US History I – To 1877
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Paper Assignment #2
Close-Reading Assignment
In this paper, you will do a close reading of two texts: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass, and the excerpt of Cannibals All by George Fitzhugh. Douglass and Fitzhugh were contemporaries, but one was a slave and the other a slave owner.
You will write a paper using only these sources in which you compare and contrast their arguments on slavery. For example, you may think of these two writers as being in dialogue or debate over the issue of slavery in order to analyze their arguments and their rhetoric – that is, how they make their arguments. You will be expected to dig quite a bit deeper than simply a superficial exposition of their points.
Some things to consider might include: Who are these writers, and where are they coming from socially and intellectually? Who is the intended audience for each text? How do they justify their opinions on slavery? What kind of language, symbolism and rhetoric do they use? How do their arguments relate to social, cultural or economic conditions in the United States?
