Realism in the Battle with Mr. Covey

Descriptions are very important to Realism. When reading a piece of Realism you should not have to paint a picture in your head. The picture should be shown to you. Douglass demonstrates this when he says, "From the crown of my head to my feet, I was covered in blood. My hair was all clotted with dust and blood; my shirt was stiff with blood. My legs and feet were torn in sundry places with briers and thorns, and were also covered with blood".

I think that the social issue that Douglass was trying to address was; how although he and other African-Americans were slaves in practice that they did not have to be slaves in spirit. That although they had to work for their masters, they did not have to humble themselves before them. He illustrates this when he says "However long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact".

I think that the reason that Douglass wrote this was to try and empower slaves throughout the country. To raise their spirits and make them believe that they belonged to no one but themselves. To help them understand that just because they were legally the property of their masters, didn't mean that they had to bend entirely to their wills. That each slave did not have to be "a slave in fact".