Exploring the Text 1. “My father was a white man," abruptly states Frederick Douglass (par. 3). Were
you startled or surprised by that statement? Explain.
2. What appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos does Douglass make in the first few
paragraphs? Which one is most prominent?
3. Of the whipping he observed, Douglass writes, “It was a most terrible spectacle.
I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld it” (par. 8). Read
the paragraph carefully. How successfully do you think Douglass has committed
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his feelings to paper? Explain.
4. Chapter 2 begins with a description of Colonel Lloyd's plantation. What is your
impression of the conditions there?