Question

Why does Douglass include the poem by John Greenleaf Whittier after he tells the story about his grandmother?

Answer 1

In this narrative, Douglas includes the poem Whittier by John Greenleaf because it refers to slavery.

He related the poem to his grandmother's own experience, due to the fact that she was a slave and died blind.

Besides that, all the text refers to slavery in general.

The author makes several points about slavery such us:

-No one can be enslaved if he or she has the opportunity to think, read and write

- Justice for slaves is very different from justice for whites, among others