulterer against adultery. We have men sold to build churches, women sold to support the gospel, and babes sold to purchase Bibles for the Poor Heathen! All For The Glory Of God And The Good Of Souls![10] The slave auctioneer's bell and the church-going bell chime in with each other, and the bitter cries of the heart-broken slave are drowned in the religious shouts of his pious master. Revivals of religion and revivals in the slave-trade go hand in hand together. The slave prison and the church stand near each other. The clanking of fetters and the rattling of chains in the prison, and the pious psalm and solemn prayer in the church, may be heard at the same time. The dealers in the bodies and souls of men erect their stand in the presence of the pulpit, and they mutually help each other. The dealer gives his blood-stained gold to support the pulpit, and the pulpit, in return, covers his infernal business with the garb of Christianity. Here we have religion and robbery the allies of each other—devils dressed in angels' robes [11] ,and hell presenting the semblance of paradise.

3. Annotation 1 What I have said respecting and against religion, I mean strictly to apply to the slaveholding religion of this land. • The use of italics in this passage reinforces the distinction between what Douglass considers to be Christianity proper, and the false religion that slaveholders adopted. Return to passage

4. Annotation 2 Between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference—so wide, that… • The use of anadiplosis in repetition of the word, wide, emphasizes the large degree to which the Christianity of Christ and the slaveholding religion differs. Return to passage

5. Annotation 3 … to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. To be the friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other. • The use of antithesis in suggesting that receipt of one institution warrants rejection of the other, supports the idea that slaveholding religion and true religion cannot be concurrently adopted because they strongly contradict one another. Return to passage

6. Annotation 4 I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. • The use of asyndeton in listing a series of adjectives with very negative connotations to describe slavery, helps to establish a livid, accusatory tone. Return to passage

7. Annotation 5 I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. • Douglass inserts the expletive, “but the most deceitful one,” to provide emphasis for his lack of support for slaveholding Christianity. Anything that is suggested to be supported for deceitful reasons alone is assumed to be corrupt. Return to passage

8. Annotation 6 I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels. • This use of parallelism suggests that slavery is in every way the worst of all things that are deserving of criticism, and provides further evidence of Douglass’s abhorrence of slavery. Return to passage

9. Annotation 7 I am filled with unutterable loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show.. • Diction plays a part in allowing readers to understand Douglass’s frustrations with the slaveholding religion. By describing it as “pomp and show,” Douglass allows for its interpretation as a ceremonious act lacking any real depth or truth. His hatred for the belief system stems from the fact that it is an act of pretense. Return to passage

10. Annotation 8 We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members. The man who wields the blood-clotted cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus. The man who robs me of my earnings at the end of each week meets me as a class-leader on Sunday morning, to show me the way of life, and the path of salvation. He who sells my sister, for purposes of prostitution, stands forth as the pious advocate of purity. He who proclaims it a religious duty to read the Bible denies me the right of learning to read the name of the God who made me. He who is the religious advocate of marriage robs whole millions of its sacred influence, and leaves them to the ravages of wholesale pollution. • The use of parallelism in the first sentence, supported by the continued use of anaphora in the following sentences in the repetition of “he who” is used to indicate the existence of an extensive list of incongruities in the slaveholding religion. Douglass provides evidence of the corrupt nature of slavery by pointing out the irony of justifying sinful behavior with the proclamation of religion. Return to passage

11. Annotation 9 The warm defender of the sacredness of the family relation is the same that scatters whole families,—sundering husbands and wives, parents and children, sisters and brothers,—leaving the hut vacant, and the hearth desolate. • The use of an expletive in emphasizing the horror of separation of families establishes an appeal to emotion, and provides support for the irony of the fact that those who claim to be defenders of family relations, directly causethem to be torn apart. Return to passage

12. Annotation 10 We have men sold to build churches, women sold to support the gospel, and babes sold to purchase Bibles for the Poor Heathen! All For The Glory Of God And The Good Of Souls! • The use of parallelism in listing all of the repercussions of slavery highlights a contrast to the false beliefs of the slaveholders, which are indicated in italics. The fact that these beliefs are exclaimed indicates the extent to which slaveholders emphasized falsehood in suggesting that slavery was actually positive. Douglass’s inclusion of these dialogues provides an indication of a bitter mocking of the slaveholders’ beliefs, establishing a sardonic tone. Return to passage

