Frederick Douglass’s excellent use of figurative language is unsurpassable by any American author today. Douglass uses many literary devices in his book The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave: Written by Himself. One of the most colloquial yet powerful elements is his implementation of metaphor. Frederick is a former African American slave turned famous abolitionist. He taught himself how to read and write in hopes that one day he would be able to tell his story to the world. His aforementioned book is filled with a great quantity of literary devices which he applies to enhance the story and give the reader something to visualize as they enjoy his great story telling style. In addition, his transcendent utilization …show more content…
Covey capturing his essence and the depths of slavery. According to Douglass, Mr. Covey would sneak around like a snake to try to catch slaves not working. He states, “He seldom approached the spot where we were at work openly, if he could do it secretly. He always aimed at taking us by surprise. Such was his cunning, that we used to call him, among ourselves, “the snake.” When we were at work in the cornfield, he would sometimes crawl on his hands and knees to avoid detection...” (71). Covey’s snake-esque technique for catching slaves not laboring played intense and unhealthy psychological games on the slave minds. Douglass continues, “This being his mode of attack, it was never safe to stop a single minute. His comings were like a thief in the night. He appeared to us as being ever at hand. He was under every tree, behind every stump, in every bush, and at every window, on the plantation.” The portrayal of Covey as a snake fits perfectly and gives the reader a much better understanding of what was going on in the minds of the slaves under his control. The thought of Mr. Covey as a snake impacts the reader's emotions because most people are petrified of snakes and the thought of a man that resembled one so perfectly would make them