Combining Fact and Fiction in the Writing of Frederick Douglass’ The He

Combining Fact and Fiction in the piece of writing of Frederick Douglass The elevated SlaveAfter the successful publication of his autobiography, escaped striver Frederick Douglass decided to tell the story of a fellow ex- buckle down, capital of Wisconsin Washington, and his sedition aboard the Creole slave ship. Rather than writing a rigorously historical account of the events, Douglass chose to embellish and alter the truth, creating The Heroic Slave, one of the head start historical novellas and the first known piece of Afri preempt-American fictional literature (Andrews 11). Douglass choice to write the story as a fiction make the novella easier for readers to relate to and, therefore, more appealing to their sympathies. The Heroic Slave is base on the historical 1841 slave rebellion led by Madison Washington aboard the New Orleans-bound slave ship, the Creole. In his telling of the story, Douglass includes embellishments on, alterations to, and omissions of certain(a) hi storical facts. By comparing his novella to other documents citing the actual occurrences, we can analyze the changes Douglass made to the story and why he chose to make them.Douglass does not immediately discuss the Creole slave ship rebellion. Instead, the first lead parts of The Heroic Slave concern the life of Madison Washington, the slave who would eventually become leader of that rebellion. In Part I, Douglass introduces us readers and Mr. Listwell, a white traveler, to Madison Washington. We overhear his soliloquy on the suffering he must endure as a slave. In this speech we be given the reason for his upcoming flight from slavery I am galled with irons but even these are more endurable than the consciousness, the galling consciousness of cowardice and indecision. Can it be that I... ...dom to make numerous authorial choices that made the story of Madison Washingtons rebellion aboard the Creole a more effective case for the abolitionist cause. Through embellishments, alte rations, and omissions, Douglass form the history of the revolt to better serve his purposes. A simple, utterly straight telling of the story would not have been nearly as mighty to the abolitionist movement.Works CitedAndrews, William L. Introduction. Three Classic African-American Novels. Ed. William L. Andrews. New York, Penguin Books, 2003. 7-21.Douglass, Frederick. The Heroic Slave. New York, Penguin Books, 2003.Jones, Howard. The Peculiar Institution and National Honor The Case of the Creole Slave Revolt. Civil War History. Volume 21. Mar. 1975. 20-50.MacDonald, Robin. The Heroic Slave Frederick Douglass Revolutionary Revision. 1996. 20 Apr 2004.