F. Douglass Fig. Lang. & Allusion Application

​Figurative Language & Allusion in Frederick Douglass

Read each excerpt carefully. Answer the questions using complete sentences. Focus on how language choices help reveal Douglass’s thoughts and feelings about slavery.

Audio Response

Record your audio response to the excerpt by answering the following questions. You will have a maximum of 2 minutes to record.

Excerpt 1: “It looked from every star, it smiled in every calm, breathed in every wind…”

Respond using audio: What human actions are given to freedom in this excerpt? Why do you think Douglass describes freedom this way?

Open Audio Recorder

Open Ended

Read Excerpt 2: “It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out.”

Answer these questions as an open-ended response: What is the “horrible pit” a metaphor for? What feeling does this metaphor create for the reader?

Multiple Choice

What type of literary device is being used here?

References to The Columbian Orator and Sheridan’s speech

• metaphor

• personfication

• allusion

• hyperbole

Great job! Let's head back to class.