The Journal of John Woolman Literary Elements

Autobiography; Journal

America, 1700s, during Slavery, pre-independence from Britain

The narrator is the writer of the journal, John Woolman.

Hopeful and inspirational; tolerant and God-loving

Woolman is the protagonist. Those who support slavery are his antagonists.

There is conflict within Woolman himself as he goes back and forth about his real feelings towards slavery. He not only wants to pinpoint what he thinks, but also tries to learn why he thinks that way.

Woolman realizes that the conditions in which slaves are kept is largely irrelevant to the bigger picture about slavery, which is inherently wrong because it involves the "keeping" of a human and the taking of slaves from their homes.

Woolman has to assist a Quaker friend with the bill of sale for a slave that he has sold. This event foreshadows the conflict within Woolman about slavery and his eventual conclusion that it is wrong, precipitating his stance as one of the earliest abolitionists.

No examples : Woolman is a very honest journal keeper who calls a spade a spade, not understating either the social situations of the time or his own opinions about them.

Woolman alludes to the Puritan religion and the way in which it states that God lacks mercy and is a judgmental God.

The imagery is largely derived from Quaker imagery, for example, the image Woolman writes of God shows a kind and merciful God who is only love.

As a Quaker it was incumbent upon Woolman to assist in the buying and selling of slaves which actually made him realize that slavery needed to be abolished

There is a parallel with Woolman's realization that slavery was wrong and the changing of Quaker opinion to agree with him, positioning the Quakers as abolitionists.

The Quakers and The Puritans are used instead of naming individuals; rather, they are identified by their denominational groupings.

No examples