13. Annotation 11 The dealers in the bodies and souls of men erect their stand in the presence of the pulpit, and they mutually help each other. The dealer gives his blood-stained gold to support the pulpit, and the pulpit, in return, covers his infernal business with the garb of Christianity. Here we have religion and robbery the allies of each other—devils dressed in angels' robes… • This analogy in comparing the fact that sin is justified by religion to devils dressing in angels’ robes is used to suggest the corrupt nature of using good to disguise evil. It also indicates that despite attempts to cover the truth of slavery with the façade of religion, its negative effects are still vividly evident. Return to passage

14. Anadiplosis The repetition of the last word of a clause or sentence at the beginning of the next. Example: "The love of wicked men converts to fear , That fear to hate, and hate turns one or both To worthy danger and deserved death" - William Shakespeare Return to passage

15. Antithesis Deliberate contrast of two opposing ideas in consecutive phrases or sentences. Ex: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way" - Charles Dickens (A Tale of Two Cities) Return to passage

16. Asyndeton A lack of conjunctions (e.g. 'and') between successive phrases or words. Example: "We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardships, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty" - JF Kennedy, Inaugural Return to passage

17. Expletive A word or short phrase that interrupts normal speech in order to lend emphasis to the words immediately next to it. Example: And this city (Prague) -- this Golden City which is both ancient and youthful --stands as a living monument to your unconquerable spirit" - Barack Obama Return to passage

18. Anaphora A rhetorical device that repeats the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases. Example: "But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land" - Martin Luther King, Jr. Return to passage

19. Situational Irony Events which occur that are contrary to a planned outcome or expectation. Example: A marriage counselor gets a divorce Return to passage

20. Parallelism A device which is identified by successive words or phrases with the same or very similar grammatical structure. Example: "Veni, vidi, vinci" - Julius Caesar ("I came, I saw, I conquered") Return to passage

21. Analogy A kind of extended metaphor or long simile in which a comparison is made between two things in order to develop a line of reasoning. Example: "Knowledge always desires increase: it is like fire, which must first be kindled by some external agent, but which will afterwards propagate itself" - Samuel Johnson Return to passage

22. Misapprehension Function: noun Lack of understanding Return to passage

23. Libels Function: noun Anything that is defamatory or that maliciously or damagingly misrepresents. Return to passage

24. Misnomer Function: noun 1. a misapplied or inappropriate name or designation. 2. an error in naming a person or thing. Return to passage

25. Livery Function: noun 1. a distinctive uniform, badge, or device formerly provided by someone of rank or title for his retainers, as in time of war. 2. a uniform worn by servants. 3. distinctive attire worn by an official, a member of a company or guild, etc. 4. Also called livery company. British. a guild or company of the City of London entitled to wear such livery. 5. characteristic dress, garb, or outward appearance: the green livery of summer. 6. the care, feeding, stabling, etc., of horses for pay. Return to passage

26. Loathing Function: verb strong dislike or disgust; intense aversion. Return to passage

27. Pious 1. having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations. 2. characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion; sanctimonious. 3. practiced or used in the name of real or pretended religious motives, or for some ostensibly good object; falsely earnest or sincere: a pious deception. 4. of or relating to religious devotion; sacred rather than secular: pious literature. 5. having or showing appropriate respect or regard for parents or others. Return to passage

28. Sundering Function: verb to separate; part; divide; sever. Return to passage

29. Desolate • Function: verb • barren or laid waste; devastated • deprived or destitute of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited. • solitary; lonely • dreary; dismal; gloomy: Return to passage

30. Infernal • Function: adjective • hellish; fiendish; diabolical • 2. extremely troublesome, annoying, etc.; outrageous: an infernal nuisance. • 3. of, inhabiting, or befitting hell Return to passage

31. Garb Function: noun 1. a fashion or mode of dress, especially of a distinctive, uniform kind: 2. wearing apparel; clothes. 3. outward appearance or form. Return to passage

32. Semblance Function: noun 1. outward aspect or appearance. 2. an assumed or unreal appearance; show. 3. the slightest appearance or trace. 4. a likeness, image, or copy. 5. a spectral appearance; apparition. Return to passage