Devoir Sur William Wells Brown

« I am a slave, writing this narrative »

1. The scene takes place before the abolishment of the slavery in the USA. In this passage of the travel writing called Narrative of William Wells Brown, we can see the fact that William Wells Brown will leave his friend “Well Browns”. We know that he is “a devoted friend of the slave” and they spent “ twelve or fifteen days” together. Its also the moment where William had the name of “William Wells Brown”.

2. We know that William is young “ thee has become a man”. He might be wears a lot of scares because of his slavery's life “ and no one to stand over me with the blood-clotted cow-hide”.He is also weak “I was seized with a fever which threatened to confine me to my bed”.

3. He is in Massachussets, next to Dayton “fifty or sixty miles from Dayton” in th State of Ohio and Cleveland “one and two hundred miles from Cleveland”. At the end of the text, he is in Canada “Soon after coming North”.

4. This text shows us the horror of the slavery in the USA. Indeed, he writes about the “ blood-clotted cow-hide” and describes us how he feels sick and weak “I was seized with a fever, which threatened to confine me to my bed”. He also describes us the luck he had to find Wells Brown “He was a devoted friend of the slave […] they made me some clothing, and the old gentleman purchased me a pair of boots.”

5. Because William wants to go in Canada in order to become a free man and also a new man, he needs to have a name,a new name. Indeed, he already has the name of William, but he wants to add “Wells Browns” in order to thanks his “firts white friend”.

6. With this book, he wants to show to his lector the fact that a slave can write a great book has a white and smart man. Indeed, his book was published in 1847, a little bit before the slavery abolishment in 1865.

7. With the fact that he writes his autobiography, he can prouved to himself he is a smart man, so he gain a self-estime. He also gains an identity. Indeed, if he can write a book, he is more than an object use by white man “The fact that I Was a freeman-could walk, talk, eat and sleep, as a man […] all this made me feel that I was not myself”

